I got my 8 week old Boston today...We got a create for her. I have never create trained a pup before so this will be my first time. I have a couple of questions. Am I supposed to feed her in the create?.. Or just keep water in there. Ive read a couple of websites and they dont clarify if the dog should be fed or not. Also will the dog need ot be let out in the middle of the night?..Umm any suggestions for the new pup would be great.


Cameron

PS They are the cutest puppies ever!!!!!\

Ill try and throw a picture of her soon...

i crate train the pup with everything that he likes he gets in the crate. that means food water toys treats. i also cover the crate with a blanket zo that it feels safe. i let the pup out at night when he wakes up. mostly this is only the first few nights.

I am new to this thread, but I have some opinions I would like to add. We crate trained our Boston from the first day we brought him home. He is now 7, and is the BEST dog EVER!!! Crate training can be hard at times and is alot of work, but it is well worth the effort. The way we did it was on a schedule. He would be in for 1 hour (to start) and then would be let outside to do his thing, have some water and some much deserved family time. This only lasted 15 minutes. After a week or so, we gradually made it 2 hours of crate time, 20 minutes out. We never provided water in the kennel or food. We put blankets and old tshirts (smelled like us) for him to lay on and it provided the comfort he needed. Over time, the amount of time he was out got longer. At night, he would wine if he needed out, and we would take him outside, so playing, no food. Only water if he wanted it. He stayed in it while we were gone as well. We got rid of the crate when he was about 5. He loved it, but we moved into a small house and didn't have room for it. Now he sleeps with our daughter.
I am sure there are many different ways to crate train a dog, but that is what worked for us. We called it his "bed" and to this day, his favorite place is under our bed where it is dark and small. We are getting a female tommarrow and we are all set to train her the same way. Good luck with the training! It's worth the effort.

I wouldn't provide water until he's not have accidents in the house, unless you are gone for long periods of time, it's going to make house breaking tougher.

As for the food, I never leave food in there. But to promote the crate as his den, I did put his food bowl in there and left the door open to get him walking into his crate on his own. Remove the bowl when he's done. I also have another dog, the one in my avatar, so that keeps her from eating Roger's food.

It's good to let the pup out in the middle of the night when it's possible, I kept mine on leash for the first 2 months so he knows outside is for #1 & 2. Now that he's 6 months old, he does very well.

Good luck with your newest family member!