[Silentgirl490]

Hi i have a cocker spaniel/lab puppy and was wondering if anyone had any reccommendations for a puppy play pen?

how do these two look?

http://www.amazon.com/BestPet-Black-Playpen-Exercise-Colors/dp/B0036WQFQM/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1339092638&sr=8-19

http://www.amazon.com/Puppy-Playpen-Exercise-Kennel-Oxford/dp/B003JV1BZA/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1339092580&sr=8-9

any suggestions?

 

[Rescued]

Definitely the first. The second will get chewed up/ peed on/ water spilled on it in no time. The first is what my rescue has always used with their litters. Be careful, because it takes about a week for puppies to learn to jump out. we only used them on rescued puppies younger than 8 weeks, after that IMO its pretty much a guarantee that they'll find a way out.

EDIT: and always make sure you remove the puppy's collar before you put it in the playpen, for that very reason. How old is the pup? A large crate might be a better option, and would be usable when the dog is an adult as well.

 

[Silentgirl490]

I do not believe in crate training. I grew up with many dogs that were great and were not crate trained. And thank you for the suggestions, I will make sure his collar is off when he is in there. It will only be when I have to get things done around the house. He is 8 weeks old.

 

[Rescued]

Just a suggestion- Make sure that you have something secure to anchor the playpen to, because pretty quickly they start jumping up on the walls and end up just pushing the thing around. Also make sure puppys nails are trimmed well- I've used these playpens for years when i have foster puppies, but IMO they really can be dangerous when the puppy is not in your direct sight. I understand your aversion to crates, but the only difference btwn this and a big 48" crate is a top, and that makes it quite a bit safer. Get one taller than 24 inches if you insist on a playpen, otherwise you'll only be able to use it for another week or two.

EDIT: this is all just friendly advice- I have a friend whose puppy got hung on a playpen like this (collar on and he jumped) and he left the room for five minutes and came back to a dead puppy They tend to not jump in the crate because there is a visual barrier on the top (though you should never use a collar in the crate either)

 

[Hambonez]

Our pen is metal. Hamilton has been using it since he was 8 wks old. He's nearly 6 mos now. He is a dachshund mix; he can't jump over it, but I can easily see how larger, longer legged breeds would be able to. We keep him in it during the day when we work because he's crated at night, and he isn't ready for freedom, and I feel bad having him crated 16 hrs/day. Really as far as I can tell all he does is go into his "day" crate and sleep while we're gone... but I feel better knowing if he wants to move around some he can. It's always just where we left it, so he doesn't seem to be pushing it around.