12 Oct Crate and Pen Puppy Training
Crate training is a great way to help teach puppy housetraining and it can safely confine him when you cannot supervise, I personally find a crate a little too restrictive for the puppy for extended periods of time. At Country Lane we train puppies to use the crate because we know our families use crates. But, we have always found the puppy pen to be a great alternative to, or used with, a crate. In addition, the Puppy Culture program that we follow, also endorses using a puppy pen.
We place the pen in the middle of our home so the puppy is confined but also part of the family. When we cannot directly supervise the puppy, he is in the pen. It prevents the puppy from wandering off to find a place to pee and makes sure he isn’t chewing your shoes or furniture! At night, we put the puppy in his crate to teach him that it is time to sleep.
I love the puppy pens that have only vertical bars as shown in the photo. They are hard to find though. I say this because the typical puppy pen can be climbed like a ladder if you happen to adopt a puppy who has Houdini qualities. I have had a few of those over the years!
In the photo, you will see puppy sleeping on a raised bed. This is a Kuranda and they are great because the puppy seems to be less likely to pee on them compared to a blanket on the floor. They are quite expensive though. So if you find the price tag too much, I would recommend less expensive knock offs.
Regarding crates, a 36 inch one is best. It will get you through the housetraining and chewing stage. This size of crate will be too small for your adult dog, but I find at almost all of my puppy parents do not use the crate beyond the earlier stages of development. It is highly recommended to use a “grow with me” type of crate with a moveable centre divider. The puppy should have room to turn around comfortably. It should not be large enough that he can sleep in the front and pee in the back!
