You are listening to your new puppies podcast. Starting you and your dog off on the right paw. Here's your

host Debbie Salento. Hello and welcome to episode 77 of your new puppies podcast. I'm Debbie and today

we're going to talk about the difference between using a crate and using a pen,

also called an exercise pen.

Now, before we get into anything,

let's go over exactly what I'm talking about.

So the crate is the tool that I have talked about

throughout the entire podcast. I have at least three episodes on how and why to use a crate.

And you'd also be hard-press to find an episode that I don't talk about it at some point.

So it's that enclosure that could be plastic or metal or even fabric, and the size of it also depends on the size of your dog.

Now a pen is like a standalone gate.

It's usually made up of like different panels that you connect together and you can

make it into various shapes and it creates this enclosed area for your dog. It's kind of the equivalent of gating off a doorway and having a small

room for your dog. So the biggest difference between the two is the amount of

room your dog has and this is exactly why my clients usually bring

it up for me and why they really like the idea of using an exercise pen but but

that's the same exact reason why we can get into trouble.

So I'm not against using pens at all, but I do hesitate because there can be some drawbacks to it. But it's almost like if you

if you listen to my potty bell episode, it's like the same feeling that I have about that, where there's nothing wrong with it, but let's just make sure we're using it correctly and using it for the right reasons

Now just to be clear I see a pen as an additional tool. I don't see it as something that can replace

the crate. The crate I feel is essential and the pen is an accessory. In fact I'd talk

about in my crate training episode why you should never come

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