I'm going to get a highland white terrier and since my mother sleeps for about 5 hrs a day (while I'm at school because she has night shift for work) and so since crates are very expensive nowadays I thought that I could buy a play pen for the dog because the dog is very small and proably couldn't get over it and the play pen will have lots of items in it like a mini bed for him, water, food, toys, and a dog litter box (did you know they started making litter boxes for dogs?! If you dont believe me here is a site where you could train your dog to use the litter box http://www.showpaps.com/litterbox.htm). How much do you think a reasonably medium sized crate would cost? How much would a play pen cost? Thank you for helping! =)
2006-12-10 04:45:43 · 6 answers · asked by what?! 3 in Pets ➔ Dogs
It will only be alone for 5 hrs. on Monday or Tuesday but besides that there will always be someone with him supervising him!
2006-12-10 04:47:10 · update #1
the lowest crate here (around my area) would be around $100.00 which is pretty expensive...
2006-12-10 04:53:14 · update #2
I think you should invest in a real dog crate... there are lots of sites where you can get them fairly reasonably. I got one for my 155 pound Akita cross for just about $120 - and it's a wire kennel that folds down into a "suitcase". I would avoid a human soft sided play pen (especially for a terrier) because of the liklihood of a puppy chewing through it and either getting out or getting caught and potentially injured.
Check out www.petedge.com or the Jeffer's or Dr. Foster and Smith websites for reasonably priced kennels. Another alternative (that is dog safe) is called an X-pen or exercise pen... these are like crates without a top or bottom and you will see them at shows and campgrounds as a little enclosure for dogs so they are not loose, but not as confined as in the plastic kennels.
I would guess a kennel for your pup (as an adult) would cost about $30-40 depending on how big you wanted to go. I would however rethink your plan to put a litter box in the dog's sleep area... dog's by nature don't want to soil where they sleep, and I'm not sure you want to encourage your pup to go against this. 5 hours is not an extrordinary length of time for a pup to go without having to eliminate.
2006-12-10 04:58:52 · answer #1 · answered by dogandcatluvr 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
five hours is a long time for a puppy to be alone, I'd always suggest getting an ADULT dog to anyone and everyone who cannot be with a new puppy 24/7.
That said, puppies are so CUTE, and it sounds like you have a good idea about what the dog's going to need. Because you are going to be away from him for hours at a time (even though it's only on a couple days) it would be better to go with the play pen with a litter box (or paper training) idea.
My worry is though, that the play pen wouldn't be designed to withstand puppy teething! You may want to gate him in a kitchen or get a "puppy pen" it's fencing that you can set up just about anywhere that the puppy couldn't chew through!
As far as cost gose, if you budget about $100.00 for a pen or gate you should be okay. My beagle's crate cost $80.00.
Good luck!
2006-12-10 12:54:36 · answer #2 · answered by timesdragonfly 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A Westhighland White Terrier is going to be able to get out of a play pen amde for children.
Invest in a crate. It will be a much safer environemnt for the pup and better for you also.
They are not that expensive. You can get a crate large enough for a great dane for less than $100 by looking at
www.omahavaccine.com
A 36"lx24"wx26"h crate which is huge and I use one that size for a 100 pound doberman is only $80.98 so for the size you are going to need it is going to be MUCH cheaper.
I think you will find cheaper than a play pen.
2006-12-10 12:59:51 · answer #3 · answered by tlctreecare 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would use a crate made for dogs, not a playpen. If you are talking about playpens made for children, there is way too many things on it that could be chewed up and swallowed by a puppy. We use a small crate for our beagle and we found it a yard sale for under $15 and it was practically brand new.
2006-12-10 12:50:44 · answer #4 · answered by Glenda H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Puppies are very time consuming but it can be fun.He is a web site with cheap crates for dogs I got one for my Danes that only cost me 70$ so one for a smaller breed will be cheaper.You need to have all this stuff ready be fore you bring him home!The playpen idea is good but not going to work sorry you are defiantly putting thought in to this but puppies will chew through everything.When you crate train you want a crate that is just his size not to big cause he will potty in it.As for food and water find non tip pans I would leave water in there all the time but get him on eating schedule morning,noon ,evening. that also helps with potty training. Please get a breed book on him so you can learn everything you can about him and it also gives tips on training.Good luck and have fun! crate site - fortresspetcrates.com
2006-12-10 13:07:45 · answer #5 · answered by sabledane 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try Walmart... they sell good crates for low prices. I have one for my dog.
2006-12-10 13:05:09 · answer #6 · answered by Gertie 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋