How many crates do I need???

[Breanne, Dave & Maizy!]

I was just wondering how many crates do I need for my puppy? We plan to keep one in the bedroom for the puppy to sleep in at night. Do we need another crate in the living room for the daytime OR is it ok to put my puppy in the crate in the bedroom during the day when I am out of the house?

[Harper]

Any chance you can use something that isn't a crate for during the day when you are out? A laundry room? We use the foyer of our three story townhome and block off the entry to the stairs with a baby gate. That way Harper has had a lot more space to move around and play when we are gone. She still treats it as her den and doesn't soil it (similar to the reason for crate training). We borrowed a puppy crate for Harper for the living room when we wanted her to nap but be with us during the evenings (back when she didn't just calm down on her own) and we had a separate crate for the bedroom. Carrying the crates around is a big pain, so I recommend getting more than one if you don't want to lug it around. I'm sure having the one crate in the bedroom would be fine if that's your option for daytime crating.

[Adina P]

I think it is fine to crate puppy in your bedroom.  I think most dogs do better if they are crate away from the hustle and bustle.

[Breanne, Dave & Maizy!]

We do have an area we could gate the puppy in, our kitchen. It has tiled floors, but it is about a 10x10 area with a table and chairs. I would be scared the puppy might get into mischief and be in danger with the furniture and with that big of a space. What do you think? That room really is our only option because the rest of the house is a hardwood floor. 

[Harper]

No you would not want to leave your puppy around table and chairs...unless you don't care if they are destroyed.  Also you probably wouldn't want to risk too many accidents in the kitchen area until she's a little better potty trained (since that is where you eat, might be kind of weird).  Our foyer is hardwood actually, and we live in a new house so we didn't want to ruined.  She has hardly ever had accidents down in the foyer and when she has we have caught them pretty early (usually in the morning before work) so it didn't ruin the wood or anything.  Anyways, use your judgment! 

(Also in reference to your other comment, Harper didn't mind going into the crate much as long as she could see us.  She didn't like going in there and having us go to another room.)

[Breanne, Dave & Maizy!]

Adina- Good to know they do better away from the hustle and bustle. I read that they like to be in your view at all times when they are crated.

[Adina P]

Well mine do better.  Of course if there's a party in the house and they can hear it they may very well whine and make a fuss.  But in general I think they get more relaxation in a quiet area away from the excitement.  Mine did fine like that anyway.

[Breanne, Dave & Maizy!]

Harper sounds like a great pup! Once our puppy is fully trained we will certainly give him/her more privileges in the house! I really appreciate all your help. 

[Bonnie and Kona]

We got two. We had a small one that the little puppy used in the bedroom at night and a larger one in the family room. If we were going to leave the house, the puppy went into the little kennel. If we were home but not available to watch every second for potty training he went into the big crate in the family room. Once he was bigger and trustworthy we switched to the one large crate in the family room. He still sleeps in there at 7 months or goes in there when we are leaving for a couple of hours. He can be left outside alone but never, ever in the house. We have a four year old doodle that sleeps on a dog bed in our room. Our puppy is very dominant compared to the grown-up, and we are not anxious to give him equal billing in the hierarchy yet. That's why he is still in the family room and not in our bedroom, anymore.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

We only had one crate which we kept in our bedroom - or moved to the RV when we camped. Our den/kitchen area is tiled and can be closed. We just used that as a giant crate with the humans inside.

[Dori & Rua]

Rua is crated during the day while we are at work in our bedroom...where she also sleeps at night.  No problem at all.  We have a schedule that we stick to...M-W-F, my DH comes home at lunch and I get home at 5:30.  Tue & Thur Rua is in daycare. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

I had only one crate after the first week or so for Luca. He slept free in the bedroom but was in his crate downstairs when I was out. When Calla came she was in another crate downstairs when I was out. My dining room is really a dog room : ) For many months Calla was in an upstairs crate during the night. Truly this made life easier for a long time. Now she still often uses her upstairs crate, which is really too small, because she wants to, for part of the night. The door is open and she comes and goes as she pleases.

[shelly]

I had 2 for Tori - mostly at the time that it was easier than carrying it up and down.  Also wanted to give her a change of scenery during the day.  It worked fine, but many people are using ex-pens now.  Perhaps that may be a better choice for during the day. You could even put a crate inside the expen so the puppy could get up and walk around- if left during the day for a while.  Just recently Tori doesn't even want to sleep in her crate anymore.... we're just trying to leave her loose at night now (and she just turned 3)