PUPPY PENS – A HOUSE TRAINING ESSENTIAL

 

Puppy pens are one of the most essential pieces of equipment for house training your puppy and, used correctly, your puppy should be very happy to settle in the pen, and hopefully also to go inside his/her crate (the crate can be placed inside the pen)  – see below.

 

 

Make sure you place your pen and crate in a place where your puppy will be happy – this usually means placing in an area such as the sitting room or kitchen, where your puppy will have plenty of company but, of course, please ensure that they are also able to get peace and quiet and so you will need to tell all household members and visitors to leave the puppy alone when they are resting.

Also think about how hot or cold the area is and what suits your puppy and what is safe, ie do not leave in the glare and heat of the sun all day or in any cold draughts.

Initially I put a plastic sheet under the whole pen (with the ends outside of the pen so that the puppy could not easily chew the sheet) and also put newspaper down in case there are any toileting accidents but please don’t think this is a reason to leave them for hours without giving them the chance to toilet outside.  The less they toilet indoors (even in their pen) the quicker they will learn that toileting should be done outside.  Set your alarm clock/kitchen timer/mobile and make sure you give your puppy plenty of regular toilet opportunities outside.

Re the plastic sheet and newspaper, always supervise until you are sure your puppy is safe to be left with these without eating them.

You can also leave some chew toys and soft toys in the pen with them to keep them occupied (ensure they are supervised with any new items so that you know they are safe) and also put some water in the pen – I used a metal clip-on bowl but this can’t be seen clearly in the photo above but any dog bowl will do.

Of course, in the crate you will want to put some very comfortable bedding for them so that they are happy to go to bed and remain there – you will want them to be nice and comfy because that way you might also get a decent night’s sleep!

The pen I bought was from Bunny Business and I got it from Amazon (www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00LS9HJLA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1).  There are three sizes and the one I got was the medium and had eight panels which can be put up separately and pulled into the shape that suits your set-up.  With the spare panels I used these to block off areas where I didn’t want my puppy to go and I wedged them into palce with various other household items – not 100% secure but a good deterrent which meant the shoes I had blocked off were left alone and so bad habits avoided (so far!)

My puppy is a Labrador x Golden Retriever and at nearly 4 months old I can still leave her in there secure in the knowledge that she cannot get out and that she is very happy both in her crate and her pen area.  I also put an extra bit of bedding in the pen area during the day as I like to give puppies another option as to where they can lie.  I always make sure the crated area has her favourite bedding, however, as I want her to be happy to go into her crate and stay there over night.  At first, I left the crate door open but once I knew she was happy and comfy in her crate I shut her in over night and sometimes for short periods when she needed a rest during the day.

Re the entrance door panel, I turned this upside down so that my small puppy did not have to step over what is quite a large step and this is still upside down with her at nearly 4 months old and no chance of her hitting her back on the top yet.  When she is bigger I will turn the entrace up to the normal way.

Please note that no puppy should be left for very long periods of confinement but the puppy pen set-up is useful for when you can’t supervise and whilst you are house training your puppy and when you need to ensure your puppy will not chew household items.  Please therefore also make sure you do have your puppy with you in other areas of the home but under your supervision so that you can avoid toileting accidents and damage to your property (and keep your puppy safe).

You may also be interested in my article on puppies that play bite and chew – please follow link to my previous blog article.

Sally Bartlett
© Co-operative Canines Dog Training & Behaviour