Hmmm sorry I'm a bit late on this one :(
Darn my sleeping in!
Great suggestions anyway, Artsy hit the nail on the head saying she feels more secure in her crate.
Some dogs just don't like being left alone in a big space, even big dogs like Zoe can get anxious about it.
When we go out my little terrors are left in the kitchen/dining/lounge area with the rest of the house blocked off by a baby gate.
If I leave anything (And I mean anything) on the dining room table you can guarantee it will be ripped to shreds when we get home.
Darling Prada had figured out how to push a chair out and climb up :rolleyes:
Anyway, point is there is nothing wrong with crating.
Mum has a HUGE crate for her great dane but the problem is, she paid a minor fortune for it because she has to transport it to dog shows.
I like the idea of making your own.
My grandfather made me a crate for our Shih Tzu years ago, had wheels and everything and was collapsible, I will see if I can find the design for it, you would just have to adjust the measurements to suit.
Another alternative is an outside run...
Now I know people don't like their dogs being outside but sometimes they are better off.
You just need basically a child's cubby house (large one) and then build a wire run coming off it with shade cloth.
If you can concrete the ground it would be ideal as when they do poop you can just scoop it up and then hose the ground.
