Crating or sealing off an area - training purposes

First post! Little background on Zoe. She's 8 weeks old and just became a member of our family 5 days ago.

I had a question regarding how people handled house training their pup. Currently, my wife and I have been leaving her gated off in our kitchen whenever we aren't home (both work full time) or whenever we go to bed (surprisingly, after only the 4th day of having her, we've been allowed to sleep through the night). Whenever we are gone for long periods of time, she tends to pee in the kitchen once or twice. My worry is that by sectioning her off in the kitchen, are we reinforcing the behavior that it's ok to pee in the kitchen when she is sealed off. Will she get the idea to hold it while we are gone and go out in the yard? We always take her out when we wake up, when we get home, and before we go to bed (and after meals or naps). She doesn't seem to have any problems going either, but I'm still worried about her thinking it's ok to pee on the kitchen floor when we are gone. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Also, is it a better idea to crate her or give her free roam of the kitchen during these time periods?

Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on July 1, 2010 at 8:56am

Hi Daniel, Congrats on your new addition, crating is a better option, sealing off an area is too early at this point. Potty training and other common questions can be found in the FAQ, read this first then read the most common mistakes.

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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on July 1, 2010 at 9:07am

Congrats on you new addition! If it were me I would get an exercise pen and do something like this. I have their whelping box in this pic but for a single pup I would use the crate! I also have a specific pan with papers in there my pups learn to go potty when they can't get out. Mine is a little different as I have a whole litter in here at 1st but if she learns where to go on those long days it is better than just going anywhere in the kitchen plus it may save you from her chewing something she shouldn't. Hope this helps!

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on July 1, 2010 at 9:12am

Crating is considered a better option but I must say I have done it both ways and the corgis did just fine. Sparty was trained by being in the kitchen with some newspapers. He is 11 and has always been very reliable with his potty training. Izzy and my other corgi, Buffy, were crate trained also with few problems. However, my experience is that the girls take a little longer to train. Best of luck with your new puppy! As soon as you start feeling like she will never get it she will be trained. Lol

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Permalink Reply by Dan and Jen on July 1, 2010 at 10:07am

Now if we crate, does it matter where she is at night or during the day? Would it be better for her to be crated and be in our bedroom when we are sleeping so she is more comfortable and still in the same room, or do you think it's best that we leave her in the kitchen (our kitten sleeps with us at night on our bed and we don't want to interrupt her sleeping habits if we don't have to)?

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on July 1, 2010 at 10:12am

I like to move my crates to wherever the rest of the pack is, so yes, we have a crate in our bedroom where they can see us. However, if your long term plan is to have her sleep in the kitchen, then you can keep her there.