Crate vs. play pen

[AliandShooter]

So our doodle has outgrown his crate and he's only 8 months old I'm sure he would have been okay for awhile in the XL crate, but I didn't want to keep spending money on crate after crate so we went ahead and got him the XXL  and He's loving all the space as you all know doodles sleep all kinds of crazy. The only thing is I hate the way that big-o-crate looks like in my living room and theirs no where else to place it. So I considered about getting a pen but I'm not sure how he'll like it or how he'll do in it. I liked the plastic one as my sister uses those for her standard poodles and they've done well with them the only thing is I'm afraid he'll chew some of the corners out of boredom.

[Stacy]

I just don't know how you do it! You already know that Katie is naughty even when I'm watching. For a while Maggie was staying out when I went to work. Even if you just completely ignored the potty issues, one day I came home and she had pulled a sun catcher off the window and chewed on it. It was hanging 4 feet up. She likes to look out the window, maybe it was blocking her view. But it just seemed so random. Another day she had taken a picture frame off a table and eaten that. 

Now Ava was trustworthy. She never did a single thing wrong. She truly was the perfect dog. But I didn't raise her. 

I don't know what I do. But I don't create responsible grown up dogs.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, you didn't raise Maggie either, so if you can't take credit for Ava's perfection, you also can't be blamed for Maggie's imperfections, lol.

[Stacy]

No, I raised Katie and she's the worst one! Don't tell her I said that. She's really a good girl. But I made a lot of mistakes when she was a puppy. I was incredibly permissive and made so many excuses about how she was just a baby. I was still saying that when she was 2. The next time I raise a puppy I am going to have so many expectations that they will think they have a mean mom. My next puppy will also be going to all the training classes. But I love her. Bad habits and all. She was kind of my guinea pig child. I think I've learned a lot since she was 8 weeks old.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I crated Ned as a young puppy both during my work hours and at night.  As soon as he was old enough to use our doggy door, he was only crated a night.  I used an ex-pen to block off a door way so his roaming was limited.  I gradually quit that also, however, I still set the ex-pen as a door block if we are having workmen, if I am dog-sitting or fostering.  Stacy, I never crated my two rescues as they were adults when I got them so I don't know how they'd react in an emergency. They actually have their own 'room' when they go to the groomer, but she crates them while they air dry and they do fine.

[Dolly Dykhouse]

I've had both with Henry, a crate for upstairs at night next to my bed, a crate downstairs in the small living room where we spend the majority of our day and one of those beautiful wood playpens from Frontgate. My experience with Henry; the upstairs crate was the first crate to go at 5 months, he whined constantly when I would put him in it for the night. I let him out, put up a baby gate on the bedroom door and he slept like a champ in his dog bed every single night. The downstairs crate I have had to purchase a much larger XL for his now 70# body and I still crate him when I leave the house. He's not a destructive dog, but if anyone can find a napkin or paper towel it is Henry and it is also a guarantee that within hours (usually 3am) he will throw it up. He doesn't mind going into his crate at all and I find him in it several times throughout the day napping. That expensive playpen? He hated it from day one...why do you have me in doggy jail momma? I can see you, I can see everything around me but I'm trapped in jail! I only use it as an extra long gate to block off an area if I need to keep a barrier between them and workmen at the house type of situation. I know that our trainer uses the open wire crates on all dogs including hers and they range from 18 months to 7 years old even at night.

[Lynda Kamrath]

If you have a place for used baby furniture, that is a good place to pick up a play pen.  I prefer wood, but they can eat that too.  To me, they just are so much more attractive than a crate.  I would slip mine under a counter between the kitchen and living room and it fit perfectly.  Take a look at my photos and the playpens are probably still there.  I only used crates in the car for transporting the dogs when they were small.  The back of our car is not even large enough for three crates.