Okay so some of you may be aware that in October I acquired a little Poodle cross named Wembley from my work (Animal Hospital).

I recently moved into a new apartment. I had been waiting for this apartment for some time, so I was staying with my parents. Wembley has been with my parents the whole time with me. They didn't trust him so he was crated when no one was home (which, with their work schedules wasn't more than an hour here and there).

Anyway, since moving I thought I had dog proofed the house. I can work long hours (I go in at 8am, and I'm SUPPOSED to be done at 5pm but it's usually closer to 6 or 7, and on some odd nights as late as 9), and I didn't think it would be fair to have him crated for that long.

Since moving, he does stupid stuff. Some days he's fine. Some days he grabs toilet paper and chews it. Sometimes he eats the cat litter. Nothing too big.

But today I came home and he had chewed a pen. Ink all over my brand new comforter, and a bunch of missing pieces I assume he has swallowed.

Anyway, I've had enough. I need to crate him. I would rather him be stuck in a crate than risk eating something worse and getting sick or needing a foreign body surgery.

Am I right in this?

Another question - he does not have housetraining issues. He is great, he has never had an accident. He can last up to 12 hours if he needs to. I feel bad about the small crate he has now (it's big enough for 'crate' standards), but I want to get a bigger one so he can roll around and have a drink in there. Do you think this is a bad idea?

If he can circle around to lay down, it's big enough. Do you have a tiled or linoleum kitchen or bathroom floor? Blocking that off might give him some "activity" room.

You know I'm a big fan of runs or doggie doors, if you have a fenced yard.

The house is all open concept, and the only spot I could put him in is the bathroom, which has all the stuff he gets into (and the cats need to get in for the litterbox).

I live in an apartment so it's not possible, and he can climb fences like there is no tomorrow.

The house is all open concept, and the only spot I could put him in is the bathroom, which has all the stuff he gets into (and the cats need to get in for the litterbox).

I live in an apartment so it's not possible, and he can climb fences like there is no tomorrow.

They make freestanding pens. Just saying...

No yard.

No yard.

This one's from PetSmart
30507

Oh you mean for inside? I'm thinking of getting a larger crate. It needs to be completely enclosed.

I was going to say barricading him off, is he a jumper?

I don't know if you know, but my dog Lady had sever separation anxiety. I mean she destroyed my house, ripping down curtains, tipping over furniture, eating flowers that were on my kitchen table, the list goes on. I did some behav mod, and that helped. I tried barricading her, but she is part gazelle and can jump a 5ft fence in a single bound.

I crated for a long time, but because of my work, needed to work longer hours, I thought it was too much for her to be crated, so I turned my spare room into a doggy room. It has her pillow, water, kings, nylabones, chew toys, and of course the window.

The first day she scratched up my door. I was fuming. But what I did to fix that was put the baby gate up, and than close the door. (The door was on the out side of the baby gate). She has never scratched my door again, and seems much happier.

I'd love to do something like that with him, but I don't have a spare room. :(

Awww bummer :(

You can get those big vrates that are like a run kind of. Let me see if I can find a pic for you.

Yeah I'm thinking of getting a bigger crate than what he has, so he isn't stuck in one spot

You could get a big dog crate. For possibly a 50-60 lb dog. It wouldn't be HUGE, yet it would give him enough space to move around in instead of being locked in a tiny crate

What about some of these?

They might be too big for an apartment though.

I have one large crate and a trolley for my kids.

I love Trolleys if you are going to be moving the crate around but they can be pricey ($300-$400)
They are also collapsible and the top doubles as a grooming table.
http://www.horsesathome.com.au/shop/images/1%20Door%20new%20wheels.JPG

I just found this while searching for a pic of a wire crate... How cool is this?? Stylish and effective.
http://www.petprivy.com/images/wooden-dog-crate.jpg