A Night in a Puppy Pen

I've been known to want to understand my dogs to such a degree, that I will lay on the floor and watch the world from their perspective for hours.  It's an interesting thing to experience how the world may look to a dog who is tiny, or young...Things you may not think are frightening, may indeed be HUGE monsters at first.  I also stress that we are not dogs, but for the purpose of this posting, I wound up in a situation that put me front and center inside a Tool that every Human owning a young dog should have:  A Puppy Pen.

 On a visit to a friend, we erected the puppy pen around my sleeping area.  There are rambunctious kids and a rather large, wonderful dog roaming the house.  In order to allow me to sleep in and not be "dog-piled" at dawn, we set up the pen.  What I found was a sense of peace.

 My area was at first a curiosity, (what is it about kids and air mattresses?!) but quickly, both canine and human pups grew bored of sniffing the edges, and found more interesting ventures.  My things were not disturbed, or slobbered on, and I found that even the adults left me be when I crossed the fence-line into my space.

I slept wonderfully in this little confinement.  And it made me think of how a young dog might feel after a tiring day of playing and chasing and otherwise being a pest.  To be suddenly put into his pen, with his comfortable bed, some toys, maybe a chew and something to drink.  It would seem a welcome relief (provided you are taking the time to teach your dog to be alright without your presence always hanging over it).  A peaceful place to crash, without the kids bothering him.

From the perspective of Dog Guardian, it is also a wonderful thing to be able to give a young dog (or a newly adopted one) some space to stretch her legs and chew in peace, without worry about what they are doing.  It keeps a dog out of her kennel, but safe from the numerous things that a dog can find to get in trouble with. 

So long as you are "puppy proofing" the area, a puppy pen or a baby-gate across a doorway, can set you up for peace.

A basic puppy proofing includes cleaning the floor.  Anything that CAN fit in a pups mouth, WILL wind up in a pups mouth.  Dust bunnies do not provide the proper levels of fiber to qualify as part of a balanced canine diet.

Preferably, your puppy pen should not be set on carpeted surfaces.  This is too easy for the pup to ruin, and harder to clean.  If you must set it on carpeted areas, line the bottom with a painters drop cloth (the plastic backed/canvas front kind) and make sure you have secured it so it cannot become a toy.

Apply bitter apple or other chewing deterrent to any and all exposed furniture legs, decorative wood, window sills, etc.

Provide appropriate things for the pup to chew on.  I am not talking about a frozen raw bone, we mean something more like a nylabone with a little peanut butter smeared on it, or a stuffed, frozen Kong toy.  Things that are "crate-safe" are ok to be in the pen unsupervised.  Toys with rope, or that can be torn to bits, are not safe.  Your dog could ingest them, and cost you a pretty penny to have removed.

A nice place to rest.  Some pups and dogs cannot handle being left alone with a cushy dog bed.  Make sure your dog is not a "destroyer" before you place items like that in there.  A non-stuffed blanket folded to make it thicker, or a kuranda bed might be a good plan for a while.

A water bowl that cannot be tipped over, fallen into, or otherwise cause problems for your dog.  Nobody likes to sleep wet.

Check on your pup often.  Even in the "safest" of set-ups, dogs are masters at getting themselves into a jam.  Make sure you aren't just sticking the dog in the pen and forgetting about them.  A puppy pen can provide the haven both you and your dog are seeking, but as with any Tool in the dog owners garage, use it wisely.