Hello,
I’m new to this forum and to owning a cocker spaniel! I am collecting my puppy in just under 2 weeks.
I am setting up a crate and wondered if it would be safe to put a sheet of vetbed in and a puppy pad.  I’ve read different advice on the risks of chewing.
Could anyone give me any suggestions.
Thank you!

Welcome to the forum Indiday. I am sure someone will be along to answer your questions shortly

Definitely some vetbed, preferably in a snug cardboard box so that the pup is cosy, but also has plenty of room to get away from its bed as well. A puppy pad is likely to encourage the pup to toilet in its crate, which isn't a good thing to learn! Only use one if you're not going to be able to let the pup out of its crate as soon as it wakes and needs to toilet.

Put the crate where you are most during the daytime.  Cover top and sides and have a vetbed or similar in the crate, on top of some newspaper too.  NO PEE PAD as the last thing you want to encourage is emptying in the crate.   In fact while you are around leave the door open so he can come and go - mainly using the crate as his bed, to nap in.  When you can't be there to watch him, after playing with him for a while and taking him outside to empty, bring him back to his crate with a few treats (puppy biscuits) and shut the door.  He may complain, but if you have timed it right (puppies sleep a lot) he should soon settle down for a nap.  Try to be there when he wakes again so you can get him outside, again, to empty which will be the first thing he thinks about doing on waking.

You may do best to have the crate alongside your bed overnight so you can get up once to take him out.   At only 8 weeks or so, he won't be able to physically hold all night.   You may have to up the heating where he is just a bit if it gets cold overnight.   And try to anticipate him waking during the night so he doesn't get the idea he cries, you come.

Good luck - having a puppy is quite a culture shock unless you've done this before.

Thank you both- great advice. I have done this before but not for a while and didn’t have the crate in my bedroom which I’m doing this time- it’ll be no problem to take her out in the garden. Maybe I’ll set my alarm for a nightly toilet break.  I do remember that’s it’s quite intense for a while

The puppies more likely to tear up the pee pad then use it

Start as you want to finish, take the puppy outside to toilet and don’t bother with pads, they only serve to confuse the puppy whether they can toilet indoors or not. If they learn right from the start in your home that they are only to toilet outside then toilet training will be fairly quick.

I would only use pee pads on incontinant dogs

Thank you- that may be where we went wrong years ago- puppy pads everywhere and it took ages to actually get him house trained! He never cried to go out- just peed when he felt like it.  I’ve also got a puppy pen  now so hopefully this will help too.  I’ll use the pads to put under the crate in case of spillage instead- bound to be a few mishaps at least!

>I’ll use the pads to put under the crate in case of spillage instead- bound to be a few mishaps at least!

The crate will surely have a solid floor anyway?

It does, I mean me being clumsy when clearing up!

> puppy pads everywhere and it took ages to actually get him house trained!

Yep!  It's an old school way of doing tit (newspaper originally), gradually moving the pads closer to the door as pup learns to mess on them.  It really does slow it all down as you're saying to pup "I only want you to toilet outside.  But here, toilet inside!"

Thank you- that may be where we went wrong years ago- puppy pads everywhere and it took ages to actually get him house trained

That's because puppy pads teach a dog the exact opposite of what you want them to learn - that going outdoors is the only place to go :-)  A puppy pad tells them it's ok to go indoors. I wrote the following for someone else but have copied and pasted it here in case it is of use to you.

"Toilet training for puppies.
First and foremost you need to set your dog up to succeed by giving it every opportunity to be able to go outside at regular intervals.
I always put mine on a lead to take them out as the blowing leaves, waving   grass, shiny stones etc. are way too much of a distraction. I take them out after waking, training, playing and feeding (but at least once every hour when they are first learning)  and also look for any sign that they need to go out – circling and sniffing being good examples.

You have to go outside with them – leaving the door open for them to come and go as they please is not training them – yes there will be times when they toilet  outside because they just happened to be out in the garden when they needed to go but you need to be there with them to reward them for going and the odd time when they do go without you there is pure luck, but you have lost the consistency by not being there to praise them . When they are actually going I praise them and use a marker word for the action of going to toilet – I use the word “Busy” but any word will do. The second they have finished (not before because you don’t want to interrupt them and risk them stopping) I then reward them straight away. Once they have learnt to associate the marker word with the action – i.e Good Busy” I can start to use the word earlier as they are performing and then treat when they have finished. Once the connection with the word and the action is firmly entrenched I can then start to use the word as a command – so Busy means time to go outside and toilet. My dogs will now go outside to toilet on command because they know exactly what I am asking them to do – makes life so much easier if they can go before I go out or before a car journey etc.
If you use puppy pads then my advice would be to ditch them entirely – the puppy pads are telling them it is okay to go indoors when , in fact, you want them to never go indoors but always go outside. Being patient and being consistent is the key.
If they do go indoors don’t make a big deal of it – clean it up with a biological washing powder solution and just make sure that you give them those regular opportunities. "

Careful about putting a cardboard box or similar in the cage.
My , then puppy, climbed up and stood on the edge of a cardboard box. She put a front paw through the bars at the top and then slipped off the box and was left hanging with her whole body weight on one wrist. Luckily we were in and saw it, I hate to think what would have happened if we were out.

That’s really helpful, thank you.
I had planned on taking her into the garden on the lead as there are bits I don’t want her going in until she’s bigger but it’s good to know that helps with toilet training too. Puppy pads are definitely out then, and I’ll watch her like a hawk to try and preempt her.
Can I just check one more thing. Is it definitely ok for her to spend a little time with a vaccinated dog as long as it’s inside? Before her second round of vaccinations I mean. I’m keen to start socialising as soon as possible.
Thanks again.

If you had your own other dogs at home it would be mixing with them.

Once the connection with the word and the action is firmly entrenched I can then start to use the word as a command

One thing to remember is NOT to say 'good GIRL/BOY/PUPPY' as any unsuspecting visitor may be greeted by and say the same thing to the puppy ........... Ooops ........... puddle or soggy foot

> Is it definitely ok for her to spend a little time with a vaccinated dog as long as it’s inside? Before her second round of vaccinations I mean.

When we had puppies around, before they were vaccinated we were very careful about where we took the adults out so they were unlikely to walk in infection.   Our puppies were not running with the adults however - until they were ready to go to their new homes, we had them in a big whelping box, or outside in our puppy pen.  Once those we were not keeping went, the remaining two, usually, were kept in a puppy pen we had in the kitchen, under where the stairs went up.  This was more because of the size difference than any risk of infection BUT we were still careful with the adults re walking in infection.  You might do this too re your own shoes.  Parvo for eg. can so easily be walked in.

Unvaccinated puppies can and should (some sun on their backs does wonders!) go out as long as the area is fully fenced.

This all great advice, thank you all very much. The garden is fenced so that’s fine as long as I make sure she’s not eating plants or squeezing behind the shed but I didn’t know about me possibly bringing in infections on shoes. Slippers it is then as soon as I get home!

> I didn’t know about me possibly bringing in infections on shoes. Slippers it is then as soon as I get home!

I'd not over-panic although it is possible to walk in infection (thinking specifically Parvo ) IF it's around locally which it may not necessarily be!!

Yes, I’m trying not to overthink everything too much and, while I’m a bit apprehensive that I’ll forget something really important, I think I’ll relax a bit when she’s actually here. I’ll also be shattered for a quite some time but it’s all good!!