Kennel question

[Bulloxer01]

MY pitbull/boxer mutt lives in his kennel. I have him in there when he sleeps and hes out of it when i take him out to go bathroom and when i play with him (which could be relatively long since i take him around the neighborhood) Should i get him used to living in the house or waiting till he matures? because i dont wan poop mines in surprising places.

 

[Renee750il]

Your dog, being a largish, muscular dog, could be in for some real musculo-skeletal problems from living in a kennel! Absolutely get him used to living in the house. If you wait until he matures, not only is he going to have physical problems, he'll never have learned not to go in the house . . . how is a dog to learn without a chance? You may have to clean up a pile or two during the learning process, but that's a small price to pay.

 

[Doberluv]

Oh definitely! A dog who isn't raised in a house may never learn how to be civilized in a house, how to act, how not to go to the bathroom or anything else. Search this board for potty training advice and other help for teaching puppies about living with humans. How old is your pup?

 

[Debi]

I think dogs left to themselves too much...in a kennel, crate, or tied....just become frustrated, bored, and lonely. A rather sad little life. It isn't difficult to housetrain, just takes a little patience...but then it is over and your dog is good in the house forever. I don't have a problem with the kennel being his sleeping place...but bring him in to be with you. It's much more fun to have your little buddy hanging out with you.....a little playtime isn't enough. Sometimes it's the quiet times that are the best.

 

[smkie]

to want a dog in your life is to be willing to take the time and teach the animal how to be a good companion..just like you take a child and teach them to be a good citizen. Anything short of is cheating the dog of a good life..and yourself of a good dog. House breaking is no big deal if you do it right. If all your going do to is stick your dog in a prison in the back yard so he can watch your house then you should find someone who is willing to take the time and give your dog to them lock stock and barrel. It just ins't fair to the dog.

 

[Doberluv]

In addition to all the good points everyone's made, being that a dog is a pack animal, he NEEDS to be with his pack to function properly. You are his pack now, so to speak. His social drives and the way he operates IS with a pack. If he is alone too much of the time and away from his "den" where the rest of his pack resides, he won't be as well adjusted, happy and his behavior won't develop properly. Being with you inside the majority of the time, (or if you were a rancher and you were outside with him most of the time, that would be OK too) continues to teach him how to live with humans, something dogs have to be taught because it isn't natural right off the bat.

There is a lot of info online or in books or right on this message board to help with training questions, behavior problems and so forth. All it takes is a little reading and some dedication to show your dog what you want. And then you end up with a very close bond and a best friend and a very happy dog.

Good luck.

 

[showpug]

Hidden poop piles are part of having a puppy Puppies are a workload, destructive, and keep you on your toes, but keeping your pup outside in a kennel will be a detriment to it's future. Your pup will never learn how to behave inside unless you break what you are doing now and give your pup a fresh start IN THE HOUSE.

 

[Renee750il]

Another thing - your dog's puppy poop is going to be smaller than his adult-sized version! Best to teach him now for LOTS of reasons.

 

[Rose's Gal]

Also thought I'd say this: A Pittie/Boxer mix is probably going to not be able to tolorate heat and cold as well as another dog could, so please keep an eye on him. Also, Boxers and Pitties are both very people oriented "velcro" dogs, so if he is out in the kennel without you or another dog to keep him company most of the time, I'm pretty sure just by judging by his breeds he will get very lonely. Our neighbor has a Boxer and they sometimes chain her up outside so she can be out and not run off (they don't have a fence) and she'll just sit there and bark and cry because she doesn't want to be away from her people.
And yes, since he is a puppy, now would be the perfect time to teach him how to behave in a house. It is possible to teach an adult dog, but much harder. Trust me, I know. Blackie has always been an outside dog and when we bring him inside, he is horrible. Rose has been an outside dog, but since we brought/bring her in frequentally, she is well behaved in the house. And even though both of them are older, they aren't housebroken. So an older dog doesn't always equal a housebroken dog.

 

[smkie]

if you put one eye on that dog and catch it in the act every time you will have a house broken dog..i have yet to see the animal i could not house train in a matter of a few days. LIttle dog proved that..the leg hiker olympian, but i won and he was. It isn't that hard to do. If you can't housebreak a dog then you should give it to someone that can. THat way it can be assured the life that a dog should have, as a member of the family. I have seen the last dog in a kennel i ever want to..and after being a kennel kid for 20 years i have learned one thing..a dog deserves better then that..a kennel is a prison cell. Live in it yourself for one week and tell me how comfortable and happy you are..then imagine it being your whole life. My dog has all the same emotions i have, they can learn as much as you care to teach them..you combine the both and you have the best friend you could ever hope to meet.. or you can have what? a sad..arthritic..miserable fly blown animal that makes you (at least it should) feel guilty about so you look less often?

 

[bubbatd]

I could never have a dog that wasn't a member of the family. I've never had a kennel and have never had a dog that couldn't be in the house 24/7. Please take heed of the previous posts and read how to start from scratch .

 

[Bulloxer01]

Ummmm just off the record he isnt outside lol the kennel is inside the house in my old bedroom...... and also do i let him free in a room? or in the whole house. I have to goto school so would i keep him in the kennel when at school or let him free because i know that he would probably go if he was freee in the house or room.

 

[Fran27]

I assume that you're talking about a crate. Same thing, but for some people kennels are outside.

If you can't leave him in a dog proof room when you are away, the crate is probably the best place. But when you are home, let him go free. What I did with my puppy is that for 2 months, he was with me in a dog proof room, until he stopped peeing and pooping in it. Then I progressively let him run in the house, and I had maybe 2 accidents before he was totally housetrained.

 

[Bulloxer01]

While he was still a puppy? mine is 3 months old

 

[Fran27]

Yes, I started letting him go in the house around that age, but usually only 30 minutes at a time, when I was sure he wasn't going to have to pee.

 

[champagne]

Hi Bulloxer01,
I too have a pit bull. He is 6 months old right now. We have never crate trained him and have had only a few accidents in the house. When your at school, you can keep him in your "kennel", but give him lots to do...frozen kongs keep them busy for a long time.

When you get home from school take him right outside to go "potty". When he does, praise him like crazy, the neighbors should think your nuts . We kept saying to our dog "go potty" and "go poops" while he was doing one of those. After he went we would say GOOOD potty or goood poops( lots and lots of silly praise). He now will potty and do his poops on command. You could also reward him with a fun game after praising him.

We would take him outside after playing, eating, napping and if he started sniffing around. If you keep that eye on him at all times you will get to know him real well and will be able to anticipate when he has to go so you can get him outside in time.

Also if he should mess in the house, still bring him out immediatly and praise like crazy when he goes. I was told to never let them see you clean up the mess. not sure why though, so I didnt let him see me. When my pup knew he should be doing his business outside and then had an accident inside I did let him know I disapproved by telling him "no poops or potty" in the house. And its like he knew b/c He would hang his head real low & we only had a few accidents after he knew it should be outside. But until he knows, you will have accidents in the house , just clean them up.

If you take him out often, (sometimes seems like thats all you do) I'd bet you could have him pretty well house trained in no time at all.

Having a feeding schedule also helps in house training. We feed three times a day at approx. the same time everyday. When in the house training phase, we also fed b4 6:00pm and last drink about the same time. No free access to either of those after feeding time, meaning just food and water then pick up what he doesnt finish.

Our pit bull is an absolute joy to have around. They are goofy and very loving animals!
I couldnt imagine him not being right here with me. He is also member of our family and like us, lives in the house 24/7. You will be able to teach him house manners if you keep him out of his crate when you are home. And like the others said---now is the best time ..while he is still a pup.

We have lots of playtimes outside -either in the yard or on a 20' line. We also go to the park so he can run around (on his 20" line) and see and hear different things.

well your gonna love your new pup .

 

[Renee750il]

You really need to puppy proof a room for him - bathroom, laundry room, etc. The kind of dog you have really can end up with physical disabilities from being crated for extended periods. They need to have room to move about freely.

 

[mrose_s]

2 of our three dogs have to sleep outside, but that rule is pretty flexible, they were all aloud inside at a young age (ever since we bought them home) and they are all house trained, i would recomend bringing him inside though, the "outside" rule, isnt mines, its my mothers. all my dogs will be indide whenever they likde

 

[mrose_s]

I could never have a dog that wasn't a member of the family. I've never had a kennel and have never had a dog that couldn't be in the house 24/7. Please take heed of the previous posts and read how to start from scratch .

when i was little, we had 3 other dogs (Jack, Martha and Tussy) Tussy and Jack were both old and smelly, they couldnt be inside because neither had any bladder control, Tussy only had three legs because she had got hit by a car three times (i think its becasue she kept getting out, typical border collie behaviour lol) andjack (another old border collie) was very overweight. they had kennels, but no doors, just as a shelter, not as a crate, they still had full acess to the backyard just the had a shelter aswell./..

 

[EGilson0606]

I was wondering if he is very protective of his kennel? (does he look scared when you go near it, or gets anxious. runs to it when people are walking by?) This was a huge issue with my pooch when I got him, (now he likes to be under the bed) But I was able to kinda keep him from being in there all the time by getting in the kennel with him, and petting him and showing him that he needs to be ok with others being near it or even IN it (kinda like he needed to share). Now he rarely is in there, unless I ask him to.

The whole issue you might be facing, is that he is a possessive dog, and he knows that the crate is HIS and no one elses. If you show him that its not only his and that he has to share his space, then he might learn that you are willing to share yours, and spend more time outside of the "crate world"