New addition !

I'm so excited, this Friday evening we will be choosing from 4 lil blue baby boys which one we want.

They aren't rdy for homes until may 6th so we have a cpl of weeks to get organised.

This is the daddy to the pups: http://www.stamtavler.com/dogarchive/details.php?id=126588

Anyway, my girl Diesel will be a year old on Tuesday next week the time has flown.... I've a cpl of questions, I've never used a crate before, Diesel has full run of the house and when we are out.
Would it be advisable to get a crate for the pup, to use as and when we need to leave them at home.? To crate the pup and let Diesel have full run ?

Also, diesel has a large comfy dog bed, could easily fit another staffy in it, and she sleeps on our bed at night - is them sharing the dog bed ok ? Or would he need his own ?

Can't think of anything else just yet, oh and I need to think if a good name for him !

Thx all

im not an expert on puppies by any means but i think every dog should have their own bed, mine have three beds downstairs so if they dont want to cuddle up they are free to get into another bed. and i do think a crate is a good idea, ive heard that they really help with toilet training and as you have an older dog you dont want to leave them together unsupervised just yet. congrats on getting a new baby by the way!

Joey's advice seems sensible to me. I have never used a crate but in hindsight it may have saved me a lot of grief when Tyson was a wee pup.

Awww congratulations Can't really offer any advice, its been sooo long since I had a pup, really hope all goes well and lots of pics please!!

Joey is correct. I can honestly say that the crate will make things much better for you especially now that you are going to go to the multi-dog level. It is a good idea to have a place that you can safely separate them when you cannot watch them and it will help with house training. Another alternative is a x-pen. Congrats!

What size crate ?

I don't fully understand how crates can help house training though ?

A crate can be useful as your dog will have his own space to go and chill out in, kind of like his own bedroom if you like.

We got one for Rocky and we just leave the door open all the time. He just wanders in and out as he pleases.

Jackieb wrote:What size crate ?

I don't fully understand how crates can help house training though ?

Size is a tricky thing because at first they need it to be smaller but will grow into a large one. Many large ones can be sectioned off to limit where they can go. It is helpful for house training as a dog will rarely go in their bed. It can happen, but mostly due to not being able to hold it any longer. If you take them outside and you think they should have to go, but they don't, you can bring them back in, crate them for ten min (the time increases as they age- don't wait too long or they may not be able to hold it in the crate) and take them right back out (repeat until they do go). Remember to never use the crate as punishment and they should feel safe and happy in there. The younger you begin crate training the better. For more information you can google the topic. There is a lot of "how-to" info out there.

Hi we have used a crate for kaiser,it's much easyer such as when he's alone he can't get up to mischief such as chewing and everything else pups get up to.As diesel has never been caged I would just leave her out and it will also give her a break from the pup.He will protest for a couple of days but will soon get used to it.As with the toilet training it helps as like another post said they won't do it in there own space but if free to roam they will just do it in the kitchen or wherever and happily return to there bed and leave a little prezzie for you in the morning.

Our Polly is 14 months old, and 2 weeks ago tomorrow we adopted Charlie, who was then 8 weeks, we were a bit worried about how she would react as she was dumped herself at 4 weeks so hadn't had any mothering from her own mother.
This is them this morning

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They do each have a dog bed and also a cage, but they have decided that the sofa and getting as close as they can to each other is the best way to sleep If we do have to go out and leave them we put Charlies cage in the kitchen and close the doors to seperate them, usually this means they sit either side of the door and "Talk" to each other until Charlie goes to sleep They are inseperable and she is his new surrogate mum.
Good luck with your new baby I hope you get more sleep than I have had for the past 2 weeks

Sorry, i've never used a crate. But my gut tells me that the pup would be better in it at the start so you can tell how your girl is with it and how it interacts with its environment. Good luck!

good luck with your new addition and don't forget the pictures

i know im pretty new to the dog owning thing but what ive been told of experinced people is to keep them apart when your not there, then socialise them when your about just so no accidents are fights occur

Thx for the replys all

Will defo get him a crate.

@ Polly, that picture of your 2 is just gorgeous, I hope mine will be the same, Diesel is such a chilled out softy lapdog I think she will like the attention lol

X

Best of luck and can't wait for pics. I would get the pup a seperate bed. They will most likely end up sharing but options are always nice. I agree keeping them seperate when you can't be there to supervise is a good idea