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?

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

This is how we worked it when they first came home.  Crate in our bedroom for night time and then the ex pen between the kitchen and dining room for during the day when we couldn't keep our eyes on them constantly. 

[Breanne, Dave & Maizy!]

This looks really great. Did you leave them in here during the day if you were gone or did they go into the crate?

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

During the time that they were this little, DH and I were neither one working and we pretty much took them every where we went (We toted them around in a big rubbermaid tub.  If we went to Home Depot or somewhere we just set the tub in the cart!  They could stay in here if we just ran to the store or somewhere as they never tried to jump up and get out or anything.  As a matter of fact I could put both of them in it to this day and they would just lay there and sleep. We had to use this pen for about 6 weeks one time when Sophie hurt her leg and she had to be confined to let it recover.  We also used it when we traveled and were going to spend the night at someones home.  It folds up and is easier to travel with than a big crate. 

While they were little we took that time to remove the carpeting from one of our bedrooms and put down a cheap wood laminate flooring and we turned that into their room.  It has their beds, some toys, food and water and a baby gate vs. a door to the room.  That is where we transitioned them to when we leave.  Although they are ok if I leave them out when I leave they seem to prefer to just go be in their room so that is what we do.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I used two crates when my guys were puppies and I was housebreaking.  One was upstairs in our bedroom and the other was downstairs in the living room where they could see and hear us.  It was just easier for me to do it that way because I was taking them out to potty every half hour, and I didn't have to keep running upstairs.

[Breanne, Dave & Maizy!]

So did you keep them downstairs during the day if you were out?

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

No, I kept them in the bedroom if I was out.  It's quieter up there.  I used the downstairs crate mostly for housebreaking and if I was doing something where I couldn't watch them.  If I was home they were always on the same floor as me where they could see and hear me moving around.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

We keep Luna in an ex-pen like the photo with Lucy and Sophie, but it has Luna's crate in there too, since she's used to sleeping in there.  I would definitely recommend getting two crates as well... we have one and it's a pain carrying it from the bedroom down to the kitchen every day, especially since it's a pretty big crate!

 

The ex-pen is in the kitchen (tiled for easy cleanup) and when she was little we kept some newspaper down in a corner for her to pee on.  I wouldn't recommend newspaper for everyone though - Luna never ate it, she just ripped it up.  Newspaper isn't toxic as far as I know but I imagine it could give them an intestinal blockage if they ate enough of it.

 

[Kate C Pappas]

When I first got Yarra (almost 5 now) I had one crate in our bedroom. She was crated until she earned freedom. During the day however, she was tethered either to my waist or if I was sitting down somewhere, to a piece of furniture. Gradually as she learned the rules, she got a longer tether and eventually no tether. She was house trained in days. She's never pooped in the house and only peed a few times.

I would suggest an ex-pen to confine her, however, if she has the room, she will pee or poop, away from her sleeping spot. The more room and freedom they have before they've earned it, the more likely it is for them to fail.

Set her up for success by not allowing her to have failures. I use a Poochie-Bell on my back door which you can get at Doodle Country Store and Yarra and Yindi both learned to ring it immediately. 

I took their paw, rang the bell and said "potty". Within a half hour they knew to associate it with going outside to potty.

Make sure you never use the crate as punishment. Dogs should love their 'den' and want to go in there. I was advised by my first trainer to give them a treat in the crate that they ONLY get in the crate. For us, that's a Kong filled with yummy things. They never get a Kong outside the crate. I actually have to spell it or they'll run for the crate. But I can just say 'go crate' and they each go to their crates. Good luck and make it all fun!

[Camilla and Darwin]

We have one crate for Darwin, and it's in our living room. He sleeps in there during the night and stays in there during the days we are gone. It works great for us. But like others have said, I see no problem to putting the crate in your bedroom. Earlier Adina mentioned that her dogs did better away from the hustle and bustle, same is true for Darwin. If he is in view of people while in his crate, he seems anxious to get out. If he's in a separate room, he just lays down and naps.

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

I have two doodles, both are crated in the living room only.  My house is small but with all my dogs - past and present they have all been crated in the living room/dining room only.  I never crated them in the bedroom they were always fine with being in the living room and never had a problem.   Both doodles are young and my long term goal is..... by the time they reach 3 yrs. of age I will have trained them and can trust them enough to not be crated at all !!!

[Ann ~Oliver & Rosie]

We have two doodles and two crates, I didn't like the look of the wire crates so I used one that had a wicker look to it. The crates are in a large open kitchen, family room area I have been moving the smaller crate in the bedroom for Rosie (5 mo) and Oliver sleeps beside her on a dog bed. Last nite was the first nite we let Rosie sleep out of her crate on the dog bed with Oliver, she did great! I am a believer of crating when I'm not home, a past dog had separation anxiety and ate our couch cushion and all the woodwork in a small bath ! This is what our crate looks like.

[Breanne, Dave & Maizy!]

Thank you everyone for your feedback and sharing your personal experiences with me. I truly value everyone's opinion!