Atlas has been with our family for exactly 10 days now. Atlas has hit a milestone with his crate training progress. He has finally learned to love his crate. Atlas understands that it is a place to sleep and to settle down after a long play time.
In exactly a week, Atlas has gained 3.4 lbs and has lost most of his puppy wrinkles. But that is a different story for another article. Atlas’ crate training progress has hit a new milestone. This morning, I woke up to find that Atlas was sound asleep up until 6:45 AM. In fact, he did not wake us up overnight to use the restroom. Furthermore, when I went to his crate, he was still asleep. And when I try to get him out, he went back into his crate to lie down! Must be a tough night for Atlas. Then again, we did play tug with a Mammoth Cottonblend 3 Knot Dog Rope Toy for 45 minutes before bedtime.
I had to carry him our backyard this morning and he urinated for a solid 13 seconds. Yes, thirteen seconds! I am amazed that he was able to hold his bladder for that long. After he urinated, he went straight to defecating. His stool is firm but moist, easy to pick up with minimal residue left behind. I believe Atlas has finally adjusted to our family and home and he is off to a fantastic start.
Lining the Crate with Training Pad
Ever since I removed his crate bed and blanket from his crate and lined them with training pads instead, he stopped urinating inside his crate. We also diligently take him out the minute he starts whining or every 2½ ~ 3 hours, whichever comes first.
The potty training rule of thumb, “an hour for every month old,” is absolutely true for Atlas. At least in the day time.
Yesterday Evening
I took Atlas to our backyard for a total of three times when I arrived home after work. Each time he step foot on the grass, he urinated and defecated without fail. We need to consistently and persistently maintain this routine. Now that Atlas understands the concept of relieving outside, we need train him to do it at a more specific spot, not just a specific area. I know Atlas will get the idea that if he needs to go, he’ll need to go outside. This will help us tremendously to get him housebroken as soon as possible.
Overall, we’re happy with Atlas’ current crate training progress.