# Do I need a puppy pen?



## Buttons (May 13, 2013)

Hi everyone

I'm just making preparations for when Jessie is coming home and I'm wondering whether I need a puppy pen as well as the crate? The reason I ask is that when she's settled in and we are back at work my husband will work from home 2/3 days a week and the other 2/3 days I will be coming home at lunchtime. So I'm thinking that whilst she is v young (8/9 weeks) she won't be able to hold her wee/poos for the 3 hours in the crate and that she will need this area to have access to water/newspaper/pads etc. 

Any guidance on this would be fab.

Ps I'm planning of having her in her crate from the first night but maybe I'll sleep on a camp bed in kitchen for first few nights as she settles.


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## dio.ren (Jan 18, 2013)

We got Molly when she was 8 weeks old and if she was in her crate she would hold it from 10 pm to 4am. Mind you she would get her last meal at 5pm and after 8pm I would take her water away. Her crate was only big enough for her to be able to sit, stand and turn around not a huge space but she never messed in her crate ever!

A gated area is also nice we had that too during the day but she would whine in there and rip her newspaper etc...Personally for us the crate worked best we had a peepad in the hallway for emergencies cause we live in an apartment. We would crate her for a couple of hours here and there daily and at night time so that is what worked for us but it's different for everyone!

Since she has been 5 months she hasn't had an accident in the house once so we are very impressed. We used poochie bells on the door handle to let us know when she had to go they worked great!

We could crate her during the day for about 3 hours with no accidents when she was 8 weeks longer would of been too much for her!


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## Twinkle Toes (Apr 27, 2013)

I think if you want her to have access to puppy pad etc a pen would be a good idea. We had one used as a room divider but it didn't work properly as Ralph could slip through one side of it due to it's design. It wasn't big enough to put the crate inside so we couldn't use it as a pen as such.

I am currently looking for a better room divider!


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## Tecstar (Apr 17, 2013)

It depends on your house layout, I think. We have a large room that we can confine him to and his crate is in there. You may want to consider gates across doors instead.


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## GorgeousGeorge (Jan 19, 2013)

I had a puppy pen for George, well really it was for rabbits/puppies off ebay about £25, I thought it would be ideal as it had a waterproof bottom. But atfer two day (he was 8 wks old) we found that he could climb over the top and he has so small as you can see above! So we had to put the waterproof bottom on the top which work perfectly no more escaping and used the pen untill he was 5 mths then we let him have the run of the dinning room and kitchen with Harry. The pen as it was also for rabbit did come with a cover for the top but did not want to use it as it was 1/2 netting and while we were out I did not want him to get caught in it. The pen is in section and I still use parts of it such as two sections put together to stop him going upstairs when Im around or have doors to other rooms open which works well. Sorry to rant on but it worked for me George had room for everything he needed in it puppy pad food, water rung on the side toys and bed he loved it so did Harry as George was out of his way. Oh and he was almost oftern dry?clean when we came home around 4 hours.


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## Buttons (May 13, 2013)

GorgeousGeorge said:


> I had a puppy pen for George, well really it was for rabbits/puppies off ebay about £25, I thought it would be ideal as it had a waterproof bottom. But atfer two day (he was 8 wks old) we found that he could climb over the top and he has so small as you can see above! So we had to put the waterproof bottom on the top which work perfectly no more escaping and used the pen untill he was 5 mths then we let him have the run of the dinning room and kitchen with Harry. The pen as it was also for rabbit did come with a cover for the top but did not want to use it as it was 1/2 netting and while we were out I did not want him to get caught in it. The pen is in section and I still use parts of it such as two sections put together to stop him going upstairs when Im around or have doors to other rooms open which works well. Sorry to rant on but it worked for me George had room for everything he needed in it puppy pad food, water rung on the side toys and bed he loved it so did Harry as George was out of his way. Oh and he was almost oftern dry?clean when we came home around 4 hours.


Hi. Thanks for all your replies. I have guinea pigs and have that kind of pen already which I thought I could give a clean and bring inside - sounds like it worked well for you so think that's the way I will go. That way if there's any crying the first night I won't be wondering whether to go downstairs in case it's a toilet cry. 

I'm sure I'm questioning more bringing Jessie home than I did bringing home my two children home from hospital!!! 
X


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## Von (Nov 1, 2012)

We used a pen to extend Jenna's and then Meadow's area, we could confine the puppy to a space that the crate opened in to. During the day we left the crate and pen open a lot of the time, but the puppy was put in the pen and the gate closed if we had to leave her, and during our mealtimes. It was also used as a timeout/ calm down area with the gate closed. It made life a lot easier for us, and the puppy was happy in there with a few treats and toys.

This is the one we used, it can be used as a room divider too, and in the garden.

http://reviews.asda.com/1440-en_gb/002652806/lindam-safe-and-secure-playpen-reviews/reviews.htm


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## Kazd (Apr 21, 2013)

For those of you with a crate inside a pen, did you close the crate at night or did you leave it open so they could access a pee pad in the pen area. Just wondering whether it is better to shut the crate so they have to learn to hold it.


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## Hfd (Aug 19, 2011)

We had a crate and puppy pen for Billy in the early days. The crate was shut at night and we left paper at the front if he needed to toilet (he didn't after a couple of nights). When we left him in the daytime it was with the crate open. We used the pen for around 6 or 8 weeks then when he had grown a bit he had the run of the kitchen. He still sleeps in the crate now with the door closed (except when hubby is away with work - sshh!).


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