questions from new puppy owner--crating and sleeping

[Anonymous]

We are going to be getting a 12-week-old standard poodle in a couple weeks. Poodle will probably end up weighing 50-60 pounds (based on parents' size) but of course is nowhere near that now. I'm trying to figure out what size crate to get, and also what style. Some seem to think the plastic travel crates are better (more enclosed, dog prefers that) and others prefer the metal. Do you have a plastic v metal preference? And did you start with one crate for your puppy and then buy another later on? I have the same question about a dog bed--do I buy one now and another later? They are all so expensive...

Also based on some recs on this forum I read the Monks of New Skeet puppy book, which was enormously helpful. I was interested that they recommend against crating the puppy at night, and suggest letting him/her sleep on a dog bed but with a leash secured to your bed. Has anyone does this?

Thanks for helping a novice! We want to do best by our dog.

[Anonymous]

We've only used the metal crates as the dogs we have owned have all ended up being 70lbs or more. I think with a medium or large dog the metal crate is the way to go. You don't need to but a puppy size crate (although you can) what you can do is get a piece of sturdy cardboard and tie it at both ends (and top) to the bars of the crate to make it smaller. Then as the dog grows you can move the cardboard back until you are using the full size crate. They are expensive but they last forever .

[Anonymous]

I have a metal crate where the interior compartment size can be changed. It grows with the puppy. I don't remember where I bought it, but it was either petsmart or petco.

I don't crate my dogs at night. They sleep in the dog beds. When they were puppies I put them in the dog bed w/ shirts w/ my scent on it so they wouldn't feel lonely.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks so much for this info. Sounds like one crate is plenty and we will either find one that can be modified or use cardboard. To the PP who didn't crate puppies at night, did you keep them on a leash? My concern is that the puppy will go pee in a corner of our bedroom if not confined (until fully housetrained).

[Anonymous]

I have kept my puppies in bed with me or a crate. Training requires that you get up every 2-3 hours and take him/her out-just like a baby. Don't expect to get much sleep until they are somewhat trained.

[Anonymous]

Does the puppy wake you up when it needs to go? That's really what I'm confused about.

[Anonymous]

The puppy may whine all night because they are lonely and away from their litter mates or because they need to pee. It's up to you to take puppy out a few times at night so they can pee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have kept my puppies in bed with me or a crate. Training requires that you get up every 2-3 hours and take him/her out-just like a baby. Don't expect to get much sleep until they are somewhat trained.

We did just that. Puppy slept on my chest until she was too big, but she would rustle and was me up every 2-3 hours to go pee, and I would drop her to the side of the bed on the puppy pad. Then slowly got rid of the pee pads. (we loved the black colored ones from amazon-TopDog)

We got the metal crate that was adjustable on Amazon as well. (pet stores charge twice this much).

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

^^ woke me up.

if they're in bed with you and wake up and you don't hear, they will just take a few steps away and pee there. So we did have a few accidents and full bed washing, but it didn't happen very often.

[Anonymous]

Hi, Op

We have a 60 pound mutt and got the large metal crate which has worked well. We got her a dog bed but she actually prefers the cat bed or a towel on the floor. She looks very silly in the small cat bed and the cats love her bed.

[Anonymous]

Another vote for a large metal crate. No need for multiple ones, especially since puppies grow so fast. We always kept the crates in our bedroom so that the puppy was with us at night. (We currently have an almost 1 year old puppy now). I saw that PP mentioned getting up every 2-3 hours at night, but we've always had puppies that slept for like 6 hours before needing to go out. So we had one quick outside around 4 am or so and that was it.

Enjoy! Puppies are so much fun!

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone! I fully expect the first few nights to be rough. Though like pp, my understanding is that the puppies in this litter are currently sleeping 6-7 hours at a stretch so I am hoping we won't be traipsing outside every 2 hours (though if we are, we are).

[Anonymous]

We have a 14 week old labradoodle. We tried a puppy bed, but bought a crate the second night. She loves it and sleeps well. She was house trained by 8.5 weeks, and only wakes me up once a night to go out, and some nights she sleeps for a solid 6-7 hours.

We never used puppy pads, and neither did her breeder, so that made house training simple. In her mind, the only place to go potty is outside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^ woke me up.

if they're in bed with you and wake up and you don't hear, they will just take a few steps away and pee there. So we did have a few accidents and full bed washing, but it didn't happen very often.

I will be getting a puppy soon and would like to keep it in our bed. But I heard that crate training at first is the only way to potty train. Did your puppy actually wake you up to go pee when it was young?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone! I fully expect the first few nights to be rough. Though like pp, my understanding is that the puppies in this litter are currently sleeping 6-7 hours at a stretch so I am hoping we won't be traipsing outside every 2 hours (though if we are, we are).

By 12 weeks we went out at about 11-12 pm and then 5-6 am unless there was crying. We got them at 8-9 weeks and the first 2 weeks are when they went out every 3 hours- 11pm, 2 pm, 5 pm sort of schedule. in our bed the puppy woke us up. Watched tv pr plyed with puppy in the bed so s/he knew it was also their place. Sleeping on the floor with a puppy resulted in accidents-puppy woke up-looked for a door-peed by door then came back to snuggle in "bed' aka sleeping bags and air mattress.