Hi, we bring our pup home in a week. I dont really want a crate in the house long term. Am thinking of a puppy play pen for a while to put in the kitchen. Is this a good idea?
Hello and welcome How exciting, I bet you can't wait. Re the puppy pen, I think it's a great idea. For the first few months they will need near constant supervision and assuming you are human like the rest of us, you'll need a break and a safe place for your little furry ball of mischief to go at night and when you need to leave them during the day. We had a pen and it was very useful for when Tatti needed a timeout. She still sleeps in it actually just remember, you want them to love it in there so leave treats for them to find so they start to associate the pen with lovely things. I'm sure others will be alon soon with more advice but I think the pen was one of the best things we bought for Tatti. Oh, a little advice for choosing you pen. Go big and strong as they grow up very fast and you'll be surprised how strong they get. I think the general consensus is that you'll need it for the best part of the first year. Good luck and please post some photos when your new bundle arrives
Hi, Thanks for your reply, I'm glad to hear you found it useful. Do you know where you got yours from and which one it was, so many choices!
Big fan of pens here. Or as with our last puppy, gated in the kitchen. BIG caveat: Puppies can wreck your kitchen and hurt themselves too. Ours didn't. We still used the crate too but the door was open, the crate sat in the pen or our kitchen. Then I could still close the crate door, say when I was busy cooking and didn't want a puppy underfoot, tripping me while I moved pots of boiling water from stove to sink to drain. My OH built the pen and the gates. Very sturdy, higher than what was available commercially. We used the pen for a year, the current pup is now 8 years old and the gates on the kitchen still come in handy every day. Some members here have very nice looking pens they bought, I'm sure they'll post photos soon. I know what my reasons are for preferring the crate in a pen option. But I'm curious, what are yours? WElcome to the board.
Welcome to you I raise Guide Dog puppies so I have a pup every year - I love the pen. GDs have to be de-crated anyway by six months old so there seemed no point teaching them to love a crate. Here is Twiglet in her pen when she was 8 weeks old. (She's 10 months old now) It's not a 'play' pen 'tho - they only go in there to sleep at night and if I have to leave them for a short time during the day. It's an Ellie-Bo from Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/hfajuhh
I just don't like the idea of a crate, I know people rave about the benefits but to me it feels like I'd be caging her, I want her to be part of the family and I wouldn't put my kids in a cage (much as I'd like to sometimes!) The pen would be for night time and for her to have her own space during the day if she needs it or I need to get on with something without worrying if she's ok. The youngest may be a bit full on so it will be a dog only zone. Also crates are ugly!
@Cherry you've just described the purpose of a crate on your post . A crate is a safe place for a puppy and for them to sleep in or be out of harms way.
I have no problem at all with crates - my Tatze is 3 and still sleeps in her crate, if I try to leave the door open she cries! It's lack of sleep I have a problem with! When the pup is in a pen she can wee at the other end, well away from her bed, if she's desperate - without waking me! (it means she never wees in her bed and they are all dry overnight as soon as their bladders are mature enough anyway) There is one problem with pens 'tho - some puppies are too clever! Twiglet was de-penned early due to this!! ... .
Haha - we moved the pen to the corner of the room and she wasn't impressed, so she decided to climb out! Monster!
We've been using our pen since day one and we love it so does our Tilly We've never used a crate, and I persanally think pen is the better option.She sleeps in there and stays confined when I can't supervise her. So, it's been a best investment so far.Good luck
We've been using our pen since day one and we love it ,so does our Tilly We've never used a crate, and I persanally think pen is the better option.She sleeps in there and stays confined when I can't supervise her. So, it's been a best investment so far.Good luck
Our Albie has already been trying escape his pen However I've come up with a very simple solution just measure the base of your crate and go to B and Q and get a sheet of mdf cut slightly larger than your base. Drill a few holes and cable tie the sheet of wood on top of the pen! Easy as that and only cost £12
