[rick619]

Hi all,
I picked up an 9 week old male puppy on Saturday. I've already begun reading some of the posts to find out what to expect, just have a few questions:

I don't have an actual crate. I'm using two baby gates to keep him confined to a safe area. Basically, he's in a section of a hallway. How much space should I give him? Currently the two gates are 6 feet apart. I assume he shouldn't have this much room? We've had him 2 nights and so far he's pooped both nights and ran around smearing it in the area.

Secondly, I assume the crying is normal and he'll get used to it? He's cried for about 40 minutes after being confined to his area followed by periods of crying through the night.

Here's Hurley:

 

[Big Rick]

As long as he has a place to do his business and another place to sleep he'll continue to do so. That's the reason for the crate. A crate restricts them to a space that doesn't allow him to get away from the poop so he doesn't poop in it.

Our little guy is now 11 weeks old and he has never once pooped in the crate. Right now he's in a carrying crate but we have a wire crate for him when he gets bigger. The bigger one has an adjustable wall that can grow larger as the dog grows.

Get him a crate and that should solve your problem.

 

[Tenspot]

A small crate is best to start. You want a crate just barely big enough to turn around. The crying is normal and they will get through it. Its harder on you than them. If you get a large crate right away, make a plywood divider or something to make it smaller inside.