Hi

I understand where you are coming from, but the idea of the crate is that the dog wants to go, so whines and barks to be let out and then you can go and open the door.

Very often if a young dog gets up in the night and needs a wee, they will just wee, not ask, is someone isn't there, but in a crate they will actually ask, because naturally dogs will toilet away from their den this means that the dog learns to ask and then when the crate is disgarded at a later date, or the door remains open all the time, the dog has 'learned' what to do if they need to toilet - voila clean dog.

However, the fact that they are cosy and curled up in their den, often helps them settle at night and not pace around peeing where they like.

Kate

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But if you're fast asleep upstairs how is does that work? He can ask and ask but if no one comes then it's negative association surely? I'd rather secure my garden and teach them how to use a dog flap, I'm afraid I will never ever come round to the idea of caging my dogs no matter what anyone says, it just goes against my ideas of dog ownership. It's open to so much abuse it scared me.

Thanks for all the feedback...

I certainly wouldn't remove water but what I'll try is picking it up before bedtime. Ben has access to it at all times during the day and in the evening but tends to follow whenever I go to the kitchen and has a drink (That's if he can prize himself from the sofa).

When I make a cuppa tonight, around 9:30ish I'll pick it up after he's had a drink and see what happens. He doesn't need the garden every night but I would like to get him to go right through.

As far as the "Dog Flap" I'll be happy to let him use it once he's settled in and have been training him but as yet the penny hasn't really dropped.

Not sure about "Crates" and don't know if he would take to one and there seems to be for and against on here.

Cheers all,

Dave