Extra Large Dog Crate

puppies puppy first night home how to care crate sleep dog

Upon making my way through the front door of an old farmhouse, I saw her — a chubby little puppy happily playing with her sibling, a much larger male. At 5 and 1/2 weeks old, she was a large, curious puppy with a tail that never seemed to stop wagging — and a spark that I connected with.

For months, I had been on the edge of venturing into puppyhood, and knowing the way that my life would change, I allowed my gut to let me know when the time was right to jump in.

You can only prepare so much for life's events, right?

I went home to try and get some perspective.

I returned a day or so later to the house and tried to get beyond the spell that this four-legged wonder had me under. I continued my conversation with the owner of the too-young Saint Bernard who was the mother of the litter.

I had learned from the woman that she was eager to unload the last of the puppies — the runt — because the whole situation with "her" dog getting "tied up" with one of the other several dogs on the property (and resulting in a litter of 11) was causing tension in the household. Realizing that I had made the decision to take my yet-to-be-named puppy on the first visit, I finished my conversation, thanked the woman for her time and scooped up the bundle of fur, looked into her eyes and said, "I will never forget this moment."

And I haven't.

That being said, those first few weeks in some ways were a blur, mainly due to the lack of sleep for potty breaks throughout the evening (that resulted in a a dry, comfortable crate each night) and the many extra trips home throughout the day for feeding, potty breaks and playtime to wear Gretchen out to keep the momentum going, so to speak.

Admittedly, that first week or so was rough, but all of that hard work paid off; housebreaking was relatively smooth, Gretchen was well-adjusted, and I had peace of mind when I had to be away from the house.

Surely there are a few readers out there who are getting ready to venture into life with a puppy, and there is an excellent resource available that can not only help those first few days after a new puppy comes home — but those weeks and months after to set both puppies and their people up for long-term success.

Happy Hounds Cody Dog Crate Pad, Extra Large 42 by 28-Inch

Extra Large Dog Crate Happy Hounds Cody Dog Crate Pad, Extra Large 42 by 28-Inch

Extra Large Dog Crate – click on the image below for more information.

Happy Hounds’ Cody Crate Pad is a super comfortable rectangular crate pad made from soft sherpa. This crate pad has a bolster wall filled with 100-percent post-consumer recycled plastic poly-fiber fill. The bottom is padded with high-memory foam. Durable, double-sewn seams. Fits most standard crates. Machine washable.

I have crate trained my dog so that he sleeps in it at night. He would be perfectly fine until about a month ago. We put him to bed around midnight now because we hoped that he would sleep in longer. We don’t give him food or water past ten. His crate is an extra large wire cage that he has enough room to stretch out in. I even started covering the cage in a blanket and it helped for a little while, but not anymore. He wakes up around 3:30 or 4:00 in the morning and starts to whine and chirp like huskies do. He starts to pace around and gets really loud. We take him out to go bathroom and bring him back in and he might lay back down for a half hour if we’re lucky, until he get back up and does the same thing. We’ve tried to give him his breakfast and he might eat for a little bit and then starts to cry again. I need help, please!

Extra Large Dog Crate best answer:

Answer by Jaayden Preston-Hopkins

What I do with my dog is buying a large pillow (like a dog bed) for him to sleep in. He loves it a lot and feels less confined than he would if it were crate/cage like object. Some animals just cannot sleep in confined areas. It’s quite natural. I suggest buying him something more “bed-like”. A simple mattress might do the trick. If he still doesn’t sleep, maybe sleep beside him for a few nights until he is more at ease about sleeping in that area. But since your dog was previously used to this, it makes no sense why he wouldn’t now. Check his sleeping area for any suspicious factors that might make him cry. Is he perfectly healthy? Take him to a vet for a quick checkup in case something is off with him. Is he afraid of the dark, maybe? My dog is. My dog barks at night if it gets too dark, so we actually bought a tiny night light for him. It helps comfort the dog.

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