Keeping puppy in a pen or crate?

Question

I just got a 10 week old boxer pup. I have a pen that i could use in a non-carpeted area in the house and I also have a dog crate that I would like her to get used to. Is it ok to use both? I was thinkng using the pen during the day sometimes with a puppy pad in there just in case and using the crate at night for her to sleep. Will this confuse her? Is it a bad idea to use the ouppy pads in the pen? Last night was her first night with us and she slept on her blanket next to our bed. Should we just put her crate next to our bed? Or is it best to get her used to being in another room in her crate?

Answer 1

As long as you keep the spot consistant, it will be fine. The crate by itsef is fine at night, just be warned, if you start her sleeping in your room, she will always want to sleep there.

Answer 2

You should use the pee pads unless you are home with the dog 24 hours a day. A 10 week old puppy isn't going to be able to "hold it" for more than an hour or two.

I am a big fan of crate training and I think most dogs enjoy having their own space. Since dogs are den animals I think a crate seems like a more natural and comforting space for a dog... especially such a young dog that hasn't been away from her littermates and mother for very long. You'll want to be sure to use positive methods for introducing your puppy to the crate.

I can see the pen being very useful too for times that you are home with the dog but can't be watching it's every move for a few minutes. That way the dog will have less opportunity to choose a spot for elimination that's unacceptable to you. This will make potty training a lot easier.

Answer 3

Putting the crate next to your bed is a fine idea. I'll tell ya what... its probably not the ideal way of doing things but you can't always go by the book, just like raising children. You have to do what works for you and the puppy. I have a 12 week old Dachshund and she sleeps in a dog bed during the day while I'm home and sometimes in her crate if she so chooses as the door is always open while we are home. When we leave she has no problem in her crate at all. I'm constantly reassuring her about the crate when she enters on her own or sometimes we play a game with me pointing to the crate, asking her to "crate" and when she enters she gets a treat. She also sleeps with us sometimes at night. This all sounds really confusing to us but so far she shows no problems with this situation. Ideally I would like her to sleep in her crate all night and this will be implemented soon! Good luck... I answered your question last night about all the new puppy questions. Take a deep breath and take it day by day. It's frustrating until you get into a routine and having an ultimate plan is always good but the route you take to get there might change as you both get acclimated!

Answer 4

I would go with just the crate and be consistent to avoid confusing the dog - especially since a boxer is a large dog and the ultimate goal is for him to go outside all the time. As far as sleeping on the bed goes, it should be a right that is earned when the dog is fully housetrained. You can put the crate in your room if you like, which may be comforting to your dog. But I found it's best to pick one training method and stick with it and crate training is very, very effective, especially if your goal is for the puppy to ultimately go outside.

Answer 5

You can use either one but you should not let her use potty in it. A crate should not be to big.Only big enough for to stand up and turn around in. If you start letting her potty in crate you may never get her trained.Yes it is a good idea to put her in crate by bed at night.But do not put her in for the night till you are ready for bed yourself.Give her a cookie when you put her in and say nite - nite.If you do this each night she will get to a point when she hears nite -- nite or sees the cookie she will run into her crate. Make sure you take her out when she needs to go at night till she is old enough to hold it for 8 hours.It will be much easier to train her if you have a constant schedule for her.Dogs love a crate once they get used to it,they like the cave or den feeling.It gives them security.But never use the crate as punishment...You will get the dog to hating it and you don't want that.

Answer 6

You need to do what works best with your puppy. What I did with my last puppy was have his crate in the bedroom for him to sleep in when he was very young. As he got older, he was let out of the crate but confined to the room, and when totally housetrained and past the chewing stage, he always had the run of the house.

While everyone was at work or school, he was kept in his exercise pen so he'd have more room. We put newspapers at one end and his quilt and a few toys at the other. It worked extremely well for him. Because he didn't like to mess in "his" space, this puppy was able to go without peeing until the kids got home from school to let him out.

Dogs are smart and adaptable - you won't confuse your puppy as long as you're consistent.

Answer 7

put a chew toy and a squeaky toy if she likes them in the day crate

this is the play crate the one she will know also use the word crate every time you put her in it (puppy name crate)
this is training her to the word and after a while you will only have to say crate and she will just go.

use an old blanket in the night crate.... it is quiet time
make sure you only put her in this crate when you shut the lights off and go to bed
use the word sleep (puppy's name sleep) she will also learn this is time for bed and it will get dark when you say this

always make sure they are clean and praise her when she keeps them clean(no potty in it) also make sure you put her directly outside as soon as you open the door she will learn to go right to the door after a while

she may cry for a little bit if you leave her at night but she will get use to it

Answer 8

You're on the right track! I would say to get rid of the pads as soon as you can.
And it's OK to put her crate next to your bed. This will keep her comfortable and stress - free when she's in there.

Here's a link for crate training:
http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html

It's always appropriate to reward you dog for being quiet in her crate. It's a big asset to have a dog who will always see her crate as a great place to be!

Answer 9

I don't see why you can't use both. I don't put puppy pads in the pen now, but I did when I first got her. Eventually I learned that if I didn't put the pad down, she wouldn't pee until I let her outside. Animals usually won't go potty where they sleep.

The key to housebreaking is to put them on a schedule and keep it that way.

Example: Everytime you let her out of the pen, take her outside. Watch her. When she does her duty, give her a treat, bring her inside immediately and she should be fine! They need to learn that you expect them to go outside and that it's not play time.

Good luck!

Answer 10

no , thats a good idea I did the same with my pug when she was a 14 wk the pup needs to run but also like a toddler
you need to make sure that it does not get intno or start chewing on something that could hurt it ie, electrical cords etc.