Big kennel, little puppy....

[Jjmathewson]

Hey guys! So I'll be getting my puppy after the holidays are over. I am picking up the kennel my sister had for her EM since she doesn't use it anymore. Plenty big for an adult corso, but mega huge for a pup! Should I let him use the whole kennel? I feel like that is a lot of space for a little guy. I have a pit mix that uses a much smaller kennel and I considered switching them out til he grows up some but she likes her cozy space in the smaller one.
I could block off a portion of the kennel, that's no biggie. What size kennel did you guys start your cc pups off with?

 

[m0rg4n]

I stopped using a crate a while ago, but when I was researching it I read that if you have a bigger one you should block off a portion of it. Puppies apparently refrain from using the restroom where they sleep, but if their crate is too big are more likely to do so in unused portions.

 

[Mooshi's Mummy]

I wouldnt use the whole of the kennel to start off with. The main reason for this is to assit with potty training, by limiting space to only large enough where they can stretch out comfortably you are helping with their natural instinct to not mess where they sleep. As the puppy grows you can give more space but I would limit it until he/she is dry through the night. Make sure there is enough room to lay, stand, turn around and stretch out and thats all they need for the short periods they will be in their crate.

 

[BlackShadowCaneCorso]

I would switch it out with the smaller one. If the kennel is too big you are giving your puppy room to mess at one end and sleep at the other without the risk of getting in the mess. We have wire crates that have a divider and we use that and then just move it back as they grow. We basically give them enough room to circle comfortably but not lie at one end and fit another 2 dogs in there with them.

 

[Smokeycat]

I used one with a divider until Kryten outgrew it, it was sized for an Irish Setter. Thankfully I could trust him at that point and didn't need to get a larger one.

 

[DennasMom]

We started out with our full sized XL crate - but put a big pillow in it to try and "shrink" it a little bit until she grew into the space - the pillow (one from our bed) also gave her something that smelled like us to curl up with. She could have considered the pillow her bed and the other end as her restroom... but she never did. She still prefers sleeping with a pillow.

 

[Jjmathewson]

Thanks guys, I'll just be splitting the little guys kennel up.