Doggie Online

Do you have a new puppy?  If you do, you know what a delight they can be.  You also know that they can spell T-R-O-U-B-L-E!   A new puppy can bring a lot of joy, but also a lot of problems into your life.  Get out your new puppy checklist and jot down some of these ways that you can avoid some of these problems by using your puppy playpen.

The Advantage of a Puppy Playpen when you have Small Children

Have you seen your puppy become overly-excited during play sessions with your young children?  It is very easy for these sessions to get out of hand quickly.  Using your puppy playpen can be a good way to solve this problem.

When you let your puppy out of his playpen, you are there to supervise.  That means you can teach him good games, the right way to play, and stop him from aggressive behavior such as play biting.  You can also make certain your small children don’t tease him or teach him bad habits.  So the training goes two ways.

A puppy playpen can also be used to teach your puppy not to chase after running children, which could lead to unacceptable behavior — and even dangerous aggressiveness — as the dog matures.  Now is the time to check such behavior so as to avoid problems in the future.

A puppy cannot always join in every game with your children.  Hard as it is, he must learn there are times when he has to sit by quietly and watch.  A great way of teaching him this is by using a puppy playpen.

Avoiding Problems Caused by an Overly Tired Puppy

Puppies need their rest  –  just like human babies.  This is particularly true when they become over-stimulated or over-excited.  Like any of us, when a young pup is over-tired he can become snappy and irritable.  Using the puppy playpen can curb this.  Put your puppy in his playpen when he needs to rest.  Once he learns the routine, he will go to his playpen and quickly settle down and go to sleep on his own.

After a while, your puppy will actuallychoose to go to his playpen because he wants to get away from the children!  He will learn to feel secure there.  It gives him a private and peaceful place in which to sleep and relax.  So, be sure to add to your new puppy checklist that the children should be taught not to disturb their puppy while he is resting in his playpen.

Using the Puppy Playpen to Overcome the Problem of Barking

If your puppy starts barking while he is in his playpen, it may mean he needs to go outside or that you have left him in there too long.  Don’t take him out and scold him when he barks — that will send the wrong message to him and soon, every time he wants out of his playpen, he’ll begin barking.  This is not a habit you want  to reinforce.

Instead, ignore him until he quiets down.  Then you can take him  outside topiddle, or, if he does not need to go, you can choose to play with him.  Remember, though, that the decision is yours — not his.

A puppy playpen is not cruel and should definitely never be used to punish your dog.  Instead, when used correctly, a puppy play pen, like a crate, is a great training tool and will help you avoid a whole lot of problems during the training process.

Here is a link if you’re interested in checking out a puppy playpen.  The ones I saw on this page appear to be of high quality and reasonably priced.

Murron Campbell