new puppy question

[Maria]

We are bringing home a puppy next week, she has gone to boot camp and will be crate train.  2 - 2 hour periods a day, and all night. She will be 13 weeks when she gets home.

My question is I work outside the home for about 6 hours a day, there is someone with at home but that person can not keep an eye on the puppy all the time.  Should I also get a pen or gate off a room so that the puppy can have more area to play around..we also have an 8 year old doggy that may need to have some time away from an active puppy.  

the person that is home will still be able to take the puppy out for bathroom breaks, just can't have constant supervision of the puppy.

please advise.  I was thinking of the Regalo 192 inch pen/gate

thanks maria

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I think an exercise pen is a great idea.  We used one for our puppies when we couldn't have our eyes on them constantly, or to give the other dog a break.  We still use it to this day if one of them has surgery or is injured and play has to be restricted.  We bought one like this ... https://www.chewy.com/midwest-exercise-pen-step-thru-door/dp/45380?...

I like it because I can make it any shape that I need.  It can be one long piece to block off something (like the christmas tree or it can be a 4x4 square.  Lots of options.  

[Maria]

Thank you so much for advising.  I am going to order it.  Thanks

[Ginny Nightingale]

Just be aware that the puppy might go potty in the pen before the person can get to them--having a pen leads to accidents in the house and then the pup will think that the floor inside the pen is the "potty place"--if the pup falls asleep in the pen, it should immediately be put in the crate--if not, the pup will wake up, pee on the floor and then go back to sleep! 

One suggestion is to buy a cheap piece of 6' x 9' vinyl flooring (around $30 at Lowes or Home depot) and put that down under the pen--once the pen is no longer needed, the vinyl flooring (and all those smells from accidents) will be discarded---also, I recommend that the person who is watching the pup set a timer so that if the pup is playing in the pen for more then 40 minutes or so (longer times as the pup gets older) they go get the puppy and take them out to potty. If they fall asleep in that time, again, they should go into the crate--the timer will help the person to remember how long the pup has been alone.