I wouldn't think of crate training as harsh. Both of my dogs stay in their crates during the day while my DH and I work. It is safer for them and for the house. In fact, we got Giz at the age of 3 and still managed to get him used to the crate in a few months. It took some persistance, but it works well for our schedules and for the dogs too.
I love the idea of crates…gives them a safe place when they're stressed & keeps them out of trouble & my house in tact! 
As a matter of fact they love it...they eat there...they get treats there...they rest there...they hide the toys they love in there!!
We were home this weekend (more than usual) during the day & seemed like TOPAZ was just restless. She couldn't settle down, couldn't get comfy even tho she LOVES being on the couch every night with us. She kept going in & out of her crate...finally it dawned on me that she WANTED to be crated. That's where she sleeps during the day all week so it was like she was stressed because she wasn't sure why she was out so long.
So I crated her & closed the door & she fell right to sleep for about 4 hours :eek: lol lol...my girl needs structure!
I'm sorry. When I responded about the crate being "their own little safe space," I wasn't thinking of crate training, per se, but the idea of using the crate as a time-out place for misbehavior, i.e., biting. I should have been more clear.
Crate training is a great thing when done properly! I just don't think a crate should be used as a punishment, that's all.
Being it seems your dog is experiencing anxiety-induced pooping because he can't get to you, I wouldn't put him in the crate after he poops, as a punishment. You might try putting him into the crate before you separate from him (maybe with something good to gnaw on?) to see if it keeps him poop-free while you're separated from each other.
I've found that Alani too enjoys being in there and sometimes prefers to take naps in her crate rather than on the couch with us. She will go in her crate willingly in the mornings before I go to work and will lay down and start chewing on her nylabone. Dogs are naturally den animals and so they find comfort in in them.
Below is a link that is very helpful in the why's, why nots, dos and don'ts of crate training. Most of the websites out there say the same thing, I just liked this one the best.
http://www.siriusweb.com/AAD/crate.html
They all state that you want to create a happy place for them to go so you wouldn't want to have them associating it with punishment.
Sounds good. We're gonna look into that. She was in a crate while in her foster home and according to his foster mommy, he liked it. O.k thanks for the pros on crate training will keep you posted.
Well this morning I went into the bathroom with my daughter and left him alone for a while..he was busy with a bone so he didn't seem to mind and no mess…We are so proud. although he is still pooping when we leave but he does do it on the wee wee pads (O.k so he misses). I tried walking out of the house and coming in after about 1min. I hope this is a step forward. He did love that bone though, he even went into the bedroom alone to chew on it. He always used to stay in whatever room we were in and this morning before I left for work he was playing with his ball.
Keep up the good work! It may take awhile, but it sounds like you're off to a good start!
one day at a time but at least today started out good
YAY you go little B
Yes well like I said one day at at time because yesturday was a different story. My daughter came home from school and as usual he had peeped and pooped but on the wee wee pads, no big deal we are used to that. But then he started nipping my daughter pretty hard, she almost cried so she went into her room. When I got home this little brat had pooped in the living room and peeded in the hallway right in front of my daughter's room. AGHHHHH!!!! I was so upset. Anyway I took Champ to the park and met up with some owners and I wanted to get input on the crate thing. See the thing is that we like Champ to walk around the house sit with us on the couch and sleep in his bed next to us and this seems to have to change if we start crate training him. I just want him to stop pooping and peeing inside the house. He only does this when he's alone. He hasn't had any accidents while we are home for a few days. My other concern is the nipping. I swear we have tried all your suggestions, but nothing works. Wait the walking worked because after we came back from our 1 1/2 hour park trip he was such a little angel. Anyway I got the crate suggestion but was told he had to sleep in there which I don't like (will he?)and then I was told to punish when he did his messes by rubing his nose on the pee and then isolated him from the family. This used to work with my toy poodle, but he was pretty much trained and not so hyper. The trainer is coming this Sat. so I'm sure he will help with the nipping and he already mentioned the crate…I need some feedback please my mind is running in circles with this whole crate, potty business.
punish when he did his messes by rubing his nose on the pee and then isolated him from the family. This used to work with my toy poodle, but he was pretty much trained and not so hyper.
I'm not sure who shared this information with you but IMO it's terribly wrong & may actually make things worse. This will scare the little guy & somtimes the smells stays on their nose if done harshly & they'll pee ALLLLL over the place :eek: I'm sure you don't want that. Try to get into the mind set that dogs will want to do things that make him feel good. If I don't nip…I get a FABULOUS treat 
If I don't pee I get such wonderful praises AND a FABULOUS treat.
With the nipping try what they call "replacing the behavior" so when he starts to nip give him something to do IMMEDIATELY (and timing is everything with this exercise) that he can't possibly nip & do the new behavior at the same time...for example..Step 1-nips=chew toy IMMEDIATELY Step 2-if he gets distracted with the chew toy then you treat him with some yummy food & good praises!! Using a nice happy voice!!
Andrea once used this analogy that has stuck with me....if they had a law that all those that DON'T speed get a new car wouldn't you NOT speed well same idea with dogs.
With the peeing around the house you may need to keep the little guy on a leash meaning with you at ALLLL times. Tie the leash around your waist so you can watch his every move...if starts looking like he's going to pee (and you MUST watch & learn the signs because there aremany) you pick him up quickly saying "Potty Potty Potty" and take him outside or wherever you want him to pee. If you can't keep an eye on him then he belongs in his crate with the most delicious treat possible or a fun chew toy!
I can't emphasize enough that you need to do these exercises every single time every single day...it does work but the commitment needs to be there.
We have some issues with other dogs & I've been teaching "Watch" to my dogs for what seems like forever!!! :eek: and it's taken them about 3 months to figure it out...but it's every day & the precise time.
Can I potty train him with the crate when we are not home but give him free use of the house when we are, including letting him sleep during the night out of his crate? This is the only reason y we have not crated him. O.k about the nipping thing, we are all going to have to strap ourselves like cowboys to a chewing toy and maybe a squirt water bottle for back up.
I don't know about crate/potty training but our B is only in the crate when we are away. She sleeps with us durring the night. Does your B pee or poop in the house at night? If not, I wouldn't think that you would need to crate to help with potty training at night.
No, Champ only does this when we are not home. During the night he sleeps straight through. He pretty much just has this issue when he is left home alone or when for example we are in the bathroom or my daughter is in her room and he is not allowed in.
You should try the advice that some gave on this thread to potty train while you're out of the house. You can fence him in an area so that he doesn't pee all over the house but is in a confined space where he also has his crate & some wee pads that he can use to go when he needs to.
http://www.basenjiforums.com/showthread.php?t=1119
Also check out the thread discussions in the Training Section of the forum. There's lots of good advice there about potty training AND lots of info about crates & why it's a good idea.
My dogs are adults and we crate them any time we can not supervise them. And they get crated at night to sleep. They are den animals & I assure you they do like a safe confined space that they can go to feel "safe" and also just a place they can rest in.
Thanks everyone is alsways offering such wonderful information and it's great to hear that they are den animals and he might feel even better ebing in a crate. That will definetly help me sleep at night. Hopefully after some adjustments are made during the weekend I will come back with some good news. I know it takes time and I will be patient with my B.
Can I potty train him with the crate when we are not home but give him free use of the house when we are, including letting him sleep during the night out of his crate? This is the only reason y we have not crated him. O.k about the nipping thing, we are all going to have to strap ourselves like cowboys to a chewing toy and maybe a squirt water bottle for back up.
You can do whatever you want with him, as long as you can keep your eye on him every single second. During the day, you make it so he can't leave the room you are in…or tether him to you....while you are sleeping, you are unlikely to be able to watch him, so I would crate him. The only exception to that, imo, is if he is sleeping in your bed, and you wake up when he starts to move around. That is how we night trained several of our dogs. As soon as the puppy starts moving around, we take them outside.
We have a puppy right now too...so I totally understand what you are going thru. But I know if I walk away from the puppy, I will most likely find a puddle when I come back. I clean it up, and go on....I know if I leave her in her crate for more than three hours, I will be cleaning up pee, and probably poop. I put newspaper on the floor of the crate, and an absorbent blanket, and be prepared to clean when I come back. The responsiblity is all on ME to set her up for success...if I can't do that, then I take responsiblity for not actually training her.
For the biting, try standing up and leaving the play when it gets too rough. Usually our puppy bites when she is either on my lap, or if we are holding her..I immediately put her down (unless she is struggling to *get down, and that is a different story). Game over. You can also try spraying your hands and arms with Bitter Apple. That is the only thing that worked when Querk was a puppy.
House training sometimes takes a long time. You KNOW that he will poop when somebody walks away (separates themselves) from him.... so set him up so that can't happen. If your daughter needs a break from him, put him in the crate, and she goes off to her room. Give him something fun do in there, so it isn't a puninshment. Or she says 'mom, watch the puppy, I can't deal with him right now'.
You were meeting with a trainer, right? Has that happened yet? Hopefully he or she will have some good ideas for you.
With the nipping try what they call "replacing the behavior" so when he starts to nip give him something to do IMMEDIATELY (and timing is everything with this exercise) that he can't possibly nip & do the new behavior at the same time…for example..Step 1-nips=chew toy IMMEDIATELY Step 2-if he gets distracted with the chew toy then you treat him with some yummy food & good praises!! Using a nice happy voice!!
Andrea once used this analogy that has stuck with me....if they had a law that all those that DON'T speed get a new car
.
Great advice about the nipping…and I am glad you liked my speeding analogy
Yeah the trainer is coming this weekend. During the night is not a problem, when he sees we are going to bed he goes to bed too and does't wakw up before 5…We walk away when he nips but believe it or not he kind of likes it, it's like he's playing catch and nip. He does behave when we take him for a long walk so I do believe it's just alot of energy. I started telling my daughter that she needs to spend more time with him by playing with him. I do think he might nip at her the most because she's dosen't spend that much time with him. He is persistant and wow his nips can hurt. I tried ignoring him yesturday but when he starts nothing stops him, well he dosen't like the spray bottle to I think we're gonna get more persistant with that.
The spray bottle may wind him up more. Try the Bitter Apple on your hands. we have found that sometimes when the puppy is too tired (yes, it can happen) they are more mouthy. Sometimes just putting the puppy in the crate for a nap works wonders!
