# New puppy - crate size?



## yorkshireflower

We are bringing home a cavapoo in 2 weeks (9wks old) and wondering which crate to buy - On reading about toilet training it appears they can not hold their bladder more than an hour per months age - so at 2 months old 2 hours - correct? Anyway toilet training through the day no problem half hour trips to the garden etc...But for night time I thought they would have half the crate for toilet - I know many say you need to not give mixed messages but the thought of getting up every 2 hours is daunting. Now I read that many of you took home puppies at 8-10 weeks and no issues through the night so do I get a crate to fit so they dont mess and hold it - Im confused - If we feed the puppy about 6pm make sure hes put out before we go to bed what time should I do that and get through the night (we go to bed about 10pm and up about 7am) I presume we lift up water too to prevent weeing?


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## fairlie

Before crates existed we would pen the puppy in the kitchen or bathroom and clean up any messes in the morning. It usually is only a matter of a few days to teach them to pee outdoors and sleep through the night. Waking once in the night to let a small pup out makes sense but more often than that or doing that longer than a few nights is spoiling them in my opinion. The leaving alone time rule is about emotional attachment more than about their bladders I think.


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## yorkshireflower

Thanks - Are they able to hold their bladder for the night if I take them out about 10pm and up at 7am - Id hate to buy a small crate then find they are sitting in their mess


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## sophiecutiepoo

We purchased a crate with a divider (make your puppy's space just big enough for their bed--big enough for them to turn around and stretch but not for a potty spot) which has turned out to be the perfect size for Sophie. Now she uses the crate with no divider. The crate is collapsible. Here are the demensions:
30-in: 31¼"L x 19¼"W x 21½"H, Suitable for dogs 26-40 pounds.

I agree with Fairlie. You really do not need to get up so frequently. Initially it is a good thing, but after a few nights you can leave your puppy alone. When we got Sophie she slept about 3-4 hours uninterrupted and I would wake up anxious of her wellbeing on my own. However, in about a week we fell into a routine. She would go to bed at 10pm and she would need to get up between 5-7am (so yes they can hold their bladder longer at night when sleeping). She never whined, just played with the crate metal door handle. Sophie learned to sleep through the night pretty quickly. It helps if you tire your pup out first and do not feed too close to bedtime.


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## yorkshireflower

Thanks - I can do once a night for a few nights thats fine - I find I wake about 4-5am sometimes anyway - I was dreadding the thought of several times a night so wondered if allowing them space to pee would be better for me in the long run - I don't do long stretches of tired very well  Ive seen some with dividers which I may get now
Thanks for the input - I want to get puppy hopefully housetrained before xmas (have to visit inlaws etc - last thing I need is puppy peeing on their carpet


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## yorkshireflower

sophiecutiepoo said:


> We purchased a crate with a divider (make your puppy's space just big enough for their bed--big enough for them to turn around and stretch but not for a potty spot) which has turned out to be the perfect size for Sophie. Now she uses the crate with no divider. The crate is collapsible. Here are the demensions:
> 30-in: 31¼"L x 19¼"W x 21½"H, Suitable for dogs 26-40 pounds.
> 
> I agree with Fairlie. You really do not need to get up so frequently. Initially it is a good thing, but after a few nights you can leave your puppy alone. When we got Sophie she slept about 3-4 hours uninterrupted and I would wake up anxious of her wellbeing on my own. However, in about a week we fell into a routine. She would go to bed at 10pm and she would need to get up between 5-7am (so yes they can hold their bladder longer at night when sleeping). She never whined, just played with the crate metal door handle. Sophie learned to sleep through the night pretty quickly. It helps if you tire your pup out first and do not feed too close to bedtime.


Sophiecutiepoo - Ive been searching online all eve and cant seem to find any 30" with dividers (for a sensible price) - Any that are are about £50 which is dearer than buying a 24" then 30" when they grow - Where did you get yours?


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## Viks

I'm bringing home my 8 week old pup next week and I've just ordered a 36in crate from eBay. We ordered the crate and the divider separately, it came to £38. Now I'm thinking it's too big!!
Keep me posted how you get on I'm totally new too and find it a bit confusing!


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## fairlie

Ummm Yorkshireflower if my math is right your pup will be about 16 weeks at Christmas? You might be a bit overly optimistic about fully housetrained by Christmas, especially in someone elses home. Keeping a good schedule and being diligent as heck at all times will help, but in the end the puppy is a baby so please do not blame him/her for mistakes. I hope your in-laws are dog people?


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## yorkshireflower

Fairlie - Dont worry Im not too concerned - I know they are still puppies, I was only joking  
Viks - ditto - our puppy was the smallest in the litter as of yesterday
Ps google on my Pc this morning and find one Medium with divider £35 http://www.doggiesolutions.co.uk/bl...aign=product&gclid=CLOd1YuMu8ECFa7KtAodaBoAqg


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## fairlie

Phew!  I was all set to jump in the saddle and come there to do battle for poor little misunderstood Viks.


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## sophiecutiepoo

yorkshireflower said:


> Sophiecutiepoo - Ive been searching online all eve and cant seem to find any 30" with dividers (for a sensible price) - Any that are are about £50 which is dearer than buying a 24" then 30" when they grow - Where did you get yours?


I purchased mine from chewy.com and LOVE it! Mine was on sale for $39.99. I believe they only ship in the US. :\. However maybe you can search this item by brand and find a seller over there? Here is the link:http://www.chewy.com/dog/midwest-ovation-single-door-dog/dp/102197


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## sophiecutiepoo

I did a quick search and found the same one I have. I do not know about the sites reviews but here you go:http://www.cagesworld.co.uk/p/Midwest_Ovation_Dog_Cage_With_Up_And_Over_Door_And_Divider.htm.

***just saw you found one! Yay!! I do not know how to cancel a post so I guess this information is no longer valid haha.  oh, and the eBay suggestion was great.  just for kicks here is a picture of Sophie in her crate at 18weeks. She is about 11 lbs and if I had to guess, 14 inches tall, 12inches at neck, 17 around chest.


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## Peanut

Hi and welcome to the forums!! 

This is my recommendation: 

Buy a MID-sized crate for the dog. That will last enough until he/she is toilet trained. Put the crate in your bedroom and when he/she wants to go to the toilet in the middle of the night she/he will cry. You don't have to get up unnecessarily, only when the need is there. Dogs don't do anything inside their crates, so you are going to save yourself hours of sleep by doing this. 

Puppies last about 30 minutes during the day and they can go from 11pm until 6 am at night. Every week that span of hours grows so you will end up sleeping all night if you do it this way. 

Until you don't have the dog you will not realise how much they hate being left away from you at night. 

A last recommendation: don't fight it. If they dog doesn't allow you to sleep, put the crate in your bedroom. That will sort the problem, promised. 

for information, I have 2 crates, one for the kitchen and one for the bedroom, I couldn't be bothered to take the crate up and down everyday. 

The only issue with the crate in the bedroom is that the moment you move, they wake up...so you have to tiptoe and talk quietly when she/he is sleeping. It is not different to having a skin baby. 

good luck


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## Zoay

Max is 12 weeks and happily sleeps 11 hours at night without needing the loo. He falls asleep downstairs at about 7-8pm; we take him into the garden before taking him up and he just falls asleep on our feet instead of weeing. This morning my husband opened the crate at 6am when he got up to let him out, but Max refused to budge, he was comfortable in there! He waited until I got up an hour later.

In the first couple of days we did 2 trips out in the night, after a week or so there were rare night trips only. In a 30" crate in our room it's easy for him to let us know when he needs out.

We bought a 36" crate for downstairs but it's still to big really, the 30" is better.


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## yorkshireflower

Many thanks - I bought a 24" - and decided if we needed a bigger one later we'd do that - Im relieved to read that at 12wks your little one sleeps 12hours - I know they are all different like babies. As we live in a 3 story house I didnt want to have to make trips to the garden in the night so intending to leave him in the kitchen with a (warm) hotwater bottle, blanket from his siblings and pop down about 2-3am for the first few nights to take to the toilet. I will hopefully move that on then to 4,5 then 6am (we get up for school at 7am) He'll be 9weeks when we collect him on Sunday so on the basis that they "should" be able to go 10-12hours by 12 weeks it should be ok - I read that they can only go 1hour per month their age so thought thats 2-3hours but Im now reading that not to be the case so I feel more optamistic (not dreading the thought of sleepless nights) What time would be best for the last feed/water before bedtime?


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