Decorative Dog Crates

If you are interested in buying a dog crate for your home, but you don't want to invest in one that looks ugly or that does not match with your decor, it is possible to buy dog crates that actually blend in with your furniture.

One very nice crate that I have seen that doubles as a dog bed for a smaller dog, is actually also used as an end table. They are really great looking, and sometimes--well most of the time in fact--it is almost impossible to tell that there is a little doggie sleeping under the table.

These are actually becoming a lot more popular these days than they were before. You can find them in many pet shops, and they are not that expensive to buy either. Of course, it does depend a bit on the type of material that the dog crate end table is made from, but generally speaking unless you are going for the designer type of crate, they should be well within reach budget wise.

And the great thing about this type of dog crate is that it matches so well with your furniture, it does not look at all out of place!

Kennel Flooring

I have recently discovered a new type of kennel flooring, called kennel decking. It resembles the type of decking that you would use for a patio, though the actual boards are a little further apart. The reason I like it is that it is so very portable! I live in rented houses, and as such am not really committed to living in any one place for any length of time. That does pose a bit of a problem when it comes to owning a dog, or dogs (at times) as I like to have an outdoor kennel or pen and run for the times I am not at home, but I never want to put up anything super permanent.

Fencing is not a problem, as it's not so permanent, but kennel flooring was always a bit of a problem for me. Laying a cement floor was generally out of the question, as most landlords aren't that enthused with a cement block in the middle of their yard. But now that I have discovered kennel decking, I think all of my problems have been solved.

It is made out of hard plastic, and comes in 8 feet square sections. Super simple to lay down, the decking reminds me a bit of plastic pallets. Anyway, if you are wondering what to use for your kennel or pen, and you don't want anything permanent, take a look at some of the kennel decking that's on sale online! I think it's great!

How Long to Crate Train a Puppy

It's hard to give an exact timing on how long it takes to crate train a puppy so that they only eliminate outside. From experience, I have not had much trouble crate training puppies, though I have made sure that I am home at first all the time with them so that I can take them outside often throughout the day.

Not only do you need to take them outside every couple of hours during the day, but you also need to watch for signs when they're out of their crate, playing around and take them out if they show signs of wanting to go. Typically, if you see a pup with his nose down on the ground sniffing around, or starting to turn around in circles, jump up with a loud "no" to startle him, and take him outside right away.

You should also always take your pup outside whenever he wakes up after a nap, and around twenty minutes after eating, regardless of whether it has been two hours since he last went.

After a few weeks our Golden Retriever was sleeping all through the night. We'd take her out once just before we went to bed (we're pretty late at going to bed most nights) and then first thing in the morning she'd usually wake us up whimpering, so we'd take her out then.

She actually only had a few accidents inside, and she never went inside her crate. The main thing with crate training is that you do your part and don't forget to take your dog out at the appointed time. If you do that, crate training is the easiest way to house train a pup.