All our Labs do love their crates. It is their own private room in the house. I put a crate mat and fleece blanket In their crates along with one o more of their favorite toys. When we travel their crate travels with them. Crating speeds up potty training! When you can't give a puppy 100% of your attention, they can safely hang out in their crate playing with toys. Every 30-45 minutes puppies need let out to be taken potty, played with, then returned to their crate. They soon get the idea of where to go potty and that the crate is their own private space so then time out of the crate can be increased until they have complete freedom while you are at home. Crating keeps your puppies safe, your house intact, and you sane! I have heard countless stories and read too many facebook posts to count of puppy parents coming home to destruction simply because they left their cute puppy loose in the house to return to couch stuffing, holes in drywall, chewed shoes… the list goes on. All this can be easily prevented by simply crating, When you crate your dog, It is safe, it won’t destroy anything (accept maybe its own toys occasionally) when you return home your happy, your pup is happy… a much better alternative. Pups mature at different rates. Some grow up quickly and can be left uncrated for short errands by the time they are 6 months; for others its 2-3 years old and some dogs…well they never grow up. When I ask them to “Go to Bed” or "Kennel" they eagerly run to their crates in anticipation of a “cookie” or stuffed Kong. They are safe while I’m away on errands and thrilled to see me when I return home.
We recommend the Midwest Ultima Pro Crate - either the 36” or 42” size.