Hi there - so we got our new 7 week old golden lab yesterday - Buckley. He's utterly adorable and is doing really well with his crate and he has taken to sleeping in it straight away (we have the crate inside a puppy pen inside the kitchen at the moment as his "environment"). Should I be shutting his crate door at night? Or should I wait until I've had a chance to build him up to being comfortable with the door shut? We're planning to sleep with him for 3-4 nights so have that amount of time to get him used to the crate being closed. Would that be the general advice? Cheers Heather
I shut the door at night right from the start but I didn’t have a puppy pen. Whenever she was in there the door was shut initially.
It’s up to you. With the door shut you will need to get up in the night for toiletting. With it open he may wee in the pen and you can clear it up in the morning = more sleep. Not all pups oblige and wee in the pen. My Mollie woke me up anyway whenever she needed a wee. They are all different. Here is some good advice - https://www.thelabradorsite.com/crate-training-your-labrador-puppy/
Hi Heather Our 8 week lab is arriving in a few weeks. Can I ask what puppy pen you bought and what size crate. Thanks Elaine
We got a used 36" but it is massive and we've had to put in dividers on both sides. We did buy a cover which I think has been really helpful in making him feel cosy and safe in his den. The pen we got from Petplanet, a 6 panel Barkshire heavy duty pen which has been great so far. https://www.petplanet.co.uk/product_group.asp?dept_id=774&pg_id=4145 Good luck with the wee pupster! xxxx
Thanks Heather Luckily I got given a 2nd hand 36" crate but where do I get dividers? I have just purchased a similar pen. 2 weeks to go.
We made them from plywood, drilled holes and fixed with cable ties - have done the job brilliantly so far! Exciting - only 2 weeks to go!!!!!
