Where to put the crate...

We get our little blenheim girl, TinkerBell, next Saturday!!! (The kids wanted to tie-in the Tinkerbell name with our one cats named Disney!) LOL

My question is, where does everyone put their crates? I mean should I put it away from everyone (meaning my husband, 3 kids and 2 cats) so that she has quiet time when being put in there. OR Should I put it where all the hub-bub is which is our kitchen/hearth room?

I am also getting a little concerned about the nights, as we have 2 cats that I know run around a bit at night (I normally sleep through it! LOL) Do you think that they will bother TinkerBell and keep her awake by sniffing the crate etc...

Thanks everyone for your input.

When we 1st brought Lucy home we put the crate in our living room, for her to lie in, that worked for us...because she could jump in and out when ever she wanted...if there was too much hustle and bustle...or if she just wanted to chill,
And even now that she's a year old it's still there as a day bed for her to use...hope this helps...good luck
Allthough she now prefers our sons bean bag lol
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I keep the crate in my bedroom with the intention that he would sleep in it at night...of course he ended up sleeping with me! I couldn't help it- he's such a great snuggler! He would stay in his crate when I wasn't home. It made housetraining so easy. He is 2 now and has free roam of the house with no problems at all.

I have one in the livingroom and another in the hall. The latter is used when I go out.

We keep ours in the lounge. It worked well when we kept it under the dinner table but now it is at the other end of the room, Dylan can see us and he isn't as happy being left there when we are in the room. That said, all I have to say is "get to bed" and he dashes in there happily as he always get a tiny treat. I am so happy Dylan was crate trained before I got him, it's been a godsend. He slept all night in it from the 1st day we got him with no fuss, no crying and no night time toilet trips.

I have one in the family room (he only uses to eat in and when I'm out), one in the bedroom (he only uses it when I'm in the shower these days or if he is being a pill a night) and one in the car.

We have one large crate in the kitchen, and 3 crates in our bedroom.

We have one in the kitchen and one in the living room ...

to be fair, it's only the kitchen one they ever use.

The other one is useful is "we" get over-excited and someone needs a quiet 5 minutes .... or, in other words, the naughty corner

I've got casey's in the kitchen as well.

For my setter (who's 6 now) her crate was in the bedroom. Later when she was older it went in the laundry room.

Gracie's crate started out in our family room, where we spend most of our non-sleeping time. I couldn't stand to have her sleep downstairs in the family room by herself, though, so we moved the crate to the bedroom. Well, I'm sure you can see where this is leading...now she sleeps with us anyway! But, her crate is in our upstairs greatroom.

Not sure why, but this seems to work better for us. It sits in between the kitchen and living room. 99% of the time when we're home she's with us anyway, but occassionally when she's having a rough day (vet appt or nails clipped, etc) or the house is particularly bustling, we'll find her nestled in her crate! Kind of seems like she prefers the new location better, too!

We put our crates in the family room. That way the pup was with us during the day but peaceful at night. We also had an older and sick cat when we got Jake (she did not tolerate him at all!) and our concern was the two of them bumping into each other in the hallway in the middle of the night. That's why we decided to crate train from the start. It worked out well....although she still got him across the eye one evening requiring a visit to the ER for a scratched cornea. We thought it only fair to crate him as she was 13 years old and used to having run of the house. Ended up liking the crating so much....we continued with our second...and haven't regretted it for a minute!

I keep Teddy's crate in the family room during the day and next to my bed at night. Aside from Colin, my other cavalier, we also have a lab who sometimes wakes up at night to go to the bathroom because he is on medicine which makes him thirsty. I didn't want him getting Teddy up to go to the bathroom with him. It has worked as since we got Teddy he has only woken up 5 or 6 times in the middle of the night.

Tracking it up and down the stairs is not too much fun, but until he is old enough to sleep on the couch with his brothers he will be upstairs in the crate.

Good luck - and post new pictures of Tinkerbell when you get her!!

We keep our crates in the main living area. Personally I think dogs are very social & sociable creatures & they like to be around the activity. I like the idea of getting a young pup used to sleeping through kitchen clatter, the tv blaring & household traffic. That way you don't end up with a dog that startles at loud noises. He will get used to the sound of your cats sniffing around his crate. Our 2 Boxers have free run of the house at night & they often get up & do a little patrol, shake snort & sniff & then settle back down.

For just the first few nights we let the puppies sleep in our bedroom. Some people think that if you start out this way you will never have a dog that will sleep on its own, but that has not been my experience. I just think the first few nights can be frightening for a baby puppy. After they get over the first few days then we put them in their crate in the area that we want them to sleep. It is a little bit of tough-love but we know that if they bellow to be let out, it is not caused by fear but just by wanting their own way.

Good luck, it is all fun.

Where you put your crate has alot to do with your house plus lifestyle. You have a pretty busy household with 2 cats and 2 children. My crate is in the kitchen so Kodee can be near the hub - but that is because my girls are at college now, so its good for Kodee to be around what little noise etc there is.

But when we had our lab as a puppy my girls were about 6 and 8. Then I actually didnt use a cage (we got her at 5mths) but instead used a gate across the laundry room and she had her dishes and bed there too. At 15 yrs old she still opted to go there when she wanted to sleep and we were all "keeping her up late" talking in the kitchen.

I'd try to set up an xpen daytime area with crate near the hub as your puppy will be able to hear them and most likely will fret if she cant see the action. But you also may want to consider using a carrier type one for car and it can also act as an extra to put in a quieter room when she needs to chill and maybe for night (living room or upstairs somewhere). With our lab instead of the xpen (remember she was 5 mths already which actually is a big difference I either locked her in her room when I knew she needed a nap or I couldnt watch her, or she was out when things werent too busy or I had her on a long lead tied to me (or with in my grasp if need be) for the first 2 or 3 mths.

You'll know what works the only way any of us due: trial and error! Alot depends on the puppies personality too.

Tinkerbell!! Love it! We call my eldest Princess Tinkerbell. Thing Legally Blonde with a Tinkerbell tendancy to have tantrums and pout and you have my daughter!!

For the first few weeks I was moving Ollie's crate from the loungeroom to the bedroom every night! It was an annoying job but I think it helped him, because when he was in his crae, he was always around people. Now it's in the bedroom permanantly because he usually doesn't stay enclosed during the day, and if he does, he'll go in the x-pen in the loungeroom.

Charlie's crate is in the kitchen underneath the table. It has worked out very well. At night, we have a small travel crate that we keep in the bedroom next to the bed. He sleeps in there all night without a sound. He just wants to know that we are close.

I have a carrier type crate for Lucky and I move it wherever I need or wnt him to be. During the mornings I put him in the crate outside the bathroom while I shower - it allows him to be near me but I don't worry about what he's getting into.

Most of the time the crate is in my office or in the kitchen if I am leaving him for the day and want him to have roam of the kitchen. He really likes it as a retreat.

Most of the time he sleeps with me, but if my sister has her dog over etc, he'll be jumping off the bed to play. If he does not settle down nicely to sleep, then he goes in the crate inside my bedroom and he quiets down right away.

We have one crate and yes, I move it. You should see my arm muscles. When I leave and during the day it is in the family room. At night, I put it in our master bedroom.