Hey everyone, 1st post here. I'm picking up my new husky puppy this saturday (and super stoked!) and looking for advice on some info I haven't been able to find much on..

I want to crate train my puppy right away so she is comfortable with it but I also want her to sleep in her dog bed (if she wants) and not think she has to stay in the crate.
Should I start off with the crate until she is comfortable the first couple/few nights then introduce her dog bed? I plan on setting an alarm every 2 hours the first couple nights to take her out to go potty to "help" avoid any accidents.

Also, I've read many places, that if you let your husky sleep in your bed it can create dominance issues as they won't see you as the alpha. If they learn to sleep in the crate and/or the dog bed and THEN you let them sleep in your bed will that still cause issues?

I know all dogs will be a little different so just looking for what you're opinion is =)

Thanks everyone!!! I'm counting down the days until I get to bring my fur ball home.

While I am new to the site I am not new to dogs so here is my two pennies.

I would recommend putting her bed into the crate and making that her 'den'. Puppies don't eliminate where they sleep (unless they can't help it) so this will help with potty training. You really do want to make that crate her happy place, so before you keep her in it for any extended amount of time (like the two hours for sleep) do a few trial runs through the day. Leave her in there for about a half an hour at a time with a VERY good toy. The Kong toys you can stuff with food and treats are highly recommended . It stimulates their brains to have to get at their food and it keeps them occupied while being confined and lessens stress. Deer antler is also very good for puppy to chew. Also, when not doing the half an hour confinement thing, for the entirety of the day keep the door open so she can come and go as she pleases. The crate should not be a scary place, it should be HER place.

If you want to keep puppy calm during bedtime you can full up a hot water bottle and tuck it under a blanket into her bed along with a ticking clock. Both things can soothe puppy when she gets homesick, if possible I would recommend getting something with the mothers smell on it, like a toy or a blanket and let puppy sleep with it, along with something of yours to smell (But nothing you wouldn't mind chewed) to soothe her. It makes her feel less alone that way.

Alpha dogs sleep with their pack in the wild, it doesn't lessen their position to snuggle, but I wouldn't recommend letting pooch sleep with you unless you are ABSOLUTELY sure you want a 50 lb pound dog in your bed later with all her fur and bulk. Especially if you have a partner, and you want to have private intimate time with said partner. (In such a case dog is confused as to why she has been banished from her sleeping place.) It might be best to keep her in her own bed.

And there is my book on puppy bedtime, sorry about that I am a bit long winded. I hope this helps!

I will add to the great advice above just in case you run into what we did. When we got Keno he wasn't a puppy but definitely not potty trained or crate trained, was very nervous and having stomach issues. To save his bed from certain horrors we slipped a trash bag over it so that if/when he had an accident (and he did. explosive poop everywhere) it was easier to clean up and didn't ruin the foam. While the cover is easy to clean, the foam isn't. We put the trash bag on the foam and then slipped the cover over so we didn't have to worry about him chewing the bag.

Kenzi sleeps with us. We have a california king bed and it's almost not enough room for all three of us. If you move around a lot or your partner does, I would approach sleeping in the bed with the dog cautiously. You will most likely never have a good, uninterrupted night of sleep again.

Awesome, thanks for the info.

So for the crate I bought a crate pad and then I also have the dog bed. I bought the dog bed big enough to fit her when she is full grown and I also have the divider in the crate so I can adjust the size as she grows. With the divider in the crate, the dog bed won't fit in it. I've read A LOT about introducing her to the crate in a positive way and I think I'm ready as far as that goes (leaving the door open, treats, toys, slow etc) but I appreciate the advice anyway!

Good tip about the warm water bottle, I remember reading about that before as well but forgot about it.

TwisterII - Great idea about the trash bag. That would definitely help with cleanup especially where I live (I'm in Alaska and live in a dry cabin, aka no running water) so anything to make that easier is a huge plus =)

I would recommend using a towel instead of the dog bed at first. Most likely she will use any bedding as a bathroom at first, so something easier to clean is better. Also husky puppies are pretty notorious for destroying bedding. I got lucky and ended up with one that didn't care to rip up his beds, but I used an old pillow until he was about 9 months old. Once I realized he could be trusted with a real bed, I bought him a nice, big, crate sized bed that he loves.

wpskier222 wrote:

I would recommend using a towel instead of the dog bed at first. Most likely she will use any bedding as a bathroom at first, so something easier to clean is better. Also husky puppies are pretty notorious for destroying bedding. I got lucky and ended up with one that didn't care to rip up his beds, but I used an old pillow until he was about 9 months old. Once I realized he could be trusted with a real bed, I bought him a nice, big, crate sized bed that he loves.

I agree with Jen - also, I've since found that Ami does a certain amount of chewing on his bedding and then, that's it. If I give him something new, he chews, scratches, pummels it until a magic point where it is now "his" and that's it. Who knows what goes on in their little minds?

great idea on the towel vs bed. especially since I just bought a new dog bed and crate pad, I should at least give them a fair fighting chance and not throw them into the wild on the first night

amymeme - haha that's funny. yeah only they really know what's going on up there, we can just make our best assumptions and enjoy the ride

FirstAscent wrote:

Thanks everyone!!! I'm counting down the days until I get to bring my fur ball home.

Hey, FirstAscent. Let us know how the first days have been with your puppy.

I'm getting mine in 6 or 7 weeks from now, and I'm reading as much as possible. Even though it's not going to be my first dog ever, not even my first Husky ever, I still want to avoid mistakes so the little one can have the healthiest and happiest time with us.

Hey Karl, so far so good. I actually just picked her up today, we've only been home a few hours. Got some play time in, she's gone potty in the same spot outside twice now, and right now she is asleep in her crate! She's doing really well and not complaining at all, we'll see if it stays that way, ha!

This is my first Husky but not my first dog. I read a lot about them too and asked many questions, then I'm just going to do what I think is best with the info I've found. A lot of the info is similar so that helps though. Now it's just time and effort =)

Pictures! I am so envious, I have to wait until the 14th for my new fur baby. Good luck with the little one!

Here's my little Aurora 5 minutes after I picked her up, ready for the drive home =)
TwistedTale- I feel your pain on waiting, the last couple weeks went by so slow waiting to pick her up haha.

Wow. Aurora is such a good looking puppy! Congratulations.

Thanks Karl! Can't wait to see your pup when you pick him/her up!

Jaime,

I love her girlie jewelery. I keep 2 tags on Miya's so I can hear her at night.    Her mask is so uniform, I wonder if it will stay, they never do it seems, so curious as to how it will turn out. Trust me when I say they grow too fast.   Enjoy her, you're going to have a lot of fun!!   

Renee

Renee,

Thanks! That's a good idea about the 2 tags haha. It's the little things lol I really love her markings too and that would be awesome if they stayed that way. I'm definitely trying to enjoy every minute, she'll be full grown before I know it. But right now she is so adorable I love it! It's only day 2 and she is becoming more playful and comfortable.