Fence, crate, or both?

[NutKitty]

Quick question!

  What would be best for keeping a puppy confined (and out of trouble) when you aren't home, or can't supervise it?

Would a fence like this be ok, instead of a kennel?:



Or is a crate better, so the puppy can feel like it has it's own "home"? 

I do have a HUGE cat carrier that could be placed inside the fence to serve as a safe zone. 

Thoughts?

[Heather]

Crates are much more stable and safe. X pens are for when you ARE home but can't supervise too closely so you can set it up in the kitchen while cooking dinner or in the family room reading. It offers more freedom than a crate but still acts as a "babysitter" to keep pups out of trouble. X pens are also great for training and socialization. If you're busy doing something and you turn around to see the puppy laying down chewing on his bone or playing with his toys you can reward him with a small treat. Reinforced bahviors are likely to increase.

[strangeduck]

I always recommend crates, even if you end up getting one of those puppy fence thingies for when you're home.  I love that my dogs are crate trained.  I love to be able to send them to their crates when needed, and it's good for them to have a place of their own to retreat to when they feel nervous or strained.  Crate training also helps greatly with housebreaking.  Dogs won't pee on their beds...so always let them outside when you release them from the crate and reward them when they pee outside.

I have an aunt who thinks it's cruel to crate train dogs, and that they are sad in their kennels.  And while my Charlie still doesn't like his (he wasn't crate trained till we adopted him from the shelter at five years old last August) all that much, but it saves me on all kind of things since Charlie chews everything in sight.

[NutKitty]

I've heard good things about crate training too...  and are they worth it for the smaller breed dogs?  I imagine I'd have never have the dog in the crate unless I wasn't home, and if I were going to be gone for a longer period, I'd most likely put the pup in a room where it couldn't do a lot of damage.  (or take the pup with me!)

More questions:

Do stairs pose a risk for puppies?  Should I keep some sort of baby gate at the top until the pup is older?  We spend about 90% of our time at home upstairs. 

Am I asking for trouble if I take my pup on car rides and don't have it in a carrier?  I worry about it peeing on the seat of my (newish) car.   

If it isn't obvious, I'll probably have a puppy within the next few weeks, and I want to make sure I have everything ready. 

[strangeduck]

They are totally worth it for smaller breed dogs.  My Charlie is a shih tzu/poodle mix and he is a bit high strung and if I leave, he gets separation anxiety, common in small dogs and shelter dogs that were abandoned.  Having his crate and his special toy (usually either a rawhide chew or a kong filled with the kong filling stuff) help him deal with being alone for the few hours he's ever without a human.  I think it's important to train smaller breed dogs as carefully as you would larger breed dogs.  I hate when someone says, oh he's small so it doesn't matter if he jumps on people, or something like that.

[NutKitty]

I hate when someone says, oh he's small so it doesn't matter if he jumps on people, or something like that.

Haha, trust me...  one of the first things I'm going to do is enroll it in an obedience class.  I'm really not a fan of dogs jumping on me, so I don't want my own dog to do it!  Well, it is mostly larger dogs I don't like doing it, since I'm such a small person and they're usually stronger than me.   

Thank you for the advice. 

[Heather]

Do stairs pose a risk for puppies?  Should I keep some sort of baby gate at the top until the pup is older?  We spend about 90% of our time at home upstairs. 

Am I asking for trouble if I take my pup on car rides and don't have it in a carrier?  I worry about it peeing on the seat of my (newish) car.   

In my experience, stairs are not a risk.

I let my dog sit in the front seat of my car, and my foster dog did as well. I don't have a seatbelt for Amos (I need to get something) but peeing in the seat is not an issue. He had to go really bad one day and let loose alittle but that was because I didn't read his signals and kept on driving instead of stopping. Amos sleeps the whole time in the car and Mars did too. If they're sleeping they can't pee! You can certainly try it. I crated Mars a few times in the car (to keep him seperated from Amos) and it was a nightmare. He cried and whined and shifted all around constantly. He just didn't settle down very well. Crating is mainly a safety issue in the car. If you happened to get in an accident it'll prevent the dog from being thrown from the car, or running off. It also makes it easier on the people trying to help because there's no worries the dog will bite.

[ZooKeeper83]

Do stairs pose a risk for puppies?  Should I keep some sort of baby gate at the top until the pup is older?  We spend about 90% of our time at home upstairs. 

Am I asking for trouble if I take my pup on car rides and don't have it in a carrier?  I worry about it peeing on the seat of my (newish) car.   

I would look into making sure stairs are not a risk for whatever breed you're getting.  I know I should have when my basset hound was a puppy.  As soon as he was brave enough (somewhere around 3-4 months), I let him walk up and down the stairs with me.  I didn't think anything of it, since he was already getting larger.  As he grew, I noticed that his front legs were no longer straight and had a bowlegged curve to them.  I looked into it and learned it was my fault.  It's recommended that you don't let them go up and down stairs or get off and on large objects until they're at least 6 months due to the growing bones and joints.  Being bowlegged is not something he needed in addition to all the other health issues he's had over the years, and it could have been avoided.  I still feel horrible any time I look at his legs.  I now understand it was due to the strain on the small legs with the basset heavy body, but it can't hurt to look into it with any puppy just in case.

Oh, and it may sound weird, but when Dopey came with me on my 12 hour drive to Nashville, I was worried it wouldn't be able to hold it while I was driving (he did fantastic though!).  To make me feel safer I just lined the seat with a heavy duty garbage bag and topped it with a thick, fluffy blanket.  I had hoped that it would mostly soak into the blanket and then at least be stopped by the garbage bag before hitting my seat.   I never got to find out if it actually worked, though. 

[star2]

I crate-trained Carl when he was a puppy but now I never crate him.  In fact, it's been so long since he's been "locked" in his crate, that I'm sure he would cry!
He loves his crate though.  Sleeps in it almost every night, with the door open.
When Mia outgrew her crate I never bothered getting her a bigger one.  Now whenever I go somewhere I just gate them in the kitchen.
Crate-training is great though.  Not only is it helpful for when you're potty-training, but it keeps them out of trouble!
It's somewhere your dog can feel safe.  Mia's very submissive and when we have guests over she would rather be left alone.  When kids chase after her she hides in her bed, but I think she would feel safer if she had a crate to go to.

[tsk_n_such]

Crates are beneficial for all dogs, regardless of size   My yorkie enjoys having a place to go that is "his".  Ex- pens are handy if you're going to be away for an extended time..you can sit their crate inside with the door open, so they still have their crate to sleep in, yet keep clean. But for normal daily errands, a crate is splendid.  Aesop naps in his while we run errands. He always has his sleepy puppy face on when we get back

If your pup is especially small, be careful with stairs as they can topple when they're in that clumsy phase.  I wouldn't wait until they are six months to teach stairs, as you may then have a dog who doesn't want to use the stairs. However, just don't let them overdo it. As long as they aren't putting hard pressure on their joints (like excessive jumping) the pup should be fine.

Regarding a 'safe room', just remember to never underestimate the desire of puppies to explore. I'm not sure there's a room available that Aesop couldn't find something to grab in   Granted, he can reach more things than a small breed

[Ratwings]

Congrats on your puppy-to-be!  Everyone has given you great advice. Crate training is so helpful for housetraining, especially for little dogs who have tiny bladders.  An x-pen is great for safe confinement once housetraining is less of an issue, but it's okay and probably easier to use a larger crate as the pups grows.

Slightly off-topic, but if you haven't already bought any books on puppy training, I would HIGHLY recommend Puppy Primer by Patricia McConnell, the Ultimate Puppy Toolkit made my premier pets, and Before and After Getting Your Puppy by Dr. Ian Dunbar.

What kind of pup are you planning on getting? And are you signing up for puppy kindergarten? That's one of the best things you can do for you new pup. (I teach puppy k if you have any questions on finding a good class)

Don't forget to post pics!!

[NutKitty]

Thank you for the book suggestion, Ratwings!  I'll pick that up. 

I've decided to wait until I'm in a house before I get the puppy, since we'll hopefully be in a house sometime this year...  probably within months.  I think that will be best for both us and the puppy. 

I'm about 98% sure I want a schnauzer, either a standard or miniature.  I love the mustaches...  I'm thinking a black schnauzer named Luigi would be awesome.   I could buy him a little green cap. 

[star2]

You're not allowed to get a schnauzer unless you promise to post pictures ALL the time   I loove those little guys!!
And I love the green cap idea 

[Punkygirl0101]

I don't use crates...I am not against them or anything, I just don't need one. My family room is completely dog proofed..its actually considered the "Dog room"..There is a doggy door to the backyard, and my dogs are already housebroken (My youngest dogs are 3). I just don't have any reason to use crates.

But I do recommend them as training tools, and for puppies/dogs while you are not home to supervise.

[Heather]

I'm about 98% sure I want a schnauzer, either a standard or miniature. 

Kinda OT but be very, very aware that Schnauzers are pretty much prone to allergies of all sorts- food and environmental. You'll want to feed a grain free food or a raw diet (I've seen excellent results with raw but some Schnauzers do ok on a grain free kibble).

[NutKitty]

I'm about 98% sure I want a schnauzer, either a standard or miniature. 

Kinda OT but be very, very aware that Schnauzers are pretty much prone to allergies of all sorts- food and environmental. You'll want to feed a grain free food or a raw diet (I've seen excellent results with raw but some Schnauzers do ok on a grain free kibble).

Thank you for that bit of info!  I'll definitely look into that if I get one. 

Haha, Star2...  trust me.  If I get a schnauzer, you'll see more than enough pics of it here. 

[tsk_n_such]

schnauzers can have a lot of allergy and such issues..at the veterinarian/tech conference I went to earlier this year there was an entire class on schnauzer ailments   It seems to be more of a Miniature schnauzer thing, though, unless the Standards I've met have just been especially hardy.  I happen to love the Standards. There's such a difference in the three breeds, temperament wise. I've yet to have a Mini or Giant make me smitten like all of the Standards I've met have. 

If I weren't set on never being without a Chow, I'd totally have a standard

[NutKitty]

schnauzers can have a lot of allergy and such issues..at the veterinarian/tech conference I went to earlier this year there was an entire class on schnauzer ailments   It seems to be more of a Miniature schnauzer thing, though, unless the Standards I've met have just been especially hardy.  I happen to love the Standards. There's such a difference in the three breeds, temperament wise. I've yet to have a Mini or Giant make me smitten like all of the Standards I've met have. 

If I weren't set on never being without a Chow, I'd totally have a standard

Good to know!  I was leaning more towards a standard, actually - though they seem to be a lot harder to find.  (and I don't want to have a pup shipped, esp. in this hot weather lately.)

Maaan, chows...  I'm biased because of a neighbor that had them when I was little.  They were always such angry loud dogs...  I know it wasn't their fault though.  Maybe I should spend some time around some that have been properly taken care of. 

[Ratwings]

^I'm scared of chows.   They always try to eat me. I had a woman call me at work the other day, telling me about her chow who has been randomly attacking her and what would I suggest she do? (I suggested the local veterinary behaviorist, but she hung up on me.) Scary. But the chow mixes are always sweeties.

One of my co-workers has a giant schnauzer who is a sweetie although I have heard that they can tend towards aggression. I had a min schnauzer in my puppy k that was super cute and loved the training. I've known a lot of really nice schnauzers. I think the black ones are really adorable.