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Playpen vs. Crate? I will be bringing home my new pup mid-December and plan to crate train her. She will be gated in my kitchen and I would like to keep her in the bedroom at nightime. I am thinking instead of purchasing an enclosed cage/crate for night time, I would purchase a playpen but not sure if I can replace the cage with a playpen. Anyone else's thoughts? Also, what type of harness and leash do you purchase for a little pup 10-12 weeks? |
I use a playpen. For the potty training, I put wee wee pads in there with her. It has something in them that makes them naturally want to use them. After she got used to those, I'd start taking her outside and tell her 'go potty'. At night I still kept her in the playpen with the pads and if I left the house. My main reason for using a playpen is my Lola is very tiny. I felt she needed to be able to eat whenever she wanted to, so this way I could leave her food and water in the playpen with her. Now she's over 7 months old(about 2 1/2 pounds) and I only use the playpen if I'm leaving her home while I do some errands. Mostly because we have stairs and she can't figure out how to go down them, only up. I no longer use the pads, she holds it while I'm gone and sleeps in bed with me now. She will occasionally have an accident if she has ended upstairs and I didn't notice fast enough. :) |
When Logan was a puppy I used both. He spent the day in the playpen & night in a cage. After a couple weeks of sleepless nights, we decided to let him sleep in the playpen as well, he hasn't made a peep at night since. A little hint, buy an absorbent crib pad & cover it with a fitted crib sheet. This way if they potty in there it won't soak into the playpen bottom & you can remove the pad & launder it as needed. |
I had Ferdinand babygated in the laundry room with pee pads, because like makemepretty, I was concerned about his size and wanted him to be able to eat/drink whenever. They make harnesses specifically for tiny puppies. I got one at Petsmart... I think they're like $8. |
Just to add a different voice here, I will say that I got a playpen for Buddy, but he wouldn't have any of it. He *hated* the playpen and would bark and whine for ages until I would finally let him out (and yup, I tried just putting him in there for a short amount of time, giving him treats in there, etc). With him, I was better off keeping him in the crate at night until he was potty trained - but as you can see, YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary) - congrats on the new puppy! |
I'm getting my little guy in December too! Congratulations! :D I'm in the same boat over crate/playpen, not sure which to do, so I'm doing both and we'll see what works better. I got a crate from my sister-in-law's mom and I'm looking for a second hand playpen. There's no reason you should have to pay full price for either - these are things that people are usually willing to get rid of pretty cheap if not for free just to get them out of their basements! Try asking around to friends and co-workers and I'm sure someone will know someone where you can get them for cheap. |
I start my litters out in a playpen. I replace the mattress with 3/4" plyboard. I worry they will get under the mattress somehow. I also worry about mold spores and mildew from messes and/or being stored. If you get a 2nd hand one, make sure to clean it thoroughly with a bleach and water mixture. Then make sure it is dried and aired out. When I got Cowboy as a puppy, I put him in a crate on a nightstand right at my bedside. I could put my fingers in there to comfort him if needed. He has been awesome from the day I got him....but that's another story:D |
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