I spent most of my time in the playpen with my puppy - she certainly wasn't in confinement It can certainly be done without either, so you should do what feels comfortable to you. I think it's useful to have a dog that is crate-trained, so that they're accustomed to it in the case of surgery etc. It's handy if you have to travel, too. I tend to stay places my dogs can stay on the bed with me (and take throws etc as necessary), but if that's not possible, a crate is a life-saver. My Willow absolutely adores a crate - we've not had one up for a while now, but every time she sees one, she'll try to get in, even if it's far too small for her! I think the pen is more necessary when you have a new puppy with existing dogs - it means you can separate them to give the older dog(s) a break or, like mine, if they take exception to the pup. I didn't have one with Willow and Shadow (who are litter mates). I just used furniture and old doors to partition off my room for toilet training purposes; it's recommended that you keep the area they're allowed in small to start off with, so they come to see that as their "den", which they don't want to mess. Once they're reliable in that area, you increase it bit by bit, until they see the whole home as their den. I started off by splitting the living room in half, and gradually moved the barrier back.
The crate I am getting, for all the reasons mentionned here. The playpen, well, I might, especially or mostly due to the sleeping safely upstairs part. And also what Boogie said makes total sense : [QUOTE=" popping upstairs for a shower is a problemwithout a playpen imo!.[/QUOTE] And thanks again everyone for helping me to decide. Really.
You've gotten great advice/reasons on the whole crate and playpen thing. I used both and found not only were they great for keeping puppies safe while I had to be somewhere else for short periods of time (like @Boogie 's example of the shower) but that in fact my dogs really were happy in them. I know this isn't true of all dogs, but even from day one (see Brogan's homecoming photo below), Brogan would choose to rest in his crate with the door propped open. A lot of attitudes about crates are also cultural - I had a big blow up last summer when wanting to use a crate with a foster dog in Germany. My German friends thought I was out of my mind and that the crate was cruel. I insisted and within two days, the dog was using the crate during the day with the door open as well. For many dogs, it's just instinctively a place they feel safe. Brogan in his crate on his first day home... ...and in his playpen (I taped plastic to the floor to protect the hardwood and make it easy to clean in case of an accident).
Emily he's picture perfect. Too cute for words. You and Brogan have made me see rottweilers differently. Amazing, he looks totally cuddly. Did he not have the (expected) agressive streak ?
I hear that a lot and it's always very touching, so thank you. Actually there's nothing inherently aggressive about a Rottweiler. They were bred as drove dogs, herders and flock guardians...not fighting dogs. The bad rap is from the media (The Omen was the first culprit) and subsequently being used a the breed of choice for illegal fighting, more recently replaced with pit bulls. Having said that, Brogan's mother was rescued from a dog fighting ring and had her 11 puppies in foster care. Technically he was bred to fight and yet was a big teddy bear who got top marks on his service dog exam. So there you have it, a cuddly "fighting" dog who only fought for the best spot on the sofa.
Well I don’t like the idea of leaving a dog for long in a crate because of the restricted movement possible. I kind of think a play pen would keep a pup safe while I was in the bathroom for example. Though as I said before I’ve actually had three pups without either crate or pen, plus an adult rescue. We also live in a small house (12 foot living room) so not much space for a crate or pen -easier to puppy-proof the room.
Most of the Rottweilers that I have known have been lovely, gentle, friendly dogs. They really are maligned...
Thank you everyone on the crate and playpen advice. I have ordered the model shown by @snowbunny in the size closer to @Granca's, C 91 cm x L 61 cm x A 71 cm. I saw the crates in a physical store before ordering and the size I was considering was indeed a bit absurd.
Emily, Do you know what dog this is ? https://m.facebook.com/pages/Alcabideche-Vet/361660183907969 I think it's the seventh animal photo counting from the top, the post dated "26 de Maio 2017" I saw him on the facebook of Gastons future vet and he looks amazing too.
Thanks Joy.I think I have found the ideal spot for the crate. It is next to the fireplace in the living room. If I decide to have the playpen too, it will go into my sons room upstairs for Gaston to be able to sleep their without me worrying about him falling through the rails or down the stairs. Is the playpen safe enough, so can I be sure the dog wont get out, or the playpen wont collapse or something, like if he decides to jump ?
He could be a Tosa Inu (breed of Japanese mastiff) or Fila Brasileiro... or a mix of Boxer and something (Dane?). Handsome little guy! I do like the big silly boys!
We have a gorgeous foster here at the moment. He is just perfect in every way. BUT he has never been in a crate, this is obvious. He is happy in the car crate, because to Bear cars are just wonderful! Crates in houses? No way! He had to be admitted as an emergency recently (all good now..) and needed to spend time in a hospital kennel. Poor Bear was very, very distressed. They even tried to move him to a different one, nope, nada..hated it. So they decided it would be better if he came home earlier. So just for the odd hospital stay, I think crate training is a good idea, especially if they see crates as a safe place.
Yes. I have sent for the crate, I think it's a good thing if Gaston gets used to seeing it as his little den. I am not expecting to need to use it very much to be honest, but one never knows (and maybe knock on wood), it will be handy to have though and a good thing he likes it. Let's see how we manage that. Anyways, and like @Emily_BabbelHund had in Germany, you should see the faces I get when I say I have got a crate for Gaston, "uma jaula" is how it's said in Portuguese which translates to "a cage"What for (!?) I'm asked, and have to explain the utility, so good pointers for the explanations I got from you all there too.
