Dog Crate Or Bed?

I regard a crate as a bed! And although of course you shouldn't be over-using a crate (2 hours for a puppy during the daytime increasing to 4 hours, if needed at all, as an adult apart from overnight), getting a dog used to being in a crate can be such an aid. Puppies can't be supervised 24/7 but having somewhere to put them when you need to do to other things, to keep him safe and out of mischief is such a help. Ditto for overnight when goodness knows what a puppy might get up to while you are sleeping! And if you travel, crating a dog in the car is safer, plus many hotels prefer a dog to be in a crate when in the room. And then there's the benefit of being able to rest a recovering patient, in a crate.

I have never used a crate for housetraining btw.

Set it up in the area you are normally in, cover top and sides and leave the door open. That way the puppy should take himself in there to rest making it easier to shut him in there when you need to get other things done. If you play with the puppy and then take him out to empty, and then bring him back to the crate with some puppy treats, after a bit of complaining, he should settle down for a nap - then you get other things done! Used properly, a crate should be the one place the dog looks on as his safe place. Never use it for punishment however, and again, only for brief priods of time other than overnight. You will have to take him out once overnight at first as he won't physically be able to hold right through.

Crates are for transport, nothing more. Training can and was done without crates long before you were born, and can still be done without them. Seems in recent years this has become a fad for people that are too lazy to spend the time training their dogs properly.

I'd prefer the bed but if your Yorkie isn't house trained and destroys things it's not the best idea.

I suggest putting a bed mat in the crate. If you are crate training her, this would be a good choice. If you're not crate training her, I suggest just using a bed. I think crates are helpful because dogs who are afraid of storms or thunder have a safe place to go to use as their "den". Your dog shouldn't go to the bathroom in the crate, therefore the crate shouldn't be huge. The dog should only have enough room in the crate to stand, sit, lie down, and turn around. Dogs will not soil their "den", meaning she won't use the crate as a bathroom if it is the right size. If the crate is too big, she will most likely use one side for sleeping, the other for the bathroom. Decide which crate to get. You could get an enclosed plastic crate, wire, there are so many crates to choose from, but choose one that suits your dog. If you choose a wire crate, cover half of it with a blanket or towel to enclose it more. Hope this helps!

Also, you might like this ----> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPQAazegMQg

If in just a bed the dog must still be in a very secure area where it cannot get to chew on wires or anything else dangerous. You will also find house training more difficult, although I've never used a crate for pups.

I crate my dogs because they're monsters who get into everything when I'm not looking. Dog<Crate as Baby<Crib