Last night, out of desperation, I invested in a puppy play yard. I don't know that it will last beyond the puppy stage, depending upon how jumpy this guy gets, but I've gotten my money's worth out of ONE DAY with it.

Our little guy is SO mischevious! We have the kitchen gated off, but even in there he required 24/7 eyes on him because he wants to chew rugs, cupboards, tables, chair legs, etc. And when we are there, he wants us to play with HIM, sole attention, and it is just constant reprimands against chewing, biting, etc. Exhausting..and not a very relaxed time for either of us!

We have a crate for him for nights and some down time, but we have that set very small so he doesn't piddle/poop in it~ and I can't keep him in there all day.

SO...we decided to try the play pen idea. It is awesome! It is a six panel thing, and we may invest in the two panel extension pack. BTW...Petco $97
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; Farm and Fleet $59
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. Thank goodness we saw it first at Farm and Fleet, and knew to make that ten minute drive
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. But, we set it up in the front hall, rectangularly (can also be hexagon), and it's perfect. He can see the LR and the computer room, and best yet...he can run around a little, play with toys, and STAY SAFE and OUT OF TROUBLE, which means he isn't hearing constant reprimands, and I had my first evening of peace and now my first morning!

I think he is just as happy to have it as I am. It also allows him more awake time, because he always just slept when in the crate~ and I was having to use the crate several hours out of every day...to be able to do anything else.

He is so much more content! It seems a little silly to have a doggy play pen, but I LOVE IT! We are hoping he won't be a jumper and that we can also use it up north at the family cabin to secure a spot on the screened in porch as well as outside during nice weather. I have neices and nephews who are terrified of any dog, so it is always a nightmare for them when we visit together. In fact, they just started avoiding coming if they knew we'd be there
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Our last dog was never quite this spirited, but this one is! At least now we can enjoy his puppy days, and he will learn to be self contented.

Cara