I have three young dogs, a 9 week old Rottweiler, a 5 month old Italian Greyhound and 1 year old pug. I have not used crates in the past, can I start using them now and if I do crate them would I have them separate or together. The IG and Pug are always together so would this cause separation problems if the are not together. The crating not be very often just the short times when nobody is home.

I think you have to crate them separately. If two share a crate and one bathrooms, it is not fair to the second dog who then has to live in the first dog's waste until you get home.

When I had two puppies I crated them separately but with the crates touching. That way they could see/touch and probably annoy each other. I also put their crates inside a puppy playpen so they had room to roam.

(Your post made me remember my Rott - dead some 5 years now. How I miss her and what great dogs they are!)