Best outdoor dog pens according to redditors

I know it may be pricey, but I've had a lot of success with a playpen. Granted my pup is very, very small (Japanese Chin) so I was able to find one for around $20 (I have the 'medium' version of this one, it does have a 'large' but I'm not sure if that would suit your needs- you may need to find a sturdier one). But I can't stress how helpful it is to have a place to have him play by himself to calm down when he gets overexcited, or just somewhere to put him when I need to make dinner or do laundry. That way your puppy doesn't associate her crate with punishment, and she might not even view it as a punishment at all because she can still have her own fun- she just can't wreck the whole house. Puppies need time to chill, too.

If you're determined not to, then I would suggest posting to this FB group for advice, as it is full of experienced breeders. Often people will post a 'live thread' as the bitch is whelping and others can provide advice as to whether the whelp is going well or whether a vet needs to be brought in. You can also search the group for previous threads that might be related to problems you encounter prior or post-whelp.

The paddling pool will be fine until the puppies really start moving around 4ish weeks. Then you will have to replace it with something like a big pen with a litterbox area and a sleeping area. The pen you linked won't work, but a big heavy-duty metal one like this would be fine.

Please research when puppies need worming and vaccinations, and if your dog has a smooth whelp then once you think she's finished take her to the vet for an oxytocin shot to get any remaining placentas out otherwise she could die. Make sure all the puppies are suckling within the first 12 hours of being born (tails will wiggle) and weigh them very frequently to make sure none are falling behind in weight. The people in the FB group I linked will have more advice but I still recommend aborting the litter if this is all brand new to you. There are so many things that can go wrong with a litter (see this recent thread for a common occurrence) and if you're not aware of what to look for and don't have an experienced mentor on hand things can go downhill fast. At least consider it.

We usually set up an area in the living room for the dog area: move a blanket/bed and toys there, we use these awesome modular gate/pen thing (kinda like this, but simpler panels https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-8-Panel-Plastic-Pet-Pen/dp/B07FD6K83Q ). It gives them a 'safe place' to go, while still being involved. They can go in their if little kids are antagonizing them, when people are eating, etc.

I've posted this before, but it's worth doing again!

Hutches & cages are, IMO, more difficult to clean. To make clean up super snappy and the habitat more inexpensive, try this!

Get a waterproof cover for your floor as layer 1. I used this on my wood floor: Whelping Mat These also, coincidentally, make great picnic / tailgating blankets! They wash up great in the washer.

Then for layer 2 I got these: Foam Floor These wipe up great, and, we liked them so much we got 24 more of them to do our spare room so we can do yoga & kettlebells / weight training. The tiles include the "frame" pieces so the edges are square.

Then, we use this for a "gate" Ex Pen We got the 48" H one because Pepper our girl is 8 lbs and can jump really high. The one downside of this is that it's not very heavy and we have to put kettlebell weights around it so she can't push the whole thing. We only have this gate up when we're not home, though. The up side of it being light is that it's easy to carry. If you go to a pet store and "try before you buy" take down the name and it's probably on Amazon for less money.

For a litter box, we don't use the ones for cats marketed as "litter box" since none are large enough for our buns. I just get those generic "rubbermaid" storage tubs w/o the lid for about $5 at Target - the one that's 6"H x 24" x 18" or so. If you have a "High Shooter" you can get the taller kind - but our little guy is 11 and needs the shorter sides for easy in and out. The larger the box you can get, the less likely accidents will happen and they are less expensive by far.

Don't forget some carpet areas and a hidey box or tube!

Cleanup is so much easier than a cage - no stooping! just take away the gate and sweep with a broom. I can can "deep clean" the whole area including litterbox and mopping up in less than 10 minutes.

Edit: wrong link for Ex Pen. :)

Ok, I see what kinda set up you mean now. A lot of people on here use X-pens or similar, sorta like this. If you could find one that comes apart so you only use it to block off what you need or similar panels, that might work.

I got this for my corgi when it was a pup. Actually used potty pads in it too so he knew to only pee in there on the pads then eventually moved the pads to the door.

I think if you’re planning on keeping a play pen you’ll need to size up but that was for us for the first 3 months since corgis are smaller. It is big.

this

Might be better for later though

I would go for something more solid - https://www.amazon.com/s?k=xpen&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

Or this https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-8-Panel-Plastic-Pet-Pen/dp/B07FD9ZHS8/ref=sr_1_29?keywords=xpen&qid=1565363070&s=gateway&sr=8-29

The metal and plastic ones are actually very fordable and easily movable.

I have one of these it's a good size and can be made smaller if needed to save space.
I also have the problem of a high-jump gold medalist bun, I solved this issue by cable tying a pond net to the top, stops any escapes!

Edit: forgot to mention I'm based in the U.K. too so these products should definitely be available for you!

Looks like an x-pen. My chin can fit through the bars of those, but doesn't have the same luck with this style, which unfortunately is only 9 sq ft compared to the 16 sq ft of a standard x-pen.

Sounds like your dog is pretty small? Still a puppy? If so, a puppy play pen like this would be ideal if you're uncomfortable about crating the dog.
Like this: https://www.amazon.com/Playpen-Crate-Fence-Kennel-Exercise/dp/B014EYSFJK
If they're not available in your country, you can either use baby gates or make something out of lightweight fencing.

Something to confine the dog will help enormously with potty training and with managing her so she can't practice bad behaviours like jumping up for your food. That gives you time to set in place a structured program to train her to behave like you want (e.g. lie on your mat. lie on your mat for 30 secs. lie on your mat while I eat a couple of crisps. lie on your mat while I eat a tiny sandwich....etc... gradually building it until she can lie on her mat while you eat your meal... ) These 'good manners' takes a few week or months to train, which is why management is essential.

I get that crating seems horrific, I felt the same way. But if crating is trained gradually, ensuring that the dog never has a bad experience in the crate, never leaving the dog in the crate for too long and never using it for punishment, then you have multiple benefits for the dog's overall wellbeing. It helps the dog learn to sleep during the day, which means far less likelihood of separation anxiety, chronic boredom leading to distress and destructiveness (with risk of injury). My dog now has free roam of the house but pretty much stays on the bed all day (so we don't worry about him getting up to no good, or being bored while we are out at work), and I'm sure that learning to sleep in the crate when he was a pup contributed to that. Plus the dog will now feel comfortable and relaxed any time it needs to be crated for the vet, groomer or travel. Crating should only be used for times when the dog would be sleeping anyway, or for short periods to confine the dog safely.

A puppy play pen can be just as useful. While toilet training, fold the pen down small so that there's only room for the bed and a waterbowl. (Pups prefer not to soil their bed so this trains them to hold on). And take the dog outside regularly, per toilet training advice. If you will be out of the house for longer than the dog can hold on, you can put the dog's bed on one side of the pen, then a small divider, and a pet loo (a slab of turf or grass-based pet loo is ideal) - show the dog how to use the pet loo while you are home.

Crazy antics before bedtime are pretty common. 'The Witching Hour' they call it. Work out what time it starts. Then, put the pup in her pen or crate 30 mins before witching hour. Have some gentle play, but not too much, do a bit of gentle training with food rewards, then give her something to chew on in the pen. Expect some barking before she settles down to sleep in her pen.