# Blanket in Crate when Crate Training?



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I would not use a blanket for two reasons. The first is for the reason already mentioned to you. If the blanket absorbs the urine so she doesn't learn that it isn't a good idea to potty where she sleeps you will not be helping her with her housebreaking. The second reason I wouldn't use a blanket is to prevent her from chewing on things she should chew on or from ingesting harmful materials.

My younger poodle (Javelin) was a crate train failure since two weeks after we got him (with him still protesting over the crate for hours every night) I was away and he was keeping BF up all night. BF took him out of the crate and put him on the bed. I have since taught him to be okay with the crate, but the real reason for my telling about his early life fail at the crate is to let you know that as soon as he was big enough to get off the bed by himself he would go lay on the tile floor in the kitchen or near our front door. He has opted for hard floors when given a choice ever since then. Right now Javelin is on the dining room floor and Lily is on the sofa in the living room.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

Yup, my dog will still pee on a blanket if I put one in his crate. No more for him ! I use a pillow case wrapped tight around his bed lining and he's good with that. I wrap the bed lining in a garbage bag and put the pillow case on top. A lot easier to wash !


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## TexasPink (Jul 3, 2016)

Okay! Good to know. Thanks so much for the insights!


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## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

I used a nice cozy blanket in the crate for both my girls, they never peed in there or chewed the blankets. I would give it a try and see what happens before taking all comforts away.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

No blankie for my baby in his crate. He gets really hot and wouldn't appreciate it. He would prefer to sleep on the bathroom tile floor!


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## Mysticrealm (Jan 31, 2016)

I use beds in my dog's crate right from when they are puppies. Never had issues with puppies peeing in the crate or chewing them up.


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## sidewinder (Feb 3, 2016)

My dogs always have blankets or crate beds in their crates unless it's really hot weather. Mackey's crate has an old saddle pad in it...nice and thick and cushy, but machine washable. Eventually I will have washed it enough times to get all the grey horsehair out of the dark green pad.  My worst problem is that Charlie the Scottie does not like Mackey. If I leave his crate door open, she goes in there and pees on his bed. I asume that is her way of making known her opinion of a big rowdy poodle living in her house. Mackey (age 6 months) has never peed in there.

Personally, I think that having a cushy bed in the crate could make it more inviting and comforting for a puppy. However, that all depends on the dog! I've never had a pup that peed on their bedding, though, and I've crate trained lots of pups. Just don't try to crate train a puppy in a crate that is big enough for them to sleep in one end and pee in the other!

My suggestion is, if your puppy pees on his blanket, take it out.


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## Dechi (Aug 22, 2015)

It really is an individual thing. You need to try the blanket, and if the puppy pees more than once or twice (he could be having real accidents because you're not taking him out enough) then get rid of it and get a plastic covered bed lining or something with protection.

I must say that with all the dogs I've had, maybe 15 or more, only 1 had this problem. So we have to adapt to them.


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## TexasPink (Jul 3, 2016)

I guess like so many things it depends on the dog  Thank you all for sharing your experiences, it really helps!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

zooeysmom said:


> No blankie for my baby in his crate. He gets really hot and wouldn't appreciate it. He would prefer to sleep on the bathroom tile floor!


Javelin would be right there with Frosty!

And as Dechi said it is something that depends on the dog. My biggest puppy bedding problem was that Peeves would chew holes and swallow stuffing. That can be dangerous.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

lily cd re said:


> Javelin would be right there with Frosty!
> 
> And as Dechi said it is something that depends on the dog. My biggest puppy bedding problem was that Peeves would chew holes and swallow stuffing. That can be dangerous.


Yeah, I can't imagine putting bedding in with a spoo pup also for that chewing issue, but so many people do successfully. Really an individual thing


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## oshagcj914 (Jun 12, 2016)

I used a folded up quilt in Finn's crate - no stuffing in case they chew, although of course they could still swallow bits of quilt so I observed him carefully before leaving him crated unattended. He never peed in his crate at all except once when he had a steroid shot after a bee sting and could not help it. He was also not a chewer at all and never chewed up anything in his life but toys. I think it really depends on the dog. 

I highly recommend a Primo Pad for crates. You can get one that zip ties to the bottom of the crate so the dog can't pull it up to chew it. They're not super soft but provide some cushion and they're vinyl coated so they're strong and you can just wipe or hose them off when they get dirty. I'm really happy with mine.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

*message made in error*


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