We have finally found our puppy English bull terrier and we pick her up next Saturday as she is beautiful!

We have a dog crate and we are picking up her vet bed today. Is there anything else we should put in the crate to make her more comfortable?
as you may recall we were asking for name and the pref. at the mo is Saffy.

I would put something in the clothing line of yours in there, she will like to cuddle up to something. If your breeder is close enough take it to her to put in with the pups so it smells of them, or perhaps your breeder could put something in for you. My breeder cut up the vet bed they were on to send home with the pup.

Failing that a soft cuddly toy, make sure the eyes and nose are not on it, just something to snuggle up to really. I always cover the crate to start with, just leaving the door to see out of, it will give her a sense of security, rather then being exposed from all sides.

Good luck, you must be so excited.....who needs Christmas!

Sandra

Hi Tadhunter.

CONGRATULATIONS on your new puppy. As you may or may not know, puppies get very lonely when left and can become destructive so it is important to put plenty of non chewable toys in the crate with Saffy and a ticking clock which she will associate it with the heartbeat of her mother, she will also need a bowl of clean fresh water at all times away from her bed and toilet area otherwise this may become soiled if she were to knock it over playing etc....remember that the crate is only for training purposes only and must not be used to lock her in for hours, in time she will see this as her own and won't want to come out of there....depending where she is kept (kitchen) etc after she as settled in her new home you could try and leave the door open for her while you are in and leave her to play on her own in the kitchen, see how she gets on. The most important in a puppies life is never to spend too much time with them when at home, because when you do have to go out to work etc, the pup will become so distressed and this is when problems start.
The time spent with Sassy should be done gradually as well has playing and exercising her, getting her into a routine will help a lot so she knows what to expect.

If you need anymore help, please let me know and enjoy your new bundle of joy..

Good Luck.

Xena

Thanks Xena a great help I will keep you all informed how we get on on Saturday!!!

Can't wait

My daughter gave her fluffy hot water bottle cover in shape of a hippo to Monty when he arrived and use this as his comforter/cuddly and after a year has never chewed it , he carries it in from his crateof an evening to sit with it and it goes to bed with him at night!
Oddly enough he is most attached to my duaghter (who is 9) out of the whole family and I wonde rif it is because her scent was on his first cuddly !

Jude

Hiya, we gave Diesel a sheepskin lamb, which I got at Pets at Home, and he adores it, he also has a few chew toys and a pillow (I thought this would make him more comfy :D) I had given Sara, his breeder, a towel so that he could have the scents of his littermates, but I forgot it :rolleyes:
and left it lying at the breeders house, about 800 miles away
But he loves his crate, and it's a weight off my mind, knowing that he's safe and not redecorating my house for me, when I'm not there :)
Sharon
XX

My new pup has settled well into his crate, partly I think because the breeder got the whole litter used to one for short periods and partly because he is so young he sleeps a lot and is glad to get away from the hubbub of a busy house and have a comfy snooze - I do leave a couple of toys in there but he prefers to play with us. I have left a smacko or a cocktail sausage in there if he isn't ready to settle and that helps

Good luck with your new pup

Hayley

Hi, I think Saffy is a great choice! When my dog was a puppy, we put a blanket half over her crate so one end was completely like a little den. She loved it and we only ever had her first night where I had to get up to her (and that was only twice). Also, her breeder gave me a small piece of cloth with her mothers smell on it.

Fiona and Saffy

I was wondering, if a breeder has dog crates in the house for their dogs generally and the pups are used to the site of crates and other dogs in them, will that help us to get our puppy into his crate at home with us at 8wks?

Hi I am a new puppy owner I picked my Cocker puppy up last Saturday, our pup has taken to the cage marvellously he just wanders in there in the day when he's tired, I only shut the door at night, he has no other bed so this is his domain, I do cover the top and sides with a throw to make him feel more secure. Our breeder advised the use of a crate otherwise I wouldn't have bothered. Good luck with pup and hope you enjoy him as much as I am enjoying mine.