[SIZE=2]I agree with YorkieRose! I can just see some rolling of eyes toward the sky and saying "What's new? Rini is agreeing with her mentor?" Just so you know, we dont agree on many things. Now back to the topic of discussion..I used 2X3 ft. CRATES WHEN MY MOMS WERE REARING THEIR YOUNGUNS! I am still talking about Yorkies here. When the babies were weaned the floor of the crate was lowered a notch or two and it bacame the puppies' pen. They had a bed and all the necessities in it and they became the well-socialized babies that people who know my babies will agree upon. At about 14- weeks, they were limited to an X pen in the middle of the kitchen floor where they could play with the older adults and still be protected from harm by the older critters. Yet, we crab-walked around that pen til the last baby left at about 5 months.
My dogs are always in the kitchen/family room with us. They have their own little footstool to get up onto the couch. BUT, even 5 month old dogs need protection and to assure that, they go into a 16foot diameter pen-the same one I used when they had outgrown their crate.. if I have a sick puppy that needs to sleep in my room, they sleep in a crate..they are carried up and down stairs-mine are hardwood and none of my babies are allowed to climb them.
I am a retired nurse who is home far more than I would like to be. But, if I go out for just a few hours, my youngest go into the Xpen with everythng except the things they might get hurt on. At night, EVERY one of my 7 babes sleep in the same Xpen with their beds- and each other. They never go off to a corner of the pen to sleep-they want to touch each other. Sometimes, we need a croup tent..it has to be set up close to the others so the sick baby can see them. When a spay/neuter baby comes home-the crate is used so we can limit jumping. Sick baby needs special care-crate is used..Workmen here-everyone gets penned or crated.
Why am I writing this book? Because I feel it is important to be able to use a pen or crate at any point in a Yorkie's life for various reasons. After being owned by these wee Yorkie TERRORS for many years, I have learned that nothing is always...
Please forgive the length of this post but some explanations are longer than others..IMO the only time a crate should NEVER be used is -as a punishment like solitairy confinement.[/SIZE] |