Crate Training?

Hoping to crate train our new puppy, Sparkle, so really looking for advice on size, quality and brand? This is our first dog so we are complete novices! Any advice aprieciated! Thank you x

I have never used one myself but a lot of people do, someone will be on that can help

We bought a decent one straight out of Argos . Regarding size is more of a problem so ask yourself a few questions

Do you intend on crate training as a lifelong thing or just to get you through puppyhood ??
Will you be looking at travelling by car with the crate ??
How big a crate can you fit in the house ??

We were hoping for lifelong crate training. It won't always be used in the car but we do hope to camp with Sparkle so we were hoping to use a crate in our tent.

so it comes to cost etc . Personally I would go for a big crate in the house , when she's a pup you can divide it up to make it more comfy . Minimum she should be able to stand up and turn around comfortably in it . You could use her parents as a gauge to how big she may well be when she is older.
If you want to go camping and you can afford it I would recommend you invest in a canvas travel crate , you can then use this in the car and for your camping trips whilst leaving the big crate in the house . Our dogs both have harnesses and seat belt adaptors so they can travel on the back seat of the car where we can see them better and comfort them on journeys by sharing the seat with my daughter

Darcy sleeps in a crate and has done since day one, we've successfully trained her to sleep from 9/10pm until we come down of a morning 7:30/8:00am. She also takes herself into it daily for naps. I think we payed £20 of eBay we will prob need a bigger one as we plan on her being in it long term. She also goes in for 2 hours a couple times a week wen I go out, this is recent thing which darcy has adjusted to well.

Darcy-may wrote:we payed £20 of eBay we will prob need a bigger one as we plan on her being in it long term.

sorry but could you please explain what you mean by this ??

plan on Darcy being in her crate of a night long term. We bought our crate from eBay for £20 I think it a medium but as I look at her in it now at 6 months old she will need a bigger one as she gets older so I prob should have thought about this at the time of buying the £20 one is what I ment to say.

Darcy-may wrote:plan on Darcy being in her crate of a night long term. We bought our crate from eBay for £20 I think it a medium but as I look at her in it now at 6 months old she will need a bigger one as she gets older so I prob should have thought about this at the time of buying the £20 one is what I ment to say.

Sorry I had hold of the wrong end of the stick, my fault, I know what you mean now.

Lol no probs x

Here's a link to one I got off eBay. I got the 36 inch one and Tommy is comfortable in there.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Foldable-24-30-36-42-48-Large-Metal-Travel-Dog-Pet-Cat-Puppy-Crate-Cage-T-/110753818339?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Dogs&var=&hash=item19c97126e3

I also knocked up a piece of wood to make a separate toilet area as puppies will not mess where they sleep. This worked great.

Sorry, it's not immediately apparent from the photo the area at the front is what he used for his toilet, I used to put an absorbent training mat in there.