new house,new schedule,poo

[doglover]

Does anyone have any good ideas for my girls schedule? I have 2 golden/huskies 4 months old.
1. They have a large kitchen and a big backyard now. During the day they are in and out and have no accidents. During the night they have pee and poop accidents. Is that how it will be with pups or is their a better way I ccan do it? Are dog doors safe? Some people have told me that the size dogs I have will need a door the size a person could crawl in.
2. Tomorrow I go back to work. They were crated in the past but in the ne house I thought about just leaving them in the kitchen. They are blocked from the rest of the house by a door. Any better ideas?

[Lisaonthebay]

If they are having accidents your best bet is to crate them. They will be more reluctant to have accidents inside their crates. Until they are older this would be your best option!

[timtwo]

I agree, crating is the best for both the night time accidents and the daytime. The problem with leaving them in the kitchen is that they may still have accidents in the house and they may become permantly confused about were it is okay to go.

Before you opt for a dog door, how dog proof is your yard? You mention that your dogs are part husky and huskies are notoriuos for their love of escape and exploring.

Your dogs are still young and they will get better. For the night time accidents, feed early in the evening and take up their water at night. It won't hurt them and they are less likely to have accidents if they don't have constant access to water.

[Mandy]

Maybe your puppies just can't 'hold it in' all night long. You could try getting up once or twice during the night to let them out. Or you could try not feeding them before they go to bed, and it won't hurt to take away their water an hour or so before they go to bed.

About the doggy door: you would have to be a pretty stupid person to wiggle into a house through a doggy door made for a 70+ pound dog. Yes, someone could fit through that size of door pretty easily, but who would want to? I don't know many people brave enough or stupid enough to take on two dogs that big. If you take your dogs somewhere for a couple days, like on vacation, I am pretty sure there are some doggy doors that come with locks so you can just lock it when you leave.

If you have a doggy door, you will need to watch your dogs pretty carefully because, like the last person who posted said, huskies WILL run away if they get a chance, and a husky mix probably will too. Just make sure that your fence is sturdy, and that the dogs aren't digging holes under it (you would be surprised what a small hole a dog can wiggle through if it really wants to!). And if you have kids in your neighborhood, make sure they won't be teasing your dogs when you arent watching. A doggy door, unless you get a rigid plastic or wood one, will let in a lot of hot or cold air, and there's the possibility that animals you dont want in your house (raccoons, possums, possibly cats) could get in. And if your dogs like to run in and out of the house a lot, a door could allow them to get the floors pretty dirty.

That said, I think a doggy door would be a good idea if you get one that can be locked, and wont let small animals in.