Advice for crate and bed

[BaconAndAvocado]

We're getting our Newboy chocolate lab at the end of August so I'm starting to get organised at home.

Would like to get a crate and a bed to go inside but no idea what size for a lab puppy and how long it would last.

Is it best to get a bigger one for growth or would that feel very cosy?

^Dogs are polyphasic sleepers. This means they sleep in short periods, like to get up and move around as well as changing positions.
Changing surfaces that they sleep on also helps them regulate their temperature^
themuttyprofessor.co.uk/2017/07/20/crate-debate-crate-not-crate/

We have a 5 month old lab and we started with a crate but it didn’t work out. We ended up with a pen, with a bed inside but enough room for her to lie on the floor too. She now sleeps with out the pen in the kitchen but with a stair gate.

You don't have to use a crate you know.

Our lab puppy is 16 weeks old and he has an XL crate with a crate mat from Pets at Home. He has plenty of room in it and will for ages, hopefully until he no longer needs it. He much prefers his crate mat to his bed 🤷‍♀️ as he can fold it up and lie on it as he sees fit. He thinks he’s sneaking into his crate and pulls the corner of his crate mat out of his crate until it all comes off and then he runs into the living room with it 😂 no idea why he thinks he has to steal off with it 😂. When he’s sleeping in his crate he often folds it right in half and sleeps on the floor bit, I think it’s when he gets too hot.

We don’t crate our dogs and haven’t crated puppies. I know many people do and have great success. They often have tow crates a smaller one and then move up a size.
We trained them to go in their beds. They had the plastic beds with a blanket in, when they were pups, later they got nicer softer beds. You need something easy to wash that you don’t mind if they shred it at first. It took awhile to train them to their beds but once trained it’s great. If we need the dogs out of the way tell the, to go to bed and off they go and sit on their beds and they stay there.

@mayblossominapril This is what we're trying to do with our Labrador pup, but without much success at the moment! Can you share any tips / how you trained them to go to their beds on command and stay?

@Heyyeahyouwiththesadface link and site look very interesting, will have a read when I get some quiet time later

Just time they do get it. Every time they get up and you dont want them to put them back. Say bed or basket so they know what it is, the penny does drop.

@Violet9 Victoria Stillwell covered getting a dog to stay on a bed/ mat in one of her shows and her website is called Positively , so it’s probably covered on there .

Most puppies will eat their beds, so don't spend a lot of money until they're out of the chewy/destructive phase Vetbed is a good option, or many people just use old duvets or blankets so if they get ruined, it doesn't matter.

We never crate trained our dog, but you can get crates with dividers, and then you can adjust the size as the dog grows :) that might be a good choice for a puppy that's going to grow quickly!

We always recommend people buy the biggest crate they can fit in the house . So that as an adult the dogs has room to move around . All my dogs sleep in their curates well apart from boy dog who is 50kg and sleeping on the end of my bed vet bed is probably the best bedding as it is waterproof if they have an accident in the night . Start using the crate from day 1 . Good luck enjoy your pup and don’t isnic if things don’t go quite to pan