Buying a crate for house training

Hi, I'm off to the pet store in a little while to buy a crate for Bobby. Some sites recommend the small version of crates for cavaliers and other's recommend medium. Any ideas?

Also i've been reading problems about dogs hurting themselves against the metal railings of the crate. I was about to order the crate bedding from www.petdreams.com when I noticed shipping to ireland was costing almost 100 dollars. I can't find anything similar in stores here. The pet dreams kit has a mattress, bumper and crate cover.

I have the small and the medium.
When they are pups, the smaller the crate, the less likely they are to soil it. I then change them to a larger crate as they hit 9 months to a year. YOU can still use the small crate for short car trips.

Cavaliers are not always very small dogs, so I bought the medium crate from maxi zoo(not sure if they have stores in galway).For €50 or €60 you'll get a fine crate.Just make sure it's light enough to carry with the weight of the dog inside as well.
You don't necessarily need a crate for house training.All I did was plonk her outside in the grass every two hours or so and instructed her to "go potty". When she did she got some food.Place the pup in the same spot each time and see how it goes.Cavaliers are quick on the uptake, they can learn the word "potty" as quickly as the words "walk" and "dinner".
As long as there are no sharp edges on the crate I'm sure it'll be fine.Just make sure the locking mechanism is secure and that it can't be opened from the inside.
Sins

Thanks to both of you. I think I'll get the medium crate. He's already 4 months old and he's got the hang of doing it in the same place, but that tends to be the back door, even when the back door is open.

When you are at the store you may like to look for some spray with enzymes in it to neutralise the ammonia in the wee he has left by the door, otherwise he will keep going back to mark in the same place.

My best tip for house training is to take him out every 20 mins and give treats and praise. Every 20mins usually means he won't really need desperately so you get to take him out before he thinks about doing it indoors.

i saw it on 'how clean is your house' last night on the tv. Put vinegar where a dog has wee'd and it is supposed to get rid of the smell of wee so the dog wont go back to that spot.. I have tried it and it does seem to work. Dog would'nt even sniff it for long on that spot.

vinegar mixed with a little warm water they said and little bit of washing up liquid.

Vinegar works too -- you can make a solution with water; doesn't have to be straight vinegar.

When housetraining I'd advise putting him on a lead and taking him outside to a spot well away from the house. Puppies have a very strong instinct to keep going where they have gone before. Just putting them out will not train them to go anywhere except as near to the door as possible, or as you've found, not even getting out he door. you need to make a very clear distinction between inside and outside. You also need to always ensure he's gone before allowing him back in or so that you know not to let him run around loose til you take him out to try again.

The best way to do this is put him on a lead and walk him around to the area where you want him to go. Leave a but of an old poop there too so he is drawn back to the same area.