hi all, Going to pick my pup Marley Sunday and sorting out my living room on how he will be settling in etc, What is everyone's thoughts on having a crate inside a playpen? Due to limited space I'm having to place a crate inside a playpen. I'm thinking of having this set up until he is a little older The Crate would come out during the day of the playpen for him to play inside for about an hour. And then crate will be inside at night with it being closed not open Will this be ok? Or shall I leave the crate and just have the playpen? So confused lol
Hi Amar. Welcome from me! A lot of people like the crate/playpen setup and it seems to work well. I just used the crate on its own. Both work well. I guess if you plan to get up during the night then a crate on its own would do but the crate/pen is better if you like your sleep!
It'll work. Same setup with mine for the first couple of months. You'll know when to make a change. The dog will tell you.
The difference is that they can wee at the end of the play pen in the night if you don't want to get up to them. If they are in a crate and can't hold their wee all night (most young pups can't a few can) you will be getting up for toilet breaks. It is also hard to tell if they are crying for attention or for a wee. I do crate train my pups (in case over vet overnight stays etc) but I do this after they are toilet trained and I don't use crates as beds any more. That said, my Tatze (3 years old) has always had a crate as her bed and loves it. Some say toilet training is quicker with the crate method, but I don't find it so. Kara, now 11 weeks, was dry overnight by 9 weeks. I would rather clear up a wee than get up in the night ...
PPS they don't play in play pens! They need to be with you to play. Pens and crates are simply to keep them safe when you can't be with them. ...
I use the crate in a pen scenario (and have done since I brought Jax home 4 months ago). I think it works great and just once when he couldn't hold it (from having an upset stomach) he used the far end to relieve himself. He knows that good things happen in his pen/crate and is happy to jump in when asked (for the most part!).
