Rose Cottage Ltd

After losing my dog CoCo back in July, puppy Cato was adopted from the local county animal shelter. It has proven to be quite a transition from a 10+ year old dog that was well-trained and well-behaved to a what has turned out to be a VERY headstrong puppy!

Here’s Cato’s “First day at my new home” puppy pose:

Don’t let that angelic face fool you!

Since then I’ve bought a few things for him – to try to keep him occupied. Rawhide chews, bones, treats, Kongs, rope pull-toys, tennis balls, a new Frisbee and, a squeaky, furry squirrel. I finally got smart along around month #2, admitted defeat, and bought a crate. I had never had a crate for any of the dogs I’ve owned and had not had a really good impression of one. I was wrong.

For this particular puppy, having a crate is a MUST – and I think he actually likes it and thinks of it as his “down time” place. I work at home and having to get up every few minutes to see what he was doing was ruining production! He moves fast and would take advantage of any moment I dared to concentrate on computer work to disappear into another room. This usually meant trouble of some sort. We’ve now reached a sort of compromise. And that’s a good thing because this boy is getting B-I-G!

He weighed around 13 pounds the day he was adopted. Now, he’s just under 40 pounds at 4 and a half months old and you can definitely see his Weimaraner heritage.

For anyone who thinks a dog crate is a bad idea or that the dog “shouldn’t” be crated well, I felt the same. However, suddenly having too much space to investigate (and in their mind protect) can get too much for a new dog. Think of the crate as a place where they feel YOU are in charge of things – which is what you want anyway. I’m not a dog expert but I can tell you that when a young dog gets overexcited and out-of-control, having a secure “time-out” location is good – for both of you.

If you’re considering a crate, here is a link to what I got for Cato – it’s inexpensive, and sturdy: Best Pet Black 49″ Triple-door Suitcase Style Folding Dog Crate with Free Pan. Order a little floor mat for the crate to make it more inviting. Cato goes in and in a few minutes, is usually asleep.

Cato is off to the vet next month for his neutering. I haven’t told him yet…