Getting a pup tonight and need advice

[previousposters]

I am getting a bull terrier puppy tonight. I have experience with dogs as I was brought up with lots of different breeds but what are people's thoughts on cages/crates?
None of our dogs were caged and I recall a few of them destroying the house with chewing. This is what I'm hoping to avoid.
I was planning to put a mesh (bad idea?) baby gate over our downstairs toilet door (about the floor space of the biggest cages I've seen) during the night and when I'm at work (max 4 hours at a time) just till we are past the puppy stage then allow the run of the house.
Would I be better with a cage? Tbh I don't really have the space for a large cage without it being shoved in a corner and I just don't really like the idea of it. Any thoughts or other suggestions welcome.

[takesnoprisoners]

Please do crate train. I did not and have chewed up skirting boards, banisters and walls as a proof of my stupidity. A crate/cage is really a safe spot for the pup as well. Will the mesh withstand the sharp teeth? I would go for regular baby gate.

[irelephant]

I love bull breeds. I have a staffy X German shepherd at the moment.

She chews so did my last one (staffy) I would honestly buy a crate too save your sanity.

And make sure you post a photo

[insan1tyscartching]

I didn't crate train, Eric house trained within a fortnight, we never had a disturbed night and he never chewed so crates aren't essential IME.
Youknow yoou won't be able to leave a puppy for fourhours for some months don't you, with or without a crate?

[WatchingFromTheWings]

Crate training is the best thing I've ever done. Didn't do it with a previous dog and she chewed the whole house up. Then it was too late to introduce the crate (she chewed through that too!).

I always make sure there is room for sleeping, room for a water bowl and room to play. Start with a smallish cage and upgrade later on as he/she grows. My dog is 2 and still uses his cage. If the kids are a bit rowdy or he wants alone time he'll sneak off to it.

[AlpacaLypse]

I'd crate train, you can always stop using it but she'll hate it if you introduce it later if she should prove to be very destructive.

Local FB pages are a good source for borrowing a crate for a few weeks if you don't want to splurge on one.

[previousposters]

Just to clarify she will only be left alone once a week for a few hours. I am at home the other 6 days.
Does nobody leave puppies alone?

[PacificDogwod]

DHound (rescue greyhound) came with a crate.
Like you I had dog experience but had never crated a dog.
I am a total convert

His crate was his sanctuary, his safe place, somewhere to retreat to when it all got a bit too much for him (we have a busy house, 4 kids etc).

A crate should be a place the dog likes, never used for punishment, alway pleasant, so needs a comfy bed, we had a blanket over the top to make it more den-like, a chew tow/rawhide bone in there and I used to throw treats in at random times for him to find, and a water bowl.

Kids were under strict instruction not to bother him when he was in his crate and NOT to play in it (him being a large dog the crate is bloody enormous and DS4(6) was all for using it as a play house )

At night he takes himself away to this crate between 9 and 10pm and looks at us disapprovingly is the TV is too loud...

There has been no chewing, no unhappiness, he can be left alone and at night we know he's not on the sofa (this is Very Important to DH).

[MyKingdomForBrie]

Our puppy loves her crate and takes herself in there to chew her toys etc at random times. I have left her alone on occasional days for 2-3 hrs max, shutting her in crate with a long lasting chew - first time I hovered around the window to listen and she didn't cry. Left the radio for her too. This was about 4weeks after we got her tho (got her at 12 weeks not 8 as I don't feel 8 is old enough to leave mum/siblings).

[BittyWanter]

Crates are great for a number of reasons.

If she's locked in it overnight she's much less likely to have any 'accidents' as they don't like to pee or poo in their beds.

If the crate is open it gives them somewhere at any given point to go and chill out in their own space-chew a bone/have a doze/ get away from DC/noises. It would be her area.

[previousposters]

The pup is 12 weeks. I agree 8 weeks is too young to leave their mother. She's used to being in a cage and being left alone for short periods. Her current owner offered me the cage with her, I hadn't entertained the idea of a cage before.
My thinking is she will have to get used to being left for a couple of hours so is it not better to start as we mean to go on? She will have someone there nearly all the time the other 6 days. As long as she has lots of toys I don't see the problem.

[SpringBail]

I crate trained when my dog was a pup and although we don't use it now, I found it invaluable in not destroying the furniture.
Put a duvet cover in the crate and a few toys and he was happy although I never used the crate as punishment as it was his safe place where he could go for some peace and quiet.

[insan1tyscartching]

You need to build up the time you leave your puppy alone so as to avoid them getting anxious. With Eric it was 15 to twenty minutes initially (so at 9 or 10 weeks) probably up to an hour by about four months, two hours by six months and 4 hours by a year old. He's absolutely fine, has the run of the house, we usually come back and he's waking as we come in (he'd be a useless guard dog as he sleeps when we are out) but I wouldn't leave him regularly or longer than four hours, he's a sociable animal who wants company.
He'll need to toilet, he'll be forced to do it in his crate or in your toilet which will make house training more difficult in the long

[BittyWanter]

A big soft teddy she can cuddle up to too.

I would keep her in on a routine I think.

Pop her in her crate after a walk for 20/30 mins with a small treat and a drink so she can relax.

Ours used to go in a meal times otherwise she's sit under the table waiting for tit bits. She does this now as we no longer have a crate as she's older and well behaved.

Kongs and alike would be a good to use in the crate

[previousposters]

The plan on my working day would be leave at 8.30, back at 12-12.45 then DH in at 4.45 and we are in the rest of the time or only out perhaps an hour to the shops etc and she could probably come along in the car on those occasions.
The other thing is she can't go out walks for 3 weeks as she hasn't had her vaccinations yet but we have a huge garden she will be allowed to play in until then.

[insan1tyscartching]

So it wouldn't be four hours it would eight hours with you popping in in the middle. That is much too long even for a full grown dog much less a puppy. You aren't seriously going to crate him all that time are you and then again overnight? You need to be looking at some sort of doggy daycare tbh.

[BittyWanter]

Even if you're home for 45 minutes (which won't be with just the dog) 8 hours a day on her own is too long. Not just now as a puppy but as an adult too.

I think you need to rethink getting a dog or at least this breed. They need a lot of stimulation

[previousposters]

Ok, thanks for input. I will have a look at doggy daycare. There is one close to my work.

[Costacoffeeplease]

Yes, way too long to leave a pup or an adult dog, you'll need the day care for the day you work

[previousposters]

I have made arrangements for a pet sitter I know to come in and spend time with the pup in the house/garden while I am at work. She will also be able to walk her when her jags are up to date. Thanks everyone.

[nannybeach]

Not being funny, but why are you getting a puppy if you are going to be at work all day, having to arrange, dog sitters, I have 2 dogs so they have company, but still cannot go out for more than a few hours.Caged sounds awful, most trainers recomend dogs are crated for periods, a lot recomend you should keep them crated all the time you arent actually taking them outside for the toilet, in the theory that they wont "toilet" inside the crate,personally, I think there is no point in having a puppy if you do this, they are all different, amazes me when folk say their puppy didnt chew, they chew because they are teething, and put everything in their mouth just like babies.You need to socialise the puppy to sights sounds people BEFORE injections, I carried my last puppy round in a back pack on my front last year.

[insan1tyscartching]

Nanny when I said Eric didn't chew I meant he didn't chew furniture, shoes, skirting boards. Of course he chewed his toys, carrots and the odd sock if one was lying about but he didn't cause any damage.

[irelephant]

Previous will you post a photo if you can. Is it a Staffordshire bull your getting?

Pet sitter sounds fine, I don't work if we go out for the day I'm lucky my dad comes and sits with her hides from my Mam.

Iv attached a pic of mine she's a cross breed though. She's 9 months she is lush but she does need a lot of attention. Loves the kids but their nanny dogs anyway.

[phillipp]

We crates dpup. She loves it even now. We had no accidents in it after the first two night.

But we did both get up with her several times a night each. We then slowly increased the time between each toilet trip.

We got her at 12 weeks and I took an entire 3 weeks off work. We didn't leave her alone during the first week, then slowly built up her alone time.

She is now 20 weeks and we leave her alone a maximum of 2 hours. We work for ourseleves so we can make sure of that.

Otherwise she has doggy day care. Which we have used once.

Our pup has done any damage to anything. She chews lots, but has plenty of toys. The Kong is great.

[Noofly]

We crated until our dog was 7 months old and then he decided he'd had enough. We had a couple of chewed things that DH had left on the sofa, but he quickly outgrew it.

[GinIsIn]

How long will the friend be coming in for? Because if you planning on crating the pup at night you really shouldn't be crating them for more than 4 hours in the day even with a break in the middle.

When you say you have experience with dogs, do you just mean your family had one when you were a child? Because I'm afraid you don't sound very experienced and this doesn't sound particularly thought through. Bull breeds are loving, sociable, energetic and intelligent - they need a lot of company, exercise and stimulation.