# Where should I put puppy's crate?



## RRSinNC (Jan 26, 2009)

Okay - this is a training/logistics question that is driving me mad. I don't know where I should place our future puppy's crate. I want puppy to eventually stay in the crate for two to four hour periods during the day when we are all out and also for night time sleeping.

We have a very open downstairs - doorways but no actual doors separating rooms, and the kitchen flows into the dining area and family room. *I know I have to get a lot of gates, and I'm dreading that part because I love the feel of the openness.*

The second floor is where our bedrooms are, and it is carpeted. 

We have two cats who now enjoy the full range of sleeping options - as cats do! Sometimes they sleep on our bed upstairs with us, other times downstairs in a sun patch on couch top.

Should I put position future puppy's crate in the open kitchen/dining/den area where he can be amidst all the activity? Should I put him in the study down the hall off of the kitchen? That is a quiet spot for him, and would give the cats a lot of area to themselves as they adjust to the newcomer. If I do either of those things, what about night time? 

Do I get a second crate and have puppy sleep upstairs in our bedroom? Then when he awoke to be taken out at night, do I just carry him down the stairs and outside to do his business? Is anyone here at that age (ahem) where they too have to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom? Does that cause a problem if puppy is sleeping in room while being crate trained? 

I would love your advice! 
~ Future Golden Mom ~


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

I like having them sleep in a crate in the bedroom, since being around their sleeping people is very calming and helps them get used to the crate. That's the only crate we have at our place, actually. We just trundle Comet into the bedroom crate while we're gone.

If you have the space, having a daytime crate closer to the action for the times he's crated while you're at home might be nice too, but not really necessary. 

You only need the gates temporarily, by the way. It's just so you can keep a hawk eye on him for those first couple of months. You never want your pup unattended during the housebreaking phase, and it's wise to keep a similarly watchful eye during the major chewing phases. Once he's reliably housebroken and reliably going to his toys for chewing rather than furniture or wiring, you can put the gates away. 

If there's a particular space in the house where you spend the bulk of your relaxation time, you can just put the gates around that and crate the pup when he can't be carefully observed in that space. It doesn't sound like you're going to get into a situation where he's crated too much, so a few minutes here and there while you're home won't hurt him and will actually help acclimate him.


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## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

I think it's all a matter of personal taste. I had trouble crate training Flora at first, and we had her crate in the living room, which is a very high-traffic room.

I noticed she LOVES our sun room, so I eventually moved the crate there - now we have very little crate training issues (although that's also a result of a lot of training we did with her.) I also have a plastic crate upstairs in my bedroom, but she prefers to sleep on the floor rather than in the crate.

I think most puppies will do fine if you keep the crate somewhere like the kitchen or another high-traffic room, where she can see people and be with people while she's in her crate. At night you can probably leave her/him downstairs, but if you want her/him to sleep in your bedroom I highly recommend a 2nd crate - dragging a large wire crate up and down stairs is a LOT of work, I can guarantee you that. 

We have a house very much like yours - an open floor plan with lots of doorways but very few doors. We actually let Flora have pretty much the run of the house save for our dining room and music room, so we only have 1 gate situated in the whole house.

Good luck with your puppy! It's very exciting. 

Oh, and yes, I would carry Flora down the stairs and right outside when she had to go - at that age they should not be climbing stairs, and if you let them walk they'll more likely piddle on the carpet. When I have to get up to go to the bathroom I just... get up and go! Sometimes Flora wakes up and gets upset with me, but I let her whine. Usually she just sleeps through it.


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## RRSinNC (Jan 26, 2009)

Thanks for the input. I'm particularly relieved to know that the gating is temporary.

So it sounds like a good plan is to get the metal type crate for downstairs and put it in the high traffic kitchen/den spot (which Flora would like because it has the sun and a garden view!). And then for upstairs a plastic one maybe because it would be easier to move out of the way during the day?


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## Gwen (Aug 9, 2007)

We have a 12 week old boy, Razz and (2) crates. The molded crate is in our bedroom where he sleeps @ night. We also have a larger, metal crate downstairs for when Razz is crated while I'm at work. It's cooler downstairs (he prefers that) & that's where Nyg goes when we're away from home. 

Fortunately, DH doesn't work in the winter months so he's @ home with the furbabies & Razz hasn't been crated other than @ night. We also have been able to take the kids with us in the vehicle whenever we've needed to be away from home.

Good Luck with your furbaby!


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## New Golden Mom (Dec 17, 2008)

Rufus has a molded crate and we have it in our room upstairs at night. The plan was to move it downstairs for naps during the day but that lasted all of 24 hours...it was a pain moving it. So it stays upstairs and he wanders into it when he comes upstairs with me during the day. Yup I'm in the midst of night time trips outside....why was he born in the winter? Good luck with your new baby...they really are wonderful--but in the middle of the night when I'm frozen and he wants to go out for the 3rd time I have been known to mutter something about mailing him back to his breeder!


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## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

New Golden Mom said:


> Rufus has a molded crate and we have it in our room upstairs at night. The plan was to move it downstairs for naps during the day but that lasted all of 24 hours...it was a pain moving it. So it stays upstairs and he wanders into it when he comes upstairs with me during the day. Yup I'm in the midst of night time trips outside....why was he born in the winter? Good luck with your new baby...they really are wonderful--but in the middle of the night when I'm frozen and he wants to go out for the 3rd time I have been known to mutter something about mailing him back to his breeder!


Don't worry, it gets better. Flora is 12 weeks now and will sleep from 10-6:30 without having to get up. You'll get there soon!


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## Scubasteve198 (Jun 9, 2008)

Our dogs have always slept downstairs in the back part of the kitchen. Tucker usually puts himself to bed about 9:00 every night. Mia waits until you say go to bed, just in case she might miss something. Golden's are den animals. Give your pup the feel of a den when choosing an area to crate. A little out of the way but still near the action. The cat moved upstairs mostly. The dogs do not go upstairs usually. The cat has learned to survey the downstairs for times to roam. We moved the litter box and food for the cat upstairs. We only had one gate. It block off upstairs and downstairs. The cat could jump it both ways.


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## RRSinNC (Jan 26, 2009)

Steve - How long did it take your cat to get used to Mia and Tucker, or did she come after? Did the cat have any behavior issues while adjusting? Can I ask when Mia and Tucker go out for a last time out night now?


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