I have had the ex-pen for Dolly. I don't know what her first eight weeks of life were like but she was seriously disturbed in that crate. I had given it a good enough time to try, and each time she was so upset and she had peed and pooped all over.I would clean it and put new towels and before I could put her in and close the door, she had pooped all over it again. I was not going to let her be terrorized like that. So that is when I got the ex-pen and she is always (still) in there when I go out. Desi has one too.and they both love it and go running to it when I say that I have to go out.
For my health, I do need them to be able to go potty on puppy pads in the house some days, and they do like to go outside to go potty if they know that I am OK. All of our pups are different, but making statements that you must use a crate would be sheer horror for some dogs. You are lucky that yours didn't have that problem, but Dolly did and I would have been inhumane to make her stay in there when she was so frightened. Additionally, by me taking her out of the crate was way better for her. First, she was not traumatized by the crate and she ended up with a lot more room to have her bed, food, puppy pad, toys, etc. I started Desi in an ex-pen and he had a little soft sided crate. He would go in there to sleep sometimes, but he was accustomed to sleeping on top of his siblings at the breeders house. I would help him go into the crate, and sometimes he would go to sleep, but most of the times it became an object to play with. He had a bed in his area as well as the crate, and the bed was his choice of where he wanted to be. He wasn't too old.maybe less than four months old when I came home and he had jumped on top of the crate and he was standing on top of it on his hind legs, had his front legs just about to rest on the top of the ex-pen and was going to try to jump over. That was the last time that Desi saw that crate. I pulled it out a couple weeks ago when Dolly had her hernia surgery and she did fall asleep in there. I had it on the couch and the recliner with me and Desi was right up to the couch. I had to put her in through the top.and then I closed the top, but she managed to get her head with the ecollar through the doorway and was crying because her head was too low to make it over the arm of the couch. I tried that for three nights and now it is the stroller that she is in for safety. I know that crates work for some. But I don't understand why you would say that you have to have a crate and not an ex-pen. From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Raven Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2012 1:55 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Chihuahuas] Re: Potty Poopy Training...arggghhhhhh! >> He's about 7-8 months old. We did have a small crate and he used it. Then got the ex-pen and the whole thing seemed kind of redundant so we took back the crate IMHO...a puppy needs to be crated trained and in a crate, until that puppy/dog is 100% potty trained. My chihuahuas go potty outside, they are not pad trained. If would recommend that use get a crate and use that crate...under he is left alone, for sleeping, when you go to work etc. And use the divider that comes with it. Raven Lucy & Stella & Hazel, the Girl Doggies Huginn & Dixie Chick, the Back Behind the Barn Ponies I ride a pony, cuz heart is not measured in hands. My Blog http://iceponytrekking.blogspot.com Respect ALL Earthlings. We are all animals of this planet. We are all creatures.
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