It doesn’t always have to be a crate!
Keep in mind that your puppy has been sleeping and playing with his littermates before he came to you. Â The pups live as small “puppy pack”s together and play with toys, chew on bully sticks, or cuddle up to each other and take naps throughout the day. They always develop preferences (friendships) with each other and it takes a day or 2 to adjust, once that “best friend” left for his new home.
When you finally get your puppy, everyone is excited of course. But try to remember what your little one has been through and how you could make things nice for him or her. It will be the first night without friends and littermates. The warm puppy room is gone and no other puppy to cuddle up with. Everything smells and looks different. It’s probably also a little colder than at RMBT.
It would be really nice if you could find an ara in your home, that could be just for your new puppy for the next few weeks. But don’t choose a place that is located away from all of it. Find a spot in the living room, kitchen, or hallway. Someplace where life happens and your puppy can be part of it. Roll up any rugs and put them away for now. A tiled floor or hardwood floor would be best. Get a little puppy playpen or a puppy fence.
Here are some ideas: (click on the picture and it will take you to Amazon)
The first one is a wire fence. These puppy fences are awesome as they can be folded and stored in small gaps behind doors, furniture, in the car. They also come in different heights. You should get at least a couple of them. You can take one outside in the yard, or put it on the porch or balcony. You can also pack one when you go camping or on a road trip and want your puppy to stay safe when going potty. You can connect them to each other to build litter puppy areas or you can fold it up and only use a short section to close the stairs or to keep your puppy inside a room without closing the door.
If you don’t like the wire look, there are also plenty of other puppy fence options. The puppy white puppy fence above is bulkier and not as easy to store but it is very sturdy. It’s made of plastic and you can purchase extension panels to make it bigger. I would get at least 4 extension panels for it if you are planning to use it for your puppy. You want to be able to fit a bed, potty pad, toys, food, and water in this setup and still make space for your baby to play and jump around.
The third fence is ideal if your yard is not puppy proof, you can set up a little outdoor play yard area with this puppy fence. It works really good on grass because it has little stakes that get pushed into the ground to hold everything in place. It is sturdy and meant for outside. We use them when we go to dog shows to set up a play area. If you have large birds in your area, do not leave your puppy outside unsupervised!
What goes in the playpen?
You are welcome to send a blanket for your puppy (for the scent). We will send it back to you so your puppy has something from home for the first few nights. Our mailing address is 30705 Rd V6, Dolores, CO 81323. Please get small blankets and remove any loose yarn or hemming. Puppies can get stuck in the hemstitches and they can get trapped inside a folded blanket!
Writing more here soon.
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