Crate Training/kennel
 

I am planning for a little one to come home soon. I use to have a VERY large dog and she had a larger kennel.

I was going to use the Kennel and then buy a smaller kennel to puppy pad train. The bigger kennel is about the size of our back porch. So there would be plenty of room for a bed area and a potty area.

The large kennel is all wire. If I needed to put the puppy somewhere- she would still be able to see out.

Would this work? The larger kennel is 36 inches X 55 inches.

From end to end, in this order place her food and water on one end, bed in the center and pee pad at the end. there should not be much more space than that. Keep the area as small as possible and she should do fine. If it's too big, get some plexiglass and zip ties and attach it to the sides to make it smaller.

I'm not a fan of crates unless a dog is sick or injured, but I've seen them used with great success

I read your "starting over" post. I wanted to use the Kennel as a "supper yard' (Yes the stupid kennel has been in my front room for years... and that is where the kids and I spend most of our time). My front room is right off the kitchen, and opens to the dinning room.

If your livingroom is carpet and you intend to potty train outdoors, I wouldn't keep it there. Move it to a floor with a hard surface so that when she does have an accident, you can easily clean up any trace of it. Carpeting is too irresistible to a dog to prevent accidents and that room sould always be considered a privilege to be in when you're training.

You're gonna have to learn to speak "dog". Always try to look at things from a dogs perspective. Start with getting down on your hands and knees and crawling around the house. Bringing home a puppy means preparing your home to be puppy friendly. You haven't brought her home yet, so this is a fine time to do some serious research. I will warn you that the first few months are going to be the hardest. The key is to be consistent. If you let your dog get away with something once, you'll confuse her when you correct her for it the next time.

So now think about it... *poof* you're a puppy now! Your life consists of eat, sleep and play. Play means chew. That means those wires behind your tv should be run through PVC pipe, stuff that you like as a human should be made unattractive to your puppy or kept up out of reach and access to a carpeted area should be treated much like sitting down at a kings table for a feast to you.

Keep the ex pen in the kitchen and bring the puppy into the livingroom on your lap or leash. If you read my response in the training section, always adhere to the "No feet on the floor" rule until he/she is reliable.

The only mistake you'll really make is not asking for advice when you have a question.

Cheers!

I don't have carpet in the house- just hardwood floors. The front floors are going to be replaced in about 6 months.

I have a friend that uses a extra large crate for her Chihuahuas. They have a bed at one end and potty pads at the other. She couldn't use a play pen as her pups are crazy climbers. The big crate works great for her.