Howdy (again!) Bob is crated in our kitchen/dining room area... and yesterday I threw down an extra bit of vetbed near my feet (by the table) to stop him from playing with my feet. He likes sitting on it near us. And recently has started taking things over there to play with. Is this a good idea? If you have a crate, do you ONLY have a crate? Will another vetbed area confuse him?! Sorry questions questions I am just so new to all of this I want to do the right thing! On another note we start our puppy training classes today! eek! Lou x
Re: Can you have a mat AND a crate??? Hi Lou, We have both. The crate is for longer term rests whereas the bed (actually an old towel because Harv likes to eat proper beds!) is for short-term rests. If he is given his chew in the evening he invariably goes to his bed for the 10 minute chewing session. I think that as long as you have different commands for each, we have 'In your crate' and 'On your bed', then there shouldn't be any problems. Good luck with the puppy class
Re: Can you have a mat AND a crate??? I wouldn't profess to being any kind of expert, having had my pup for a little over a week, but Willow has a day bed and a crate. She sometimes takes herself to her crate by herself, but in general she hangs out on her day bed, by our feet. I don't see an issue with it, as long as she has positive connotations with the crate and doesn't see it as a horrid place she's put to be away from her family. I put treats in there for her to find and feed her in it sometimes, too.
Re: Can you have a mat AND a crate??? Can't see a problem as long as she seems happy to use both. Lemmy has his " proper bed" solid plastic with blankets and his hidden treasures in. And a blanky that is in lounge he potters between two with main bed at night. X
Re: Can you have a mat AND a crate??? I'm no expert either, but when I had to take bailey to my dads, he was unsettled till I got the car crate out!!! Went to sleep then, didn't fancy that all the time, so I bought another vet bed, put in sitting room, Take that one with me when I go to my dads and he now settles on that! And goes straight to his mat, in the sitting room.
Re: Can you have a mat AND a crate??? Thank you for your comments. I think my worry is that the crate and 'day bed' are so close to each other because basically Bob is in one room that they will get confused. I don't really put treats in the crate.. maybe I will start doing that and Kongs etc. I suppose that when we eventually move him upstairs we'll take the day bed with us so they won't be close anymore.. Will see how we get on. Lou x
Re: Can you have a mat AND a crate??? We have both in the same room, only a few meters apart because of the living space we have. Coming up to 7 months we're working on de-crating so Holly goes to bed in her crate around 11 and we leave the door unlocked and sometime in the night she makes her way to her bed bed. It's only been a couple of nights but the familiarity of 2 sleeping places seems to be working well.
Re: Can you have a mat AND a crate??? A crate in the dining room where Murphy sleeps overnight and a flat bed that we take anywhere else (office, conservatory etc.) for him to sleep on. As long as you have two distinct commands it shouldn`t be a problem.
Re: Can you have a mat AND a crate??? I have a crate with a piece of Vetbed in it and a couple of pieces of Vetbed in the lounge and Conservatory. I have always used the term "Bed" when referring to the crate so that when I do decrate her she will have a word for it. The crate is where her bed will eventually be. She also understands "on your mat" as a place I want her to go, either to sit while I deal with something (the post etc) or where she has a lie down.
Re: Can you have a mat AND a crate??? We have a crate that our two pups have access to at all times. They only go in it when we go out and at night, but Jack often goes in for some quiet time on his own. We have piece if vet bed where they tend to sleep on (when they're not on the sofa ) this is also where we encourage them to lie with their nylabones/kongs when we are at home with them Lou
Re: Can you have a mat AND a crate??? Luna loves her x-pen/crate attachment, but when she's out playing in our kitchen/dining room area, we have a small mat that she loves to sit on with her toys gathered around her. She'll play quietly there with us in the kitchen (very close by), or she'll lay there and watch us cook/hope for food to hit the floor. I think it's fine. As long as there isn't any chewing of the mat, we let her be.
Re: Can you have a mat AND a crate??? We have multiple dog beds and pieces of vet bed round the house - they choose where to sleep during the day. Tatze has a crate at night and Gypsy a Wolfy bed.
