Bought a puppy crate - what do I put in it?

[Literallynoidea]

We're getting a terrier puppy and I've bought a small crate (29" x 19") for him to sleep in. But what do I put inside it?

He will go in through the narrow end so I was thinking a bed for the back half and puppy pad in front half? The breeder said just get some thick vet bed for the back half and puppy pad front half.

Sorry if this is a really stupid question but I wondered if the vet bed wasn't very cosy and maybe I should get a bed for the back half.

If anyone more experienced than me can help, I'd be very grateful.

We have a thick nest bed in our crate but he is toilet trained. He was when we got him.

We also put a blanket draped over the sides so it's cosy for him.

OK thank you. I don't think ours will be - he'll be eight weeks and two days so am guessing maybe not?

Thanks re making it cosy - will definitely do that.

Do you have a water bowl inside the crate for overnight or not?

We use vetbed as it is easy to clean (very important with a puppy!) get a few pieces so you can rotate them in and out, especially if you're planning to give pup food, kongs etc in the crate. He also went in with a blanket from his littermates/mum which you'd need to ask your breeder about, and a cuddly squirrel he's since become keen on.

We never used puppy pads out of personal choice, we didn't want to teach him that it was ever right to go to the toilet inside. Overnight it was a case of setting an alarm and taking him out periodically to go to the loo. However I know other people have success using puppy pads, that's just my perspective on it.

I'd also recommend a crate cover of some description - some people use towels, blankets, old curtains etc. We actually ended up buying a fitted purpose made one as he would try to chew the towels through the bars whereas the cover doesn't seem to interest him as it is fitted and can't be pulled through.

Good luck!

We have one of those big fluffy donut beds in ours and a snooze shade over the top.

When she was a puppy I had a bigger crate in the lounge with water and food bowls in there and loads of toys to make her love it she could potter in and out so she knew crates were nice.. But now she just goes in at bed time in a smaller crate next to our bed. She looks very snug and happy, if she wasn't in a crate she would try and sleep on my head.

Thank you @Chocolateandamaretto how interesting re: puppy pads, and setting the alarm. How many times a night did you set the alarm for?

My breeder also recommended vet bed but I wondered if it was cosy enough!

I use vetbed and a fleece blanket to make a nest for my foster pups as you need something that can be washed and dried easily for the inevitable accidents (either at night or them deciding to wee in there during the day). We have two sets, and a big fleece blanket which goes round the crate.
I never use puppy pads, and wouldn't put them in the crate to mark it as somewhere to toilet. I don't put bowls in there as it would cause chaos, and night time in your crate is dead boring here. In the daytime if they are shut in, then they have toys and older pups have a chew

I’d just put the puppy in it 🤷‍♀️
No beds as they tend to chew them and/or piss and shit on them and no puppy pads, just take him outside regularly

Vet bed ok
I used that or blanket something easy to wash
Once older and trained a crate mat and now he just has bed no crate
Also never used puppy pads especially in crate as didn't want him to associate as toilet but many do use them successfully
( also used puppy dogs with a previous dog who then peed on anything square like doormats , but he was just dozy )
Took outside in night couple times for first few weeks but again all are different

Join Dog training advice and support on FB for info on first night etc.
Vet bed. No pad. I wouldn’t use them. They teach a pup to pee inside! I wouldn’t set an alarm overnight either. You need to have pup close to you so you know when it wakes and needs to go out. Good luck.

I also slept on sofa near pup and let him out when he let me know

I would put vet bed in and a bowl of water. You can get bowls that they can not tip up or crate bowls.

(vet bed is so comfy and warm we use them on camping trips when it is cold and frosty )

Personally I would not put in a puppy pad.

Do you know how you are going to approach your first night?

Agree with vet bed - brilliant stuff, can wash on a hot wash and dries quickly. It's very soft and warm - you won't need anything else.

Water bowl clipped onto inside of crate so pup doesn't knock it over. Blanket over crate for bedtime. I slept next to pup for first few nights - last wee about midnight, then he got me up about 5am. I didn't set an alarm. I moved upstairs after a few nights and used a baby monitor so I could hear him - he started sleeping later and later and soon went to bed earlier and slept through.

Thanks all for this - I've ordered some vet bed and a cosy basket but may not use the basket based on some of your replies.

I don't have a plan for the first night @PollyRoulson - am hoping to avoid sleeping in the kitchen, where the crate will be. Should I take the crate to our room? Or set the alarm and let him out? If so, what time do you set the alarm?

Equally my children are very keen to sleep in the kitchen on the first night, so maybe I let them do it?

God I am actually very competent in all other aspects of my life but this puppy business makes me feel clueless.

Also thanks all, think I will dispense with puppy pads

Thanks for the Fbk reco @Wolfiefan - will do this, much appreciated

@Literallynoidea good luck. You need to be near pup. I chose to sleep downstairs. If pup wakes and needs the toilet but is upstairs then can you get it outside quickly enough. Definitely don’t have the kids sleep in the kitchen. Nighttime weed need to be quiet and boring so puppy goes back to sleep. Plus kids and puppy unsupervised is a really bad idea. Puppies chew. And bite!
I never set an alarm. Just slept close enough to be woken.

Just a bed and fav plush dog toy to snuggle with. Generally speaking, dogs won't eat where they go to the toilet so I would suggest throwing some treats/dry kibble in their crate to munch on. Pup will view that as a possible eating spot so will try their hardest not to piddle there. Pup will need to be toilet trained partly as well

Thank you @Wolfie and @Nyclair - really sensible and practical advice, I really appreciate it.

Good luck OP.

I slept in our spare room and put the crate next to me in the bed. So my face was almost next to hers. And agree with post above they sort of whine/whimper when they need a wee so I got straight up and we had a really boring visit out for a wee. Then straight back in and both back to sleep.

For the first week we went to bed at 11pm and she whined for a wee at 1:30ish then 4ish. The second week it was more like 2am then 6am. And the third week was 3am. Then after that she went all the way to 7am.

Now she loves her sleep and goes until 8:30am.

So it is like having a newborn and I was in a sleepy fog for the first few weeks.

I use vetbed gold in ours too. It’s much more hygienic than dog beds, easier to clean and is impregnated with antibacterial stuff which stays even after machine washing. It’s really absorbent and doesn’t get stinky like blankets and beds. My dog is a chewer for plushy things but doesn’t chew vetbed for some reason, so safe in that sense too. It’s really thick so plush for them to sleep on.

I have about 6 big pieces of it. I find Zooplus is the best place to buy it. It’s about half the price of pets at home (you can cut the big sheets up if they are too big, they don’t fray).

I got a Jack Russell terrier in the spring. In the crate all we had was the vet bed and a fleece blanket. We didn't use puppy pads at all. The first night we got up every 2 1/2 hours then we gradually extended it. He is seven months now and could easily go from 10 pm until about eight. We used towels over the bed to keep it dark and cosy. Good luck and remember to share a picture of your new puppy. Enjoy!

I slept in the kitchen (on a sofa) with mine for the first 10 days until he got used to it. I was bloody knackered but it was a necessary evil for his comfort and ease of taking him out for a wee every couple of hours. After the 10 days, we went to up to bed later than usual with a wee last minute, he was fine in the crate and I set a couple of alarms for wees overnight and I got up an hour earlier. As he grew, we slowly pushed the alarms back by 5 mins, if he’d coped, they went back another 5 mins the next night and so on.

On the subject of vetbed, we also use it in the boot of the cars. It’s comfy and cosy and great at wicking the muddy water off after winter walks and river swims.

I put vetbed in the crate, a plushie and a puppy nylabone. I also used a divider so that he could lie down comfortably but he didn’t have enough room to pee on a spot he didn’t have to sleep in. Someone up thread said puppies don’t like to pee where they eat and that’s also true of where they sleep. But they don’t mine peeing next to where they sleep!

I had the crate in my room and got up when puppy whined to go out. Make night pees very boring or you’ll find you get woken up for a 3am garden play session!

Our breeder gave us the vetbed. It was a cut from a bigger piece that the whole litter had been using so it smelled of mum and siblings. I’m sure it was comforting when he first came home.

Hopefully, not a puppy. Ridiculous idea brought about by people wanting to make money. I have never and will never use one.