I am so excited!! Brownie is now 1yr and 9 months and we have just placed a deposit for another apricot toy poodle.  Brownie has a lovely gentle character and has been a great company for me, but I think she would benefit with an additional member to the family that can talk the same language as her.

Could you please help me settle a discussion that me and my hubby is having over getting an extra crate for the little puppy?  Brownie doesn't use her own crate very much as she has a bed in our bedroom which she uses.  The crate is in the living room in the corner so that she can escape if she feels the need to if there are visitors, however she has taken over the arm rest of my armchair in the living room as her little perch.  I feel that we should get a new crate that is the puppy's so Brownie has her own space if needed.  However my hubby thinks that given she doesn't use her crate we should use it for the puppy. Needless to say I disagree as it is her secure place, (I gave him the example of us having a child and I decided that his office/study will be the nursery!).   Let me know what you think!

I have been reading up on the best way to introduce them and asked the breeder for a lot of advice as she knows the breed very well, but any additional advice would be great!

I would say that if brownie still uses her crate I would get another for the new pup. As my gsd doesnt use a crate anymore and indeed it has been in shed for a long while now I hadnt any worries about using it but I have left my other dogs crate as it is so we now have two crates in the kitchen

I would have a seperate area for the pup that you can pop it into when you can't keep a direct eye on them, it doesn't have to be a crate it can be one of the plastic carriers as long as she/he has his own space in safety. Your adult dog will also need a safe haven if the pup gets too much and each needs to learn to leave the other alone at these times.

I bought a 2 ft crate for a new adult dachsie I was getting so she had her own place she could go when things got too hectic and my lap wasn't available, very soon the other 2 joined her but it didn't worry her so I left them to it, now it isn't unusual to see 5 in that small crate.

Don't leave the 2 dogs alone unsupervised for several weeks/months till you are happy that the puppy is safe with your older dog and bigger in size, I have heard so often of the owners nipping out to the bin or to hang out washing and returned to a dead or seriously injured pup because things got out of hand whilst they were alone and no one there to call a halt to things.

How long have you got to wait for the new arrival?

Thanks for that.  It sounds like a puppy pen would be a go idea then so the puppy can go in there if she needs some space and if I popped out they are both safe.  She will be ready end of June so not long now!!

Dont want to breed resentment from the word go, its brownies crate and your hubby sounds like mine wanting to save the pennies not 'getting' how the dogs think

> apricot toy poodle

I am soooooo jealous - that is exactly what i would like !
Apricot toys seem rare compared to blacks , but i hope to start my search by the end of the year.

Let us know all about the new arrival when he/she gets here.

If it's saving money you're worried about, then buy the right sized crate the puppy will need when adult and make/buy a divider for use as the puppy grows. Thhen you won't need to spend more on an adult-sized crate later on.

I would get another crate for the puppy, there may well be times when Brownie might want to take herself off and slam the door behind her!!  Pups can be quite a shock to an established dog :)

You might also want the flexibility of moving the crate around to suit you and the pup and it wouldn't really be fair to remove Brownies crate even if she doesn't use it much. 

Have a look on eBay for secondhand crates, lots of people buy them for pups but don't keep them beyond that so there are always bargains to be had

Thats what I thought from what I was reading on introducing the puppy, a second crate is definitely needed and my hubby has now agreed!!!  Remembering what she was like when we first got her I think Brownie will be quite shocked.  Even though she was so small when she was a pup, in her excitement he ripped my top!!

(LouiseDDB - Yeah - I have the same problem here :) )

Thanks once again for being so helpful!

These crates with 3 doors (so very flexible) are very strong and very reasonably priced: http://www.ukdogguards.co.uk/dog-cages.html

I'd love one, but haven't an excuse for another crate with already owning 3 metal and two canvas ones.

Some sizes out of stock at that link, same ones here: http://www.doghealth.co.uk/collections/crates-carriers/products/professional-3-door-crate

I have one of the 3 door versions from doghealth, the one at one end lies on top when open so it doesn't stick out into the room or risk the dogs/humans running into it.

That is the feature I like would be so handy in the kitchen as they are forever moving the cage when catching the door unless it is up against a wall that side.

Here is the link to their ebay shop and the 3 doors start at £22.00 plus carriage, only ever used their products and been very happy with quality and service.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/DOG-CAGES-STRONG-GALVANISED-3-DOOR-ALL-SIZES-DOGHEALTH-/250822518132?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Dogs&var=&hash=item80107435af

Scroll down to see all sizes and prices.

Got 2 of them for Zuma, 1 upstairs and 1 downstairs, The up+over door is a god-send.
His downstairs one is tucked in a corner/recess in a room where a conventional door would be totally impossible, we have a wooden sheet to fit the 'roof' and put a small bracket thing on the wall to rest the door against just back from vertical so the roof can be used for putting bits + pieces on (bag, books tub of treats etc etc.......I must have a sort out again).
Put him in there sometimes when people come in and just put the door down without even fastening it.

I am going to go for the 3 door crate as Brownie's only has the one door on the wider side of the crate and it would be much easier with the 3 options.

There you go you can placate hubby with the fact that you need a more versatile crate to make siting one easier now you have another dog.