Which indoor puppy run/playpen?

[TreetopsandTailwaggers]

We are starting to make plans for our long-awaited pup’s arrival and researching a few options for an indoor run/playpen set up. There seem to be hundreds out there that all look the same, but with very varied reviews.

Pup will be in with us at night, so it’s just for naps and to create a safe place during the day through the chewy stages, eg for when I go for a quick shower or open the front door.

Pup is a toy breed, (25-30cms to shoulder full-grown) but known for being quite agile, so we have to consider potential for jumping out if we go too low on height.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

I wouldn't bother. Mine had panels three feet high and Painlesspuppy was nearly jumping out by 11 weeks.

A crate might be better? They can't jump out and you can put a blanket over it to create a cosy "den".

We haven't truly crate trained our dog, I don't shut him in there when we go out for example, but it's good for popping him in with a chew (for example, when bringing in bags of shopping from the car or getting dinner out of the oven). We rarely close the door except in those circumstances, and he uses it as his bed.

I’m not keen on crating, having had a rescue who couldn’t go in one at all due to being shut in at an early age. I want him to have a safe space he can move around in and not feel so trapped, although only for very short periods like when I answer the door.

I have used crates myself in the past, but was hoping to try a pen instead this time. A larger crate that he has plenty of space in might work though.

I’m particularly worried about safety when the front door is open, as we live on quite a busy road. I usually use dog gates as a kind of double gate entry/exit system and everyone in the family is used to that, but a toy breed pup could potentially squeeze under or through the one I’ve seen.

As I said, we rarely shut the door & it is NEVER used for punishment. It's literally used for a couple of minutes to answer the door, bring shopping or parcels in safely etc. When we go out he has the whole dining room and kitchen area, he likes to move around and pick different places to sleep

If you get a big crate then, for a toy breed, they'll have almost as much room as a playpen but without the risk of jumping out or squeezing through gaps. We used a BabyDan playpen that opened out as a room divider for our pup but a toy breed would probably fit through the gaps.

We had the same BabyDan pen/divider for my dc and yes, he’d definitely get through those bars. We’ve previously had quite smart wooden dog gates, but the way they were mounted meant they were off the ground, so I think he’d get under them.

I’ve never had a small dog before and there are definitely different challenges to consider when you’re used to big dogs.

www.amazon.co.uk/Pawhut-Playpen-Foldable-Outdoor-Collapsible/dp/B082X3GZ8V/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?psc=1&crid=2HSYQD25OGWAK&keywords=dog+pen&sprefix=dog+pen%2Caps%2C90&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyQ05BQ0Y1N1BCVkVTJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODQyNDk5MkU3Sjc0RENRRVM5QiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMjAwOTA2MzFLTjZUTEk2MDA4VyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX3Bob25lX3NlYXJjaF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1648161066&sr=8-2-spons

I have the one above, the panels break down for easy storage-but I also when they are bigger have used just one or two panels to block off areas.
I know some people have struggled with the cross bar parts and their Puppys trying to climb them- but I’ve never had this.

I think I looked at that one and decided 60 cm wasn’t high enough. I liked the idea of it being foldable though. There seem to be quite a few that all look very similar and I wasn’t sure which, if any, brands were better made.

Have your pups tried to escape/jump over.

What breed is he? Asking because I used a babydan from with a small lhasa apso pup from him being 10 weeks and it was fine. I preferred that to puppy pens because it only had vertical bars so he couldn't try to climb out. Could you maybe attach mesh to it for the first few weeks until he's too big to get between the bars?

www.amazon.co.uk/XianghuangTechnology-Portable-Foldable-Playpen-Outdoor/dp/B07X44B5DL/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?psc=1&crid=11H3EVTOUZ9XX&keywords=soft%2Bdog%2Bplaypen&sprefix=soft%2Bdog%2Bpla%2Caps%2C94&th=1&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1648208271&sr=8-4 We have this one (you can choose 3 different sizes). Our pug loves it and regularly takes himself there to nap 😴 (or when he has stolen something he knows he shouldn't have taken)

You can open or close the roof, so it can be used as a crate as well