We are collecting our puppy in 6 days !! an Old English we have waited years to have a dog because of 3 children needing training first! Anyway I have hundtresd of Q's but most importantly Dog crates.....do we buy onebig enough for when he is an adult or a small one to make hime feel cosy whilst he is a puppy? I am not sure if the crates are a god idea but so many good things have been said about them and with 3 children he may well want his own Den!!!

Any advice will be gratefully received !! THANX

Hi

Congratulations on your soon to arrive friend.

Although I have never used crates myself I have seen people advise on here to buy the size you will need for an adult and when a pup you can put a large box in at the back of the cage to reduce the space available. Besides making him feel more secure it also has a benefit in that a dog does not like to soil his sleeping area. With a pup in a full sized cage it has room to sleep and soil therefore defeating part of the reason for having a crate. :(

Sara :)

When I was looking for a crate for my puppy I saw that they have dividers to put in the crate. So this makes it smaller until you need more space as the pup grows. :-) Shirl

<<it also has a benefit in that a dog does not like to soil his sleeping area>>

Regardless of this if a puppy is shut in a crate and needs to eliminate it will do so, putting a puppy in a cage does not mean it is automatically clean.

Just thought I would make this point as so many people seem to think that putting a puppy in a cage automatically means it will be clean :)

Christine

good point Christine - I should have elaborated a bit more :)

Sara

WOW !! I only joined this site today, posted my question and within a short time have several answers that help a lot !! The only crates I have seen so far did not have dividers I know what to ask for when I go through the yellow pages now!! I hope thecrate is successful as much for puppy to have somewhere to get away from the children as my efforts to house train him!!

Thanx to you all!

Findles

Welcome to the board. Not many crates come with dividers - but it's quite easy to make your own. A piece of hardboard or tough cardboard will do and you gradually move it back as the puppy grows. Alternatively you could borrow a smaller crate, while junior grows, if you know someone who has one.

I am an advocate of crates for dogs provided they are used correctly. I have them for my boys and would not be without. They are a good idea for providing a place of refuge for the puppy. Everyone MUST understand that while puppy is in the crate - he is left alone. This is particularly necessary with young children as they fo insist on giving puppy a poke to wake him up to play;) and then people wonder why puppy is grumpy.

Good luck with your puppy.

Pam n the boys

Findles,

As well as using yellow pages if you do a search for dog crates/cages on *google* you should get a few sites so you can shop around and see pictures of what to expect. In fact there's a thread on Idle Chat on this board because "muddydogs" just bought a new cage. She would no doubt recommend the make she bought.
Dot

Hi findles, dot is right, I recently posted a question about cages/crates, asking what type everybody used as I needed a larger one for one of my dogs and wanted advice, as you probably know - its hard to tell the quality just looking at a piccy on the internet :D if you click on the search up the top of the page and type in cages/crates or my name you should get the thread up to read or click on page 2 at bottom of this page (I think its there!) It'll give you lots of different brands that people used - I also posted one after that bragging about my new cage:D - have a look - hope it helps:) I started with a smaller one (the type from Argos) and then went bigger as he grew. My dogs used their crates as beds, they do not get shut in for any length of time, I leave the doors open and they wander in and out at leisure. I do feed them in their cages and do shut the doors when they are all eating. julie:)

The dividers that I spoke about are for the all metal crates. (Just wanted to specify what I meant.) The dividers do not come with the crate it is extra. I ordered mine from the states. It is cheaper for me to buy in dollars than pounds. (American here) Shirl

I have seen dividers sold separately too, I think its Barjo that do them! But I think also that the dividers only fit their own range . may be worth having a look at their website - i'm not much help am I ;)! julie:)