What size crate for a pug?

[Heavenly]

We are most likely adopting a pug puppy (if all works out) that will be coming home at the end of September. I am trying to get a handle on what I will need in advance of puppy coming home and I am definitely planning to crate train. I would like to get a crate that will fit the pug when adult sized so what would a good crate size be?

[lonegirl]

A dog needs to be able to stand up, sit down, lie down and turn around in a crate.

[Ola_]

It sounds like you are using a breeder to get your pug from? They should be able to tell you how large your dog will be when fully grown (weight, length, height at withers). I'd get a crate that will fit the puppy as an adult so you don't have to buy another one, and you can block off part of it for housetraining if needed.

If you're not using a breeder I'd go by the size of the parents or look up the breed standard.

[Catherine12]

I used to breed pugs and I still have three as pets. I recommend an 18"x24" crate for an adult pug. That will be too big for a puppy, though, which can be a problem for house-breaking. I recommend either getting a smaller, cheap crate for use in the first couple months, or getting an adjustable crate where you can partition off part of it. Or, you can rig up some way to partition off part of your full-size crate even if it wasn't originally designed for that.

I also recommend getting a small collar (like a cat collar) but not spending too much on it as the pup will quickly outgrow it. And you will probably want some chew toys, and some bitter apple spray - that way, if they start chewing on things they shouldn't you can deter them with the bitter apple and encourage them to use chew toys instead. Bear in mind that pug puppies are small and will need small toys (a lot of the toys in the pet store are designed for larger dogs and a pug puppy could not fit their mouths around them).

I've raised a number of pugs, and in my experience, if you are careful and consistent they are very easy to train because they are so human-centered - they really want to please.

Good luck! I love pug puppies and miss having them around (though I love my adult pugs too). They are such great pets, and wonderful with kids.

[Heavenly]

Catherine - thanks for all the great tips! We are really hoping that we get one of the puppies. The mama pug is due at the end of this week and one boy is already spoken for so we need to see if she has two boys (we want a boy). The breeder said she thinks that there are at least 4 puppies so we shall see. I am looking forward to going shopping for my new baby pug!