Crate and play pen dilemma

[Violeta]

I got a crate and a play pen. This is how I arranged it, do you guys thing that this is a good idea? I will cover the floor with plastic mats and then with paper for the time that the pup will be housetrained.

Pick: http://tinypic.com/view/?pic=2web6dg

I need to crate train my puppy and I was thinking that this way it will get used to it with ought being afraid of it.

[PetFriendly]

If you aren't able to be around during the day, what you are doing should work. I had a similar arrangement for my pup, a crate within a larger pen.

I kept the crate, food and water and toys towards the front of the pen and put the paper down at the back. I lined the whole area covered by the pen with painters plastic (really cheep to buy at places like Canadian Tire, etc) and then covered the rear area with paper. He was in his playpen for about 3.5 hours in the morning, I'd come home at lunch, let him out, play a bit, and he'd go back in until we got home from work. When I was around, I followed crate training routines to help him build the bladder muscles he'd need to be able to 'hold it'. He also slept in a crate and I took him out in the night if he cried (lasted until he was about 6 months old)

The trick to this is going to be giving the pup enough room to piddle without having to lay in it yet not quite so much room that it'll have insentive to try to hold it until you can take it out.

When I was home, pup did his thing outside, be he loose in the house or in a crate, when he was in his pen, he went on his paper.

hope this helps, let me know if there are questions

[Goldens4Ever]

I would reccommend NOT leaving toys or bones for your pup while you are gone, as the vast majority of them should only be used under supervision--same as with kids. If you have to leave a toy while you're gone, the most 'safe' toy to leave would be the thick rubber toys, if anything. In addition, I would only leave water out for your pup during the day as long as you are there in the morning and evening to feed. I do not believe that leaving dog food out for them to chomp on at their leisure through the day is the best way to feed. Please refer to the attached link for detailed information about the dangers of particular dog toys, bones, rawhides, etc.

DOGTOYS.doc

In addition, when you are home on your days off, put the pup in the crate for 15 minutes or so once or twice throughout the day for crate time. Be sure to estatically praise him/her when he/she goes in and afterwards when he/she comes out, so that he/she realizes that going into the crate is nothing to be afraid of.

[Lissa]

It looks good, I find that its a bit large and could encourage him to eliminate because he won't have to be too close to it. I'll be interested to hear if this works because I like the idea of playpen better than a crate!!!

I agree with Golden, a kong type toy would be best but each dog is different - I still wouldn't leave fluffly/stuffed toys with a puppy but if your dog isn't a chewer than most other toys should be fine!

How old is your pup?

[PetFriendly]

If you can't be with the dog all day, the pen/crate combo is a viable alternative. And Lisa you are correct, if they have too much space, they can keep their 'bed' clean and mess at the other end and will never learn to hold it. This is how I housetrained Charley and it worked wonders. My father-in-law tried the same idea with his little yorkie but he gave him the run of the entire kitchen... The space was too big and to this day, the two year old yorkie still can't hold it more than a few hours.
All the toys Charley had access to when I was away were not choking hassards because he was so small he wouldn't have been able to damage them (i.e. big stuffies with eyes and noses removed and sewed shut, kong type rubber toys etc).