Size
Sue: The breeder who sold us Pearl was not...umm...how should I say this?...she wasn't the most honest person in the world. Because we knew nothing about dogs in general and pugs in particular, when she told us she had a crate we could buy from her and Pearl would grow into it, we did and Pearl didn't. When we think back on it now, we laugh because Pearl was so small and the crate was so big. It really was meant for a much larger breed.
Pearl: I could run around inside.
S: Running was not the main problem.
P: No?
S: Pooping was. We later learned that if the crate is too big, the puppy will simply poop at one end and sleep at the other. There were many times when I would come home after being out for maybe an hour only to find Pearl had gone in her crate.
P: When you gotta go, you gotta go.
S: We solved the problem of the big crate initially by adding a cardboard box to the back of it. This worked great for awhile until Pearl started to eat the box.
P: I like to eat paper. It has a nice pulpy taste. It's a great appetizer or dessert.
S: Finally, we came to our senses and bought a new crate.
P: My crate has a pillow.
Nighttime
S: Pearl slept in her crate in our bedroom for the first few nights but as we had read that it was better - for dominance reasons - to keep the puppy in her own room, we moved Pearl to the office.
P: I liked the bedroom better.
S: She slept in her own room for about year, but when we moved to a new house, there really was no appropriate room for her. The office is quite small and the master bedroom is huge. So, we moved Pearl into the bedroom and she sleeps there every night in her crate.
P: I like being near Mommy & Daddy.
S: The monks actually say you should keep the dog in the bedroom over night.
P: In the bed.
S: No, they're pretty clear on this point - no dogs in the bed ever.
P: Ha!
S: Yeah, though Pearl sleeps in her crate at night, during the day, she naps on the bed, usually on my pillow.
P: Mommy's pillow is stinkier than Daddy's.
S: Hey!
P: In a good way.
S: When Pearl was a puppy I did try to keep her off the bed, but it was a losing battle. She would be up on the bed, I would scold her and she would race around the bed at high speed, stirring up the covers, and just generally wreaking havoc. My blood pressure soared because she wasn't listening and I couldn't catch her. Every day we went through this - several times a day. I finally gave up.
P: I like the bed.
Out & About
S: We use the crate when we travel long distances by car. From the time she was small, we've taken Pearl out in the car - first in her crate and now with a doggie seat belt.
P: I can get out of the seat belt.
S: That happened once when the seat belt was too loose.
P: I bet I can get out of it again.
S: We do use the crate when we are going to be in the car for more than an hour. We drive regularly from Rochester to Montreal. Pearl sleeps the whole way.
P: I like to sleep.
S: You sure do! We've also taken the crate with us when have flown - but we checked it and put Pearl in a doggie duffel bag (we use the Sherpa brand) so that we can bring her on board with us. I guess some people put their dogs in the luggage compartment, but because of the pug's breathing appartus, you cannot do this.
P: The plane is noisy.
S: Yeah, but that doesn't bother you. Once we put Pearl in the Sherpa, she goes to sleep. The only time she wakes up is when we are walking through the terminal or when someone notices we have an animal. Then the whole bag wiggles.
Staying Home
S: We got the idea to leave Pearl in her crate when we're not home from stuff we had read about potty training. Supposedly, it's easier to potty train when the puppy has a crate to stay in. Plus there is also a safety issue - puppy can't get into anything dangerous while you are out.
P: Don't worry Mommy, I can sniff danger out!
S: You tried to lick Comet when you were a puppy.
P: It's probably good you kept me in my crate when you went out.