Crate training during the evening/night, but open daycare during the day.

by Julia Grandjean
(Pasadena, Ca.)

Hi! So here's the scenario: My husband and I have 9-1/2 week old samoyed puppy that we've had for a week and a half. We're crate training him and trying to be as consistent as possible, but we both work so our schedules don't allow one of us to be home at all times. He's been doing pretty good with the training, He's had a few accidents in the house and a couple in his crate but he's getting better.

The thing is that we've been trying to come up with a daycare solution for him that makes sense. We don't want to leave him at home all day.

My mom volunteered to come over on Mondays and Fridays to take care of him in our home. She's not as cautious with the potty training as we are, but I don't want to demand that she do exactly what we do. Beggers can't be choosers kind of thing....

Tuesday to Thursday I will be dropping him off at her house early morning and picking him up in the afternoon. She had a big yard that he can run around in and she has 5 chihuahuas that will hopefully play nice and serve as company and socialization for him.

My question is: Does having him run around outside during the day completely regress our potty training/crate training that we've been doing? I just wanted to get your feedback because aside from leaving the poor thing alone most of the day in a x pen, I don't have another option really. Hoping you can give me some tips.

Thank You,

Julia G






Hi Julia
It sounds as though you're off to a good start with your puppy and are putting a lot of thought and planning into making sure he gets good care while you are at work. That is excellent :)

If you're consistent in your home with the crate training, then when he's at home he will know what is expected of him. As long as you make sure to always follow the same potty training routine and use the crate and commands consistently, you shouldn't have too much trouble here.

However, if your mom lets him pee/poop indoors though, he won't realize that he's supposed to do his business outdoors in other people's houses. If your mom's dogs eliminate indoors from time to time, he will smell this and think that it's okay for him to do the same. That could be a bit of a problem while he's young, but should improve as he gets older and his bladder/bowel control gets better. It's always a 'work in progress' when you're trying to potty train a puppy.

It's definitely good for him to have socialization with other dogs, and spend time in a different environment etc. as it will help him become more confident and social. It's also much better than leaving him alone all day. At this point I think it's probably an acceptable solution even if it's not absolutely perfect.

Hope this helps, best of luck with your pup.