How long should puppies be in their play pens?

Question

So I have my puppy placed in a x-pen with his crate, bed, food/water, some toys and piddle pads. He stays there the whole day except when he sleeps in the crate.

I play with him from outside the pen, and sometimes will open the little door and play with him, but never let him roam around the house?

I'm under the impression this is what you do until your puppy becomes older? Or is it bad to have in just be in the x-pen, and not running around the house.

I do play with him enough, and since he just finished his vaccination I will be walking him from now on.

Advice appreciated!!

Answer 1

well if he/she is not potty trained,should stay there no more than two hours.once potty trained it can last without going for about 5 hours.you should take it outside and let it run around quite a bit more though

Answer 2

Anytime I had a puppy I played with it alot, but not when it was sleeping. I know that they need their sleep. I have a kennel for when I have to leave for a while, its for a dog much bigger than mine so she has room to move around. I have a day bed (trundle bed) & I sleep on that at night so that my puppy can sleep with me if she wants. She does have her own bed.

I'd say the x-pen should be used only when you leave the house. Don't keep your puppy in jail.  

Answer 3

I agree with the first poster.

It is a little much.

When we trained our puppies, we let them wander around the house, but we CONSTANTLY watched them, following htem around and let them get a feel of the house.

It is a lot of work, but you should have expected that before purchasing a puppy.

Answer 4

Why did you even get a dog if you are not going to play with it? that's just silly!

Pups can be left out of the pen.There is nothing wrong with it.The only reason people don't like letting pups out is because pups tend to piddle/p**p/chew.

There is nothing wrong with him roaming and discovering as long as there is nothing out that can harm him.Pups need to be entertained and played with otherwise there is no point in having one.

Pups also should be trained to go outside, not on a pad otherwise it could delay the potty training process!

good luck with pup.

Answer 5

It depends on whether you trust your dog.  If you do, you can eventually get rid of the x-pen.  Otherwise, it's a good way to keep your dog from making messes in the house while not confining it to too small of an area.  

But really you should take him out and play with him when you're home, and put him on a leash and tie it to you if you're walking around.  Use the pen area mostly just for long periods of time when you can't keep an eye on him.  

Answer 6

I FEEL THAT THIS IS A BIT MUCH KEEPING HIM IN THERE ALL DAY poor thing.you should still be getting him out and learning him where he can and cant go and generally interacting with him,good you use a crate,gives them their own space .good luck

Answer 7

No, your puppy is not supposed to stay in the ex-pen all the time.  You are supposed to put it there only when you can't keep an eye on it, such as when you are cooking, showering, etc.  Your puppy needs to experience life more fully than from inside a small pen.  Ex-pens, short for exercise pens, are mostly used by dog show people who need a small portable pen for their dogs to stretch their legs in and possibly relieve themselves.  They are not at all meant as a place to keep a dog in.  

Answer 8

its not abuse.  He is in the house and close to you.  If you take him out for daily walks, I don't see anything wrong with it.  I keep my dog in the kitchen all day but of course he has a bed and a blankie but he usually perfers to sleep on the cold floor.  What would be wrong is if you had hinm locked up in a cage all day like some people do where their paws get soor and they get mental problems