If you have room the pen is safer. But I got two
Amazon.com: Richell Wood One-Touch Pet Gate,... and a large cage. So Moki could roam the roam with me home. I blocked him in my tv room. Then when I left he would go into the cage. The cage stays open and his food,bed and water are still there. Never has full run of the house when nobody is home. He is ~18mo. Potty trained. Its what will work best for you. The pen is safes if use while not home and you have a spot. The gate has less clutter just puppy safe the area but they can chew on walls.