[Johnser]

Hi guys,

I have a question about using the crate at night time.

Cooper is 3 months old now, and I would like to have him crated at night. Is it ok for me to crate him for the full 8 hours (usually less). I know the rule is usually one hour per month plus an hour, but seeing as its night time does that rule still apply.

I have been working on crate training for the past week or so and hes usually ok durning the day or so long as he can see and hear you. He has been getting better with the crate, and stays in there fine when left alone. But at night time, he goes mad, and pounds at the crate. Its quite unsettling the amount of power he puts into getting out of the crate.

I have never left him in the crate for a very long time usually about 1 hour is the longest and he has all his toys in there to keep him happy.

Last night, I decided to try putting him in the crate for the night. As usual he went mad when I left him. I went back in after about 10 minutes and gave him a firm NO and knocked on the top of the cage. I repeated this three times and he went quite. I left it for about an hour and went back and had a look at him. He was grand, so I gave him a little treat and a quick pet to make sure he was still talking to me. I listened at the door, and heard him lie down again, and didnt hear anything until this morning.

He howled this morning so I rushed down and let him out. There was no accidents in the cage, just a few spots from the excitement. So we went out the back garden and had a few laps with the football.

Is this ok, or should I give him more time before crateing for the night.

John