Introducing Crate to Older Dog?

[lucyem]

We are pet sitting a smaller, spazzy dog.  He is wonderful and we enjoy having him except for one thing.  He gets very active at night wandering the house and then will pee/poop now and then.  If the cat makes a single squeak he is up and running.  In the morning we have to run for the door as soon as he wakes up, though I have noticed he is waiting longer and longer as he settles into our routine.  All this is not a big deal for the short term.  I take him out late and stand outside until he has done everything he needs to.  But the owner has talked about giving him to me in the past and was talking about it yesterday.  She is older and has some health issues and having a spazzy dog is becoming more of a burden.  Also I have a small farm and kids so her dog is very happy with all the action.  Thats the background.  

Now if she decides to give him to us I need a better plan for the pee/poop issues.  I keep him gated in the kitchen on the owner's advice when I go out by day but that is not a solution at night.  He and our pyr sleep in our bedroom.  We have always crate trained puppies and I think it would be a good solution for this dog at night.  My husband on the other hand thinks it would be cruel to try and train him at age 6.  He is very food oriented so putting his bed into a crate and giving him a bedtime treat in the crate would be routine.  I do not think it will stop the jumping up at every squeak of the cat, but it might lessen the messes and us worrying every time he goes for a jog around the house.  Closing doors is not an option with cats and kids and the pyr who all move about as well.

What do you think?  Other ideas?  Thanks!

[nd_deadhead]

I would definitely try it - what have you got to lose? He might not be so jumpy at night if the only space he has to worry about is his crate.

[Arduinna]

It's not cruel to start crate training him now. But you have to do it in a positive way, which I'm sure you know already since you say you have crate trained puppies before. Are you going to crate him in the bedroom at night?