Mkay, let me rephrase this then?

Girl don't let these people bother you. Crate training is good, but sometimes you just can't do it. It is great that you will be home with the pup. I get slammed b/c I work 8-5. Well if everyone who worked couldn't get a dog what would that do to the pet population.

Some people don't believe in crates.

Some people don't want to spend all kinds of money on a crate, that doesn't mean they aren't going to take care of vet bills.

Some people just don't like them

Some people believe there are other ways to train a dog

Leave this girl alone gee whiz. Just b/c her mom doesn't want to get her a crate doesn't make either one of them a bad person. She asked a legit reasonable question, if you can't answer it then don't.

I'm very excited for you!

I understand some of the criticism coming your way, but I don't agree with it entirely. I have had my Border Collie since I got him in college eight years ago when I didn't have two nickels to rub together. Which of course, did not mean that he didn't have his shots, get neutered, have quality food, etc. And he's a very healthy happy boy today.

Obviously you're young, and your mom is trying to teach you some financial responisibliy towards a pet. I'm assuming the conversation went something like "You can get a dog, but you are responsible for it's care".

You can put him/her in a bathroom overnight. Your puppy should have something soft and comfortable to lay on, something to chew on (not squeaky if you want any rest), and perhaps a couple other toys to keep it interested.

Now I might get a little backlash for this, but it's how I feel. I would not put food or water in with your pup overnight. Put a couple ice cubes in a bowl to prevent dehydration, if your pup is thirsty, they will be able to drink while it melts without increasing the amount of poo and pee you will have to clean up in the morning. Your pup does not need to eat in the middle of the night. Feed him first thing in the morning when you get up. And immediately after eating, take him outside to potty. If he potties, praise him like he just picked winning lottery numbers.

Also, I would suggest a night light (which are common in most bathrooms anyway). You wouldn't want to be put in a small room, away from your people, left alone, and in the dark.

The main thing I worry about is breed knowledge and experience. Please read up on Aussies and Border Collies. They are extremely intelligent and active dogs. If you do not devote enough time, energy, and mental and physical stimulation, you will have a problem pet, and it will not be his fault.

I hope there is some way to acquire money in an emergency. However, no vet (that I know of) will say, sorry kid... you can't pay, I won't help.

A dog of this nature is a 10-15 year commitment. The first year of a puppy's life, he will be a chewing, peeing, and pooping machine. It is up to you to make sure your new family memeber will be a joyful adult dog.

Anyway, there is nothing wrong with a bathroom "crate". Stay consistent with it, and you'll find training to be pleasant.

Congratulations!

Heather

It might work okay if you can put some sort of doggie door that the dog can see through and that will allow you to leave the door open. The reason I am saying this is because when a dog is closed in a small room they tend to feel cut off more and will often develop some destructive habits, like chewing on the cabinets, etc, which it might do anyway.

If it's a small puppy, you could find a card board box that is tall and layer the bottom with newspaper. Put this beside your bed so you will know when the pup wakes up and needs to take a break during the night, if that happens. Make the box just big enough to stand and turn around in. Don't put blankets on the bottom. Put something plastic under the box in case the pup has an accident.

By having the pup near you, you can reach your hand over to reassure her she's not alone. If you have a washable soft Teddy bear that you can put in there with her, one she can't easily shred, that would be a good idea too. Then maybe a ticking clock beside the box on the outside but near where the bear is..

Your pup will feel more secure in a small space near you that is open (tall box, open at the top) than it will closed off in a room.

Get a few boxes in case the pup soils one.

With a tall box, you can also put a thin sheet over the top and if your pup starts whining when you first put her in there, but after you have taken her out for a potty break, you can tap the side of the box and loudly say: "Shh, Shh"

Or just ignore the pup until it stops yapping and goes to sleep. If after sleeping awhile it stirs and starts to whine, get up and take it out for a potty break.

It's good that there's always someone there, and it's good that you're checking to find out what to do if it happens that you're not there. Putting the dog in the bathroom is a good idea. Don't put food in there with him if he's only going to be there between feedings. Have a potty pad and a blanket or rug or bed in there for him, and a bowl of water. Be careful that there's no toilet paper hanging down from the roll, no trash can for him to get into, and no cleaning products he could ingest. Instead, put in a couple of plush toys and a rubber bone-type toy. He's going to be teething, so he'll need something to chew on that will soothe his gums if he's going to be in the bathroom during the day. A nylabone, wet and frozen, is the ideal thing for teething puppies.

Your puppy will be fine in the bathroom overnight. He'll whine a lot the first few nights because he's used to cuddling up with his littermates at night. Try putting a ticking clock or a radio tuned to a talk show in the bathroom with him to soothe him.

The bathroom will serve as his crate.

I'm sorry for the rude answerers on here. While I do agree that you should definitely be aware of what a dog costs and that it's always a good idea to have some cash saved in case they get sick or injured, I also believe that you will be just fine training him.

He can be in the bathroom yes, but if you really want to find a crate for free or really cheap, check out the links down below...they're great places to find stuff. Stuff to put in the bathroom: once he is pottytrained and his bladder is a little bigger you can keep water in there, but until he is completely housetrained, I would suggest giving him as much water as he wants when he first wakes up, while eating and right after play...but then put it up and take him outside about 20 minutes later. It's up to you of course, but when you are monitoring the intake of water, it's a LOT easier to prevent accidents and teach the proper way to go outside to potty. But he doesn't need nightly access to water...most dogs that are crated do not have it. Some good chew toys would be good (things like puppy Kongs or tough things that can stand puppy teeth, not soft squeaky toys...he can rip those apart in the middle of the night and possibly ingest the squeaker or little beans or whatever's in there...those toys are best used under your supervision), a nice bed...for new puppies, a warm water bottle wrapped in a towel (NOT A HEATING PAD...that pup can and will chew through the wire) and ticking clock have always worked wonderfully for me. Make sure things like soap, shampoo bottles, razors, etc. are put away...a bored and nervous baby will find all sorts of things to occupy him. Keep the clock out of reach so he can't chew it, of course...and if you end up finding a crate, put the water bottle in there along with a few old towels (I learned the hard way that putting a nice new bed in a crate of a puppy is a sure way to ruin the bed with accidents, ha...) and place the clock outside of it.

Just be careful when you're training this little guy...both of those breeds are herding dogs and very intelligent and stubborn. They need a firm (NONviolent, of course) hand to keep them in line. I would highly suggest getting into an obedience class with the little one.

Good luck with him, I hope everything works out just fine! But really, check out those links...people are always trying to get rid of crates...

The dog would be fine in a bathroom that is completely cleaned of anything he could get into - cupboard doors locked shut, cleaners removed, shampoos out of the way and not left on the tub (same with razors/cream.) The only thing is it will be difficult to house train him. He'll be able to potty on the floor and not have to step in it. Crates help house train through the night because dogs don't like to mess their "den" when it isn't big enough that they can get away from the mess.

I also agree in the fact that if you only have money for the shots and some of the needed supplies, then you should wait to get a dog. You should ALWAYS have spare money for emergency visits, spay/neuter, etc. Having a dog that you are getting (herding breeds) means i would have more than usual saved up. These breeds like to CHASE things whether it be a toy, squirrel, bird, or car. Lot's of accidents can happen just because they wanted to chase something.

Since you are home a lot it will help with house training. You'll need to bring your dog out every two hours or so (pups can only hold it in for as many hours as they are months), that way they don't need to go on the floor. YOu'll need to bring them out after meals, after playing, after naps, first thing in the morning, and right before bed at night.

It's best to only keep the puppy in the bathroom at night or when you are away - that way you can easily watch for signs that they may have to go. Once the start thinking it's okay to go in the house, it's harder to train them not to (which is why pee pads don't work well.)

What to put in with him: A safe bed (no fuzz to chew off, no zippers), some safe toys (Kong, Nylabone - no ropes or soft toys he can tear up or eat).

What not to put in with him: Bathroom stuff ^_^, food and water bowls (you never want to leave water with a pup overnight, they'll drink it all and pee everywhere - not conductive to house training - and you never want to free feed - keep him on a feeding schedule so you can guess when they'll have to poo - PLUS they can chew up the bowls and leave big messes), soft toys, rope toys, anything else harmful to them. I would also remove toilet paper rolls form the room... a determined pup can reach ANYTHING.

When puppy is in bathroom...remove toilet paper or put it up high. Remove rugs and/or towels if they are within his jumping reach...basically ANYTHING in his jumping reach should be removed. Close toilet lid too so he doesn't drink from there.

Leave him a strong chew toy or two and otherwise he needs nothing else.

Good luck! He should be fine...but in the meantime I would find some work or way to make money to buy a crate or baby gate to be able to confine him in his OWN little den.

I don't think it's a great idea to leave him there all night. Dogs are social, and he won't like sleeping alone right away. That's why crates are great, they can go in a bedroom until they're housetrained.

You could probably leave him in there for 1-2 hours, tops, and only 1-2 times a day. I would suggest getting a baby gate, so he can still see out, and know he's not alone, instead of closing the door. If you put him in there, there can't be anything he can't have withing reach (toilet brushes, plunger, toilet paper,etc). Put in hard toys for him to chew on, a blanket/bed, a stuffed toy for him to cuddle with, and a pee pad, if you are using those. (I don't recommend them, especially if you are home all day, you can take him outside hourly)

Oh get real stacy. Just because someone doesn't have 40 dollars doesn't mean they can't afford a dog. Get over your snobby self. Anyways, putting your dog in the bathroom at night is just fine. My good friend did that with their dog and it was a nice size bathroom so the dog was happy. They had the dog bed, toys and food and water dishes in their. He was only put in the bathroom at night though. There was a window so that was opened during the summer to get fresh air in their. If you're home a lot then that's good. That means you will be able to house train the pup easily! Just make sure he has toys in there to play with, so he doesn't chew your bathroom up!! Maybe some bones. He'll be fine :) Good luck to you and your pup

Ok I guess if you have no other space for him then the bathroom will do . Please just make sure the toilet lid is down .. And as far as anything being in there . A must is a consranrly refreshed bowl of water . A bed and something to chew on mostly toys or raw hide ..