# How big should my toy poodle's crate be?...



## ToyPoodle46 (Oct 10, 2010)

Hello, I am getting a toy poodle very soon and I'm just wondering how big the crate should be. I'm going to be buying my crate on amazon, but im unsure of the size. I don't want it to be too small, because I want her to have room to walk in it and play with her toys in it. Plus im planning on putting her bed inside the crate itself. Here's the crate im going to buy her: 



 I will also check if they have crates at PetSmart. I do need to know the size though, like 18",21",24"... Please help. Thank you!


----------



## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

The recommended size for a crate is large enough for the puppy/dog to walk into it, turn around and lie down comfortably. Any more space than that and you will have a puppy/dog who will go to one corner to poop or pee and then go lie in the other (dry, clean) corner. Larger-than-necessary crates are HELL for house training!!

I would suggest you get an appropriate sized crate (toy = small) and if you want her to have room to play, get an exercise pen to put up around the crate area so she can be confined inside the pen, yet still have room to play (be prepared for her to poop/pee in the ex-pen area - but at least she'll not learn to eliminate inside her crate)

Then when you need to crate her for bed time or when you're using it for house training, put her in the crate with the crate door closed. When you're around to supervise, you can open the crate door and let her play in the safely penned area (Hope I'm not confusing you too much!!) LOL!!

Good luck!

Barb


----------



## ToyPoodle46 (Oct 10, 2010)

I get it. Thats a great idea you gave me (puting a pen around the crate) but I am planning on putting the puppy pads inside of her crate, so that where I want her to poo and pee lol )


----------



## ToyPoodle46 (Oct 10, 2010)

Never mind, I don't want her to pee or poo in her crate, then were should I put the puppy pads then?.... Please help, Thanks.

EDiT: Hey, I am planning on buying her this play pen: 



 Thanks for the idea!


----------



## ziggylu (Jun 26, 2010)

you're thinking backwards. You don't want the dog to pee or poop in the crate. You want him/her to learn not to pee or poop in there. Your dog will never housetrain if you encourage eliminating in the crate. 


Why would you want the dog to pee and poop in the crate?


----------



## ToyPoodle46 (Oct 10, 2010)

plumcrazy said:


> The recommended size for a crate is large enough for the puppy/dog to walk into it, turn around and lie down comfortably. Any more space than that and you will have a puppy/dog who will go to one corner to poop or pee and then go lie in the other (dry, clean) corner. Larger-than-necessary crates are HELL for house training!!
> 
> I would suggest you get an appropriate sized crate (toy = small) and if you want her to have room to play, get an exercise pen to put up around the crate area so she can be confined inside the pen, yet still have room to play (be prepared for her to poop/pee in the ex-pen area - but at least she'll not learn to eliminate inside her crate)
> 
> ...


What do you mean by ex-pen area?...


----------



## ToyPoodle46 (Oct 10, 2010)

ziggylu said:


> you're thinking backwards. You don't want the dog to pee or poop in the crate. You want him/her to learn not to pee or poop in there. Your dog will never housetrain if you encourage eliminating in the crate.
> 
> 
> Why would you want the dog to pee and poop in the crate?


I know lol, looking back at what I wrote, i sounded confused(i deleted it by the way, just didn't make sense). But now I know better. Where will she poo and pee if not in her play pen?... Should I put puppy pads in her play pen?... Im sorry, its just my first puppy and I want advice from you experienced poodle lovers  Remember when YOU first got your puppy?...


----------



## ziggylu (Jun 26, 2010)

I do remember when I got my puppy! This past June! LOL (trying to be funny, not mean)

Anyway, I've never trained a dog using puppy pads so really I can't help you there. I've housetrained mine using a combination of the crate and keeping them tethered to me and teaching them to eliminate outside the house. Routine, consistency and awareness by the human are key. I imagine that would be the same using puppy pads but really I can't offer good advice on what to do there since I've never used one. I imagine you'd want to at least put them somewhere were you have a hard surface? Kitchen or bathroom perhaps? Near the door so the dog learns to ask to go out?

I'm sorry I can' be more help!


----------



## ToyPoodle46 (Oct 10, 2010)

That's okay. Thanks for helping anyways I appreciate it 
But how do I know when she needs to go, and what if she poos or pees in her play pen or crate?...


----------



## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

ToyPoodle46 said:


> What do you mean by ex-pen area?...


ex-pen = exercise pen or playpen area.

I also do not use pads to potty train. I schedule feedings/water and potty times outside. From the time we got Lucy at 8 weeks old, she has never pooped in the house. There were a scarce few pee accidents in the first week or two that we had her (my fault for not watching her cues or keeping my eye on her closely enough) but after consistent training, she learned that all that stuff goes OUTSIDE, not inside!! I think standards may be a little easier to train just because they can hold it for a little longer than can a smaller dog (bigger bladder!) So your toy will need to have very frequent potty trips outside.

There are lots of resources for potty-training puppies. My advice (take it or not) is to use your crate as a house training tool (do NOT allow the puppy to eliminate in the crate - you want it to be a safe, clean place for your pup) and to consistently teach the puppy to go outside and not inside on pads (otherwise he/she might get confused why it's OK to go potty inside on that pad, but not on the carpet - it's best to train the right way from the beginning so you don't have to un-train or re-train bad habits.)

Good luck.

Barb


----------



## ToyPoodle46 (Oct 10, 2010)

plumcrazy said:


> ex-pen = exercise pen or playpen area.
> 
> I also do not use pads to potty train. I schedule feedings/water and potty times outside. From the time we got Lucy at 8 weeks old, she has never pooped in the house. There were a scarce few pee accidents in the first week or two that we had her (my fault for not watching her cues or keeping my eye on her closely enough) but after consistent training, she learned that all that stuff goes OUTSIDE, not inside!! I think standards may be a little easier to train just because they can hold it for a little longer than can a smaller dog (bigger bladder!) So your toy will need to have very frequent potty trips outside.
> 
> ...


Oh okay  I will take your advice, I want to teach my toy that all of that goes outside too... How do you know she will need to go though? Will she have a certain face expression, or will she be moving back and forth a lot. Thats when I take her outside, but how would I know she needs to go?... I will keep the crate safe and clean, and i will not get it so big either... Will 18"inch crate do?... I need her bed to fit inside of it. It's not do big, i think it was 24 inches, i forgot. How big is your crate? My house is tow story and my bedroom is on the second floor, what if im taking her outside to pee, and she pees on the way down the stairs... Don't want that to happen, should i use a puppy pad under her while taking her outside?...


----------



## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

ToyPoodle46 said:


> Oh okay  How do you know she will need to go though? Will she have a certain face expression, or will she be moving back and forth a lot.


Since I scheduled most puppy potty breaks for Lucy (and all the other dogs I've house trained), I didn't know whether she "needed" to go at just that moment or not - I was basically teaching her that "whenever" we go outside (whenever that might be) it is time to go potty. Having my adult dogs in the house really helped, too - she'd watch them and say, "OOOOOOHHHHHH! THAT'S what you want me to do!!!"  I also use the same phrase to encourage the dog(s) to go (something like, "hurry up, go potty" and, with puppies, praise BIG TIME when they go outside!! My adult dogs just get a "good girl" now when they go outside because they KNOW what to do - they're not learning anymore.)

With brand new puppies I would take them outside within just minutes after any meal/drink, after a play session, right after a nap, first thing in the morning, and randomly every hour or two. Besides these regularly scheduled potty breaks, I'd also keep an eagle eye on any puppy clues, intent sniffing while circling is one of the most common - It's just something you learn to watch for. But be careful, the elimination can come _very_ quickly after a clue!! Because both my husband and I work full time, we make sure to come home during our lunch hour so we can do potty breaks during the day - we also have an adult daughter who is home when we're at work, so she helped too during the training part of it.



ToyPoodle46 said:


> Will 18"inch crate do?... I need her bed to fit inside of it. It's not do big, i think it was 24 inches, i forgot. How big is your crate?


I have no clue how big a crate you'd need for a toy (hopefully a toy owner can chime in on that one!) and if it were me, I wouldn't put a bed in a crate - a blanket or pad, maybe; but not a big, fluffy bed - that's something that could go in the ex pen area or by your bed once she's potty trained, but IMO it would take up too much of the crate space. I just kept a couple of small, fleecy blankets in Lucy's crate when I was training her so she'd have something to dig around in and make a "nest" and the best thing is they were a breeze to launder!!! A big squishy dog bed isn't the easiest thing to run through the washing machine when necessary... just my opinion though - I'm sure other people have their own ideas.



ToyPoodle46 said:


> My house is tow story and my bedroom is on the second floor, what if im taking her outside to pee, and she pees on the way down the stairs... Don't want that to happen, should i use a puppy pad under her while taking her outside?...


My bedroom is also on the top floor of my multi-level home. We have to go down stairs to the main floor, then down some more stairs to the entry level, and then down yet MORE stairs to our walk-out basement which opens to our fenced backyard.

Lucy slept in a crate beside my bed for the first couple months we had her. If she needed to go out in the middle of the night (very rare) I'd hear her getting restless or whining and I could take her out. When I woke up for the morning, the first thing I'd do is open her crate door, take her out and carry her to the bottom of the last set of steps. Then I allowed and encouraged her to actually walk up to the "out door" so she'd get the idea that she didn't need to be carried to go outside. I only carried her down the stairs until she was big enough and coordinated enough to negotiate the three sets of stairs while the other three dogs were also running down them to go outside. Once she was capable, I allowed her to get to the "out door" under her own steam. It's important not to carry your puppy around too much - make sure he/she knows how to be self-sufficient and get to where they want to go without assistance.

As far as her having an accident on the way down the stairs, I wouldn't think that would happen too often (if at all) especially if you don't make a big deal about it when you open the crate to get her out (no eye contact, no talking, especially not in a baby voice, which for some reason always seems to activate the "pee button" in puppies!!) Just open the door, gently and calmly pick her up and purposefully go down the stairs to your "out door". If possible, allow your pup to walk at least part of the way to the door so they get the message that THEY are in charge of this part of their needs.

I've had dogs for so long and have trained so many (my own and foster puppies) that I don't even think about how/what I do anymore - it's a training process that if you work WITH nature instead of against it, you'll be successful! For example, the crate mimics nature's dog den. In the wild, dogs, wolves, coyotes, etc., do NOT eliminate within the space that they live and sleep.

Also, it is natural for a dog/puppy to need to poop/pee right after eating/drinking - so put it into your training plan that you take the puppy outside right after meals or drinks. It is also normal for a puppy to be happily playing one second and then having to go to the bathroom in the next blink of an eye (just like little kids who are having so much fun playing that they put off that sensation that they have to GO and end up wetting their pants!!) It will be up to YOU, as the human, to watch and/or schedule the potty breaks right after (or even during) a play session - your puppy won't be thinking about it - they'll just be having fun, playing; until - BOOM!! They gotta GO!! :lol:

Luckily, potty training is usually only a temporary span of time. As long as you are diligent and CONSISTENT in your training, it won't be long until your puppy is well trained and knows what to do and where to do it. Conversely, if you don't put the effort into it when they're young and impressionable, you may end up with an untrained adult dog (I've seen it happen and it's so sad!!) I've said it before... I'll say it again... Good luck!! 

Barb


----------



## ToyPoodle46 (Oct 10, 2010)

Thanks for the advice Barb, I will definitely put it into action  :adore:
I want my puppy to sleep in her crate, and not her play pen, that's why I want to put her bed inside of the crate, and some blankets too. I want her to sleep in a crate because it makes me feel that she is safe while I sleep, that way, I wont have to worry about her wandering around my bedroom, and doing who knows what, or getting into any trouble. But hopefully her bed doesn't take up that much space, that's why I wanted to buy her crate kinda big, so her bed and could of toys and blankets can fit... I was also planning to put her water and food bowl in her crate. Is it good idea?...


----------



## Lilah+Jasper (May 13, 2010)

Lilah can have absolutely nothing while in her crate. She destroys toys, blankets, beds and anything that she can pull into the crate. I learned all of this the hard way

The dog sitter didn't believe me and put a feather pillow in her crate. There were still down feathers floating through the air when I came to pick up Lilah the next day. The feathers were everywhere. Oh my...

So, until Lilah and I work through her separation anxiety, her crate will be empty when I am away.

Now, when I am home, she loves her crate and even goes in there on her own. I just have to take everything out and out of reach before I leave or it will be destroyed.

I always supervise play with toys and bones etc so those never get left in the crate. Small dogs can be aggressive chewers too. I think you'll find that she'll sleep a lot in the crate anyway


----------



## ToyPoodle46 (Oct 10, 2010)

Oh wow, she'll probably grow out of it soon


----------



## Lilah+Jasper (May 13, 2010)

ToyPoodle46 said:


> Oh wow, she'll probably grow out of it soon


Oh how I wish...:argh:


----------



## ToyPoodle46 (Oct 10, 2010)

Lol ) maybe you should try buying her a very hard undestroyable toy, to put in her crate, that will probably work out. Just go to petsmart and ask them, they will help.


----------



## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

ToyPoodle46 said:


> I want my puppy to sleep in her crate, and not her play pen, that's why I want to put her bed inside of the crate, and some blankets too. I want her to sleep in a crate because it makes me feel that she is safe while I sleep, that way, I wont have to worry about her wandering around my bedroom, and doing who knows what, or getting into any trouble.


Training a pup to sleep comfortably in a crate is a good idea - but please remember that she doesn't need a _bed_ in order to _sleep _- As I said before, I just had a couple of lightweight, soft fleecy blankets (baby size) that I had in Lucy's crate - she was able to "redecorate" her crate into whatever format she liked best and they were so easy to wash! We had/have the same problem as Lilah with our daughter's standard poodle, Meau - she can't have bedding in a closed crate. We have open crates in our house that all of the dogs use when they want to and she's fine when the door is open if there are blankets in the crate, but if you shut the door; I think she gets bored and tends to chew (and swallow!!! Very colorful poop in the backyard before she trained us not to put blankets in her crate!!)




ToyPoodle46 said:


> But hopefully her bed doesn't take up that much space, that's why I wanted to buy her crate kinda big, so her bed and could of toys and blankets can fit... I was also planning to put her water and food bowl in her crate. Is it good idea?...


Here's what could happen if you put food/water AND a big, fluffy bed inside the too-big crate of an untrained puppy... The puppy eats, drinks and then nature calls and they have to go to the bathroom... they're closed in their crate, so where do you think they may poop/pee?? That's right!! On their big, fluffy bed!! :lol: :doh:  I would not keep food or water in a puppy crate, but that's just me... I also wouldn't put a bed in a puppy crate (just small, easy to wash blankets - and that's ONLY if they don't chew!! Lucy wasn't a chewer - Meau was!!)

You can do whatever you want to do - but just remember; those of us who have done this before (multiple times) successfully have good reasons for doing the things the way we do - this isn't the _only _way, but it is a _good _way!! 

Barb


----------



## ToyPoodle46 (Oct 10, 2010)

plumcrazy said:


> Training a pup to sleep comfortably in a crate is a good idea - but please remember that she doesn't need a _bed_ in order to _sleep _- As I said before, I just had a couple of lightweight, soft fleecy blankets (baby size) that I had in Lucy's crate - she was able to "redecorate" her crate into whatever format she liked best and they were so easy to wash! We had/have the same problem as Lilah with our daughter's standard poodle, Meau - she can't have bedding in a closed crate. We have open crates in our house that all of the dogs use when they want to and she's fine when the door is open if there are blankets in the crate, but if you shut the door; I think she gets bored and tends to chew (and swallow!!! Very colorful poop in the backyard before she trained us not to put blankets in her crate!!)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Okay i'll take your advice, but she will always sleep in her crate, thats why I wanted to put her bed in there. Her crate isnt going to be big either, it'll be just right.Don't know how many inches that is, but ill find a way to work it out, So i guess i wont be buying a dog bed then, just many blankies (hopefully she doesn't chew them)  So i'll just put the food and water next to her crate on my rug...


----------



## plumcrazy (Sep 11, 2009)

Once a dog is totally house/crate trained and isn't a chewer, I wouldn't hesitate to put a bed in the crate; I just wouldn't ever do it for a puppy. My dogs have beds that are in strategic locations thougout my house - there's always something soft for any of them to lie on when they want, the beds are just not kept in the crates...


----------



## ToyPoodle46 (Oct 10, 2010)

plumcrazy said:


> Once a dog is totally house/crate trained and isn't a chewer, I wouldn't hesitate to put a bed in the crate; I just wouldn't ever do it for a puppy. My dogs have beds that are in strategic locations thougout my house - there's always something soft for any of them to lie on when they want, the beds are just not kept in the crates...


Okay.


----------



## autumnleung (Jan 16, 2014)

Did you ever find out how big the crate should be? I am running into the same problem. Thank you


----------



## peepers (Apr 13, 2012)

*Crate vs.*

I have always used a carrier not a wire crate. Petmate med. 23" x 15.2" x11.8" for our 4.5lb toy.


----------



## spindledreams (Aug 7, 2012)

I think the small version of the one she posted earlier would be fine for a toy.

One suggestion I would make is spend the extra to get a two door crate. It makes finding a place for it much easier. Our two door that stays up all the time is set sideways in front of the TV much like a table and the dogs come and go out the side door that is left open. If we had to set it longways to get to a door we would not be able to leave it up...


----------



## ToyPoodle1022 (Dec 30, 2013)

We just got a toy poodle 3 weeks ago! How old will yours be when you get her? Our little Rosie was 9 weeks old. We got her the 24 inch crate and it is perfect! We have a set up where we put a gate around her crated area so she has a lot of space when we aren't home.
She loves it! She has one area for bathroom, one area for food and the other for sleep!
View attachment 120889



Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## ToyPoodle1022 (Dec 30, 2013)

I'm not sure if my picture attachment worked, if it didn't let me know and I'll try again! 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I have a crate for each of my toy Poodles. One's a Vari Kennel, one's a Petmate brand. They're about 22" deep, 17" wide and 15" high...enough space for them to stretch out flat on their sides if they want to, they can stand up, turn around...not much else. 

For me, a crate is for sleeping or if I can't watch them IF I didn't have also, an ex pen. I don't like leaving them for long stretches in their crate (not over about 3 hours) except at night when we're all sleeping.

I use an ex pen during the day if I can't watch them. It's 30" high, has a door. It has 8 panels that are 24" each. 

I like training puppies to go pee/poo outside, not pee pads. But that's personal preference. I just never did the pee pad thing...always had big dogs before except my Chihuahuas. I don't worry about the cold weather. They're fine. I just don't want them to think it's ok to go inside. And pee pads are inside. 

Good luck.


----------

