# GSD sleeping in Kenel in Garage



## nicholastime

Hi,

I just got our GSD and she is 4 months. She will not go to the bathroom in her kenel but has in our house. My kids are 9 and 3 so we go to bed early. Is it ok if I leave Cory in her kenel in our garage? We live in Memphis, TN so the weather doesn't get too cold but will get into the teens at night in January and February. Right now the weather is into the 20's at night. 

Thanks for all your help.


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## wolfstraum

is she in a crate or in a kennel??? Many people put up a small kennel (5 x 5 or 5x 10) in their basements or garages to avoid keeping pups in crates....

Personally, I don't like leaving pups in a cold place....if you must leave her in an unheated place like a garage, make sure she has warm bedding to snuggle in. 

Lee


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## shepherdmom

Bring the crate into the house.  When I have a puppy, the crate is always in our bedroom. As the puppy gets older and is better potty trained you can start leaving the door open at night. When he/she is absolutely 100% not getting into trouble, then you can move the crate back out and replace with a doggie bed or blanket and your dog will have learned to sleep inside near you.


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## MaggieRoseLee

The first year is when its so important for our pups to be with us and learn their house manners, not be isolated and away from the family.

Keep the crate in the house in the bedroom and use it to help housebreak. Use baby gates and close doors to keep the puppy in the room you are in so house manner learning continues. Having a puppy IS work and can be hard, the same as having kids. But we don't keep the kids in the garage (right  ) instead patiently teach and it is the same with a puppy. They learn WITH us, not off on their own.

You able to take the puppy to puppy classes? Just the time these weekly classes take and learning/bonding that occurs is worth it


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## Jag

I couldn't imagine leaving a pup in the garage at night, no matter the weather. This breed especially. Please bring the crate in the house. You need to form a good bond with it, and as said.. you can't teach manners if the pup is outside. If the pup is crated, it can't go on the floor or get into things so I fail to see the point in putting the crate in the garage.


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## jae

I used to do this. I realized soon after I didn't want my dog separated, I couldn't keep an eye on him in there, and he would want to keep his eyes on me anyway 

it is better to keep them as close as possible it helps with housebreaking and bonding in every way you could imagine. good luck.


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## Rerun

OP, can you clarify whether you mean kennel (as in a large enclosed space, such as a small dog pen) or crate (big enough for pup to lay down in, but not move around much otherwise)?

If it's an actual kennel (a pen) that you have in the garage, I can understand why you would be keeping pup in the kennel at night vs loose in the house. However, you could simply get a crate for inside the house if this is the only issue. 

You won't find many people here who will approve of keeping a dog in the garage at night, or outside. Most of the members here are housepet kind of dog owners. That said, german shepherds certainly will be fine in those temps with some warm bedding as another poster suggested. Unless you plan to put the puppy beside your bed in a crate, there is no difference IMHO whether the pup sleeps in a crate in the house or sleeps in a crate/kennel in the garage. Your garage, if attached to the house, probably stays much warmer than 20 degrees (ours never goes below about 45 degrees at the coldest even in the dead of winter, and I'm in central Indiana). Also, the garage is out of the wind and other elements, so even if it truely is 20, it's not as cold of a 20 as 20 degrees outside will feel. In order to stay outside in those temps, the pup would have to be acclimated to outdoor temps already by then which would mean living outside 24/7.

In short, yes, sleeping in the garage is fine. It will not hurt the puppy any, will not hurt bonding, or anything else. Plently of people are bonded to their dogs. Most working dogs (I mean actual working dogs, not sport dogs) live outside and are VERY bonded to their handlers. Where the dog sleeps has nothing to do with bonding. What you do during the awake hours is what promotes bonding.


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## nicholastime

Thanks for all your help. Our dog is in a crate which is in our attached garage. The main reason why we have put her in the garage is because she cries at night in the house. We started off with her crate in the house. Then she would cry and our kids would not go to sleep. I agree 100% with the bonding which is needed. I'm not sure what to do though about her crying if we bring her crate back in the house. Why does it matter if her crate is in our bedroom or in our dining room?

Thanks again


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## sparra

Rerun said:


> OP, can you clarify whether you mean kennel (as in a large enclosed space, such as a small dog pen) or crate (big enough for pup to lay down in, but not move around much otherwise)?
> 
> If it's an actual kennel (a pen) that you have in the garage, I can understand why you would be keeping pup in the kennel at night vs loose in the house. However, you could simply get a crate for inside the house if this is the only issue.
> 
> You won't find many people here who will approve of keeping a dog in the garage at night, or outside. Most of the members here are housepet kind of dog owners. That said, german shepherds certainly will be fine in those temps with some warm bedding as another poster suggested. Unless you plan to put the puppy beside your bed in a crate, there is no difference IMHO whether the pup sleeps in a crate in the house or sleeps in a crate/kennel in the garage. Your garage, if attached to the house, probably stays much warmer than 20 degrees (ours never goes below about 45 degrees at the coldest even in the dead of winter, and I'm in central Indiana). Also, the garage is out of the wind and other elements, so even if it truely is 20, it's not as cold of a 20 as 20 degrees outside will feel. In order to stay outside in those temps, the pup would have to be acclimated to outdoor temps already by then which would mean living outside 24/7.
> 
> In short, yes, sleeping in the garage is fine. It will not hurt the puppy any, will not hurt bonding, or anything else. Plently of people are bonded to their dogs. Most working dogs (I mean actual working dogs, not sport dogs) live outside and are VERY bonded to their handlers. Where the dog sleeps has nothing to do with bonding. What you do during the awake hours is what promotes bonding.


I agree.....my kids don't get to sleep on the floor in my bedroom so why should my dogs?? They all have their own space to sleep and providing it is warm and cosy the dog will be just fine.


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## AngieW

We put Kylie's crate in the laundry for the first several nights. We started off with the crate in the living room, but when we realized that she was going to be crying at the top of her lungs for several hours (and managed to wake up both of the kids, one of whom already has a sleep disorder she is on medication for), we gave up on the living room idea. I tried the crate in the garage, but I could hear her across the street. The laundry room was the most sound-proofed room in the house. 

By the 3rd night, she was quiet within 20 minutes. We moved the crate to the living room the 5th night and that is where it has stayed. 

Hopefully, your puppy will transition to the crate quickly so you can move the kennel back to the main part of the house soon.


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## Cassidy's Mom

nicholastime said:


> I'm not sure what to do though about her crying if we bring her crate back in the house. Why does it matter if her crate is in our bedroom or in our dining room?


Because she's less likely to cry if she's _with_ you than if she's isolated in another room by herself.  She may still fuss at first, but she will eventually settle down and sleep, probably within a few days.


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## Cassidy's Mom

Here's a thread that talks about putting the crate in the bedroom. Hint: The OP was initially very resistant to the idea, but was won over when it worked!

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/puppy-behavior/167455-omg-what-night.html


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## harmony

nicholastime said:


> Thanks for all your help. Our dog is in a crate which is in our attached garage. The main reason why we have put her in the garage is because she cries at night in the house. We started off with her crate in the house. Then she would cry and our kids would not go to sleep. I agree 100% with the bonding which is needed. I'm not sure what to do though about her crying if we bring her crate back in the house. Why does it matter if her crate is in our bedroom or in our dining room?
> 
> Thanks again


So whats wrong? and tell her to shut up


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## doggiedad

my dogs crate was in the livingroom. i live in a small
house. your pup can't learn anything being in a crate
in the garage.


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## Rerun

What exactly did your pup learn in the crate in the living room that the pup can't learn in the garage?

Learning to settle in a crate is accepting confinement period, regardless of where the crate is located.


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## shepherdmom

Cassidy's Mom said:


> Because she's less likely to cry if she's _with_ you than if she's isolated in another room by herself.  She may still fuss at first, but she will eventually settle down and sleep, probably within a few days.


This...:thumbup: Plus if you are in the same room you can use your voice to sooth her when she starts crying. Sometimes just a hush baby go to sleep soothes lets them know you are right there and helps them settle down. Remember they are just a baby and like every baby they do wake up in the middle of the night. You let them out to go potty give her a few cuddles and put her back.. Soon she will sleep through the night.


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## 3dognite

nicholastime said:


> Thanks for all your help. Our dog is in a crate which is in our attached garage. The main reason why we have put her in the garage is because she cries at night in the house. We started off with her crate in the house. Then she would cry and our kids would not go to sleep. I agree 100% with the bonding which is needed. I'm not sure what to do though about her crying if we bring her crate back in the house. Why does it matter if her crate is in our bedroom or in our dining room?
> 
> Thanks again


Yeah, they do cry at night...with both of my GSD's when I got them as pups, I ended up on the floor with my arm in the crate with them all night. It probably went on for 3-5 nights and eventually they got to where they didn't need me right there, they knew I was in the bed right next to the crate.

Puppies will make for some sleepless nights initially.


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## nicholastime

Well we have moved the crate to our living room. Our puppy definitely does not want to go in it. However, when I do put her in it she cries for about 10 - 20 minutes then settles down and sleeps all night. Unless my 3 year old daughter wakes up and walks into our bedroom which wakes up our puppy. 

Last night we tried putting the kennel in our bedroom. My wife and I were watching the news in our bedroom and our puppy was staring at us barking and crying. I could only handle that for 2 - 3 minutes then moved her back into the living room. She then went to sleep after 10 - 20 minutes of crying. 

I would love to keep our puppy in our bedroom not locked up in her kennel but my wife and I can't settle down because we are worried she will us the bathroom somewhere. Any help or recommendations is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Chris


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## Rerun

Your pup is way too young to be out of the crate at night. It will be awhile before she's ready to do that. If you try it this young, you are setting her up for failure and you for disappointment.

A suggestion when she's older and you want to give it a try - I started years ago tethering my young adults to the foot of the bed by their dog bed until I'm sure they won't wander the house or have accidents. The confinement is less than a crate, but not enough to really get into trouble. We just use an extra leash (you'll of course have to wait until your pup is out of the chewing stage so she doesn't chew through the leash) and loop it around the foot post and the clip to the dogs collar. 

I've had one german shepherd that was fine like that at 6 months and onward. She's now 9 yrs old. All of my others I didn't even try this until I had had them for a yr+. Two of my GSD's are adopted so they were adults and previously outdoor dogs only, so no house training. The one that was fine at 6 months - I would never honestly do this with another 6 month old. The only reason I did it with her is because she was a leader dog in training (we were her puppy raisers) and the organization we raised for wanted them out in everyday life 24/7 with their raiser. So from 7 1/2 weeks old, she basically went everywhere with me. At the time, I was in college and she even went to my classes with me. She never had an accident in a public facility. Because she spent SO MUCH time with me on lead, housetraining was a breeze and she was a very clean easy to train dog. She ended up washing out at 1 yr due to hip dysplasia, which is why I still have her.


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