Did you crate train to housebreak your Bouvier?

[Carson]

How did it go?
Was there a "whining phase?"
How long was it before the dog "got it?"
Did you housebreak a different way?

[Mike]

All of our Bouvs have been crate trained. Some have taken to it better than others though. We have several crates set up that we use to crate a couple of the more prone to get in trouble (as in bored and want to see what mischif they can get into) while we are out and they know when we are getting ready to leave they head for their favorite crate. When we are home the crates all stay open and you can usually find one or more occupided by a sleeping dog. Crates are also used for time out and a place to put one or more that decided that it's a lot of fun to go play in the rain and come in soaked. They are also great to teach puppies to go outside by putting them in the crate and then when you let them out they go straight outside and if they do anything, praised very highly and treated. If they only want to play or not do anything, they go back into the crate for awhile to try again in a while.

Yes, sometimes they will whine or even bark if they are put in a crate and something else is going on that they want to be a part of. It's paticuarly hard for me because I'm up early and to bed late and a very light sleeper, so can only put up with it for so long, but once they learn about crates at a young age, they are usually good for life if you teach them that it is a safe, happy place and not just a place to go when they are bad.

Mike

Mike

[Sarah Alling]

>>How did it go?
Was there a "whining phase?"
How long was it before the dog "got it?"
Did you housebreak a different way? <<

Good.
Yes.
Pretty quickly.
Wouldn't do it any other way.

Hi Carson. I have had Bouviers for 35 years now. I am one of the ones, as Mike described in another post, that has a Bouvier and another breed (2 Curly Coated Retrievers).
My current Bouvier, Scarlet, is a 13 month old pup. She was crate trained from the very beginning, and, I will say, we had a streak where it was VERY noisy when she was left alone in it--as in I left the room. That took a month or two to subside--whining or barking NEVER gets the crate door opened in our house--but eventually she decided that her crate was a safe, fun place, and now, as Mike said of some of his Bouvs (who are Scarlet's relatives), Scarlet goes into her crate by herself sometimes just to relax. Crate door is left open for that.
Lots of treats for going into your crate at the beginning, and lots of interactice toys in there with you (like a Premier Pet Busy Bone, or stuffed Kong, etc.)
A crate is so necessary for keeping a pup out of trouble when you don't have the time to watch her. Making it a fun place to be makes it so much easier on you both.