Kennel or crate?

[LincolnJL]

Lincoln is 10 weeks old, and he has been sleeping in one of those grey plastic-y kennels. It is the perfect size for him right now. I wake up every couple of hours throughout the night to let him go potty outside, so he has been getting used to hiz cozy kennel.
We also have a pretty large black metal crate. We haven't been using that one, because it's plenty big enough for Lincoln to find a "potty spot" which would defeat the whole purpose of crate training...
Anyway, I guess my question is this: If I plan on leaving during the day for 4-5 hours, do I keep him in the smaller kennel, or the larger crate? I know he is more comfortable in the kennel, but there is no way he can hold it that long, and I really don't want him going potty in there. If I put him in the crate, I could put a pee-pad in there for him to potty on. I normally never leave him during the day longer that 1-2 hours, but I plan on leaving for a little while tomorrow. Any ideas or advice? Thanks!

 

[larrygs]

10 week puppies are so very cute! Congrats!

They also command a lot of time. I don't think you want to do anything that is contrary to house breaking. My first option would be to use the crate and find someone stop in and find let him out for a potty break.

Or is it possible for him to join you, or someone else during the time you are out.

If not, I would tend to put him in some sort of escape proof, and safe pen or blocked area. Perhaps then he won't associate his accident as something he does in a kennel.

I would not leave him in the crate, knowing he cannot hold it that long.

Good luck and enjoy your pup!

 

[Althea]

Rather than ever letting him potty in his future crate, I suggest penning him up in a room that is safe for him to be in, like a vinyl floored kitchen or bathroom. I have a play pen for Suki just in case.

This is a great time to find a local pet sitter who can fill in on the occasions you can be there. I LOVE our sitter, and it's a relief to not worry about Suki.

 

[Cami]

It is more than likely that he will outgrow the plastic kennel long before he is potty trained.
The majority of larger crates come with dividers. You adjust the space they are in by using the divider to create more space as they grow. Just enough to be comfortable in and not too much so that they can eliminate in one spot and rest in another.
If you do not have a divider you can use any number of items to take up the additional space that is there now while he is smaller.
I've seen people get very creative with what they use if no divider came with the crate.
Laundry baskets turned upside down, thin boards, cardboard boxes, etc...Even smaller crates (or your plastic kennel perhaps?).
Since it is a real possibility that he will have to make the transition to the larger crate sooner rather than later I would go ahead and start getting him used to it and use something to take up the extra space which you can get rid of eventually (or replace with smaller items as he grows).
I'd not start out with adding a potty pad to the crate. Just because it is there is no guarantee that he will use it and he could very well decide it was there for him to chew on!
If you being away for 4-5 hours is only going to be a one time thing TOMORROW then you don't really have much time to get him used to something new.
Make sure he has done his business before you leave, ate a good time before that and just deal with any messes you have when you return!
For these situations (in the future) it might be a good idea to have someone at the ready to come in mid-day to give him a potty break.
A professional pet sitter would be a good choice.