crate at night? What about mess?!

[Gloria Atwater]

Update if you are interested. First night success!!

 

Fed them at 6pm

Water removed from 7.30pm

Last trip outside with them at 10pm then both locked in their own crates, in the kitchen side by side.

Went to bed 10.30pm and set an alarm to check on them at 2am. Snuck downstairs - no noise, so I thought I wouldn't risk it and just crashed on the couch. I was expecting to get woken up at any time so had rubbish sleep (not bothered) but it was only when our 4yr old boy came downstairs at 6am that I could hear that the Collie was awake - not crying just playing.

Went in to kitchen to get a massive lovely greeting, straight outside for a wee. He did poo in the kitchen after though - I'll work on that separately - but all in all an overwhelming success - 8 HOURS in the crate, no crying, no mess.

 

Thanks again for all your inputs it's making a difference here (so far - only night #1!)

 

Yayy, success in puppy land! I'm glad to see you're already seeing progress.

 

The only thing I have to add is to second the warning about the "litter mate syndrome" thing. I've actually seen what I believe can be the result of raising two pups too closely together - dogs who grow up so bonded to each other that the human component becomes somewhat lacking. One pup may develop a subordinate role to the other that makes it uncomfortable doing or learning things with you, and/or they may get so much satisfaction from each other's interactions that you could find it difficult to be a more interesting topic of attention.

 

So, even though you have a 2-month age spread, I'd still recommend that you plan for plenty of one-on-one, individual time with each pup, every day. Doesn't have to be big things, but just stuff like taking one pup to the post office then let the other out while you rake leaves, take one out for a 20 minute walk and let the other accompany you on some other thing. Also I'd do separate obedience lessons with them. I may be a bit old fashioned, but even when I have older dogs and only one pup, I always make time for the pup to be alone with me off and on during the day, whether doing little obedience things or just hanging out.

 

Anyhow, those are my thoughts, everyone's may vary. If your dogs are intended just as pets, it may not matter so much.

 

~ Gloria

[CarterCollie]

Great replies guys, thank you.

 

Gloria - that's a great tip. We do try to have individual time with each which is pretty easily done. However when we are all sat together, the little chihuahua/Jack Russell is very demanding! Any attention given to Buddy and she is there in your face. She's just started obedience classes so we should hopefully get that fixed because no way do I want my collie subordinate to a chihuahua !!

 

Also proved the 'more than one wee required' theory several times now!

 

But it's still going well - both sleeping in their own crates from 10pm to 5am, no mess and very few crying episodes, nearly a week of this now.

[Gideon's girl]

I have a Jack Russell and 2 BC and both BCs always tread carefully around the JRT. I wouldn't exactly say they are subordinate, but they do realize she is a firecracker than may go off.

[TxMom]

I grew up with a Border Collie, a Lab, and a Jack Russell. The Jack Russell was a shameless little dictator. The Lab weighed more than 100 lbs. but if she wanted a toy or food or anything he had, he'd back off. Mostly they played well together, but she made the rules. The Border Collie seemed more to think himself above it all and just didn't engage. I always said he didn't think of himself as a dog. There were the people, there was the Border Collie, and there were the other animals. But the Border Collie was 5 or 6 years old when we got the Jack Russell puppy -- things may have been different if they'd grown up together.