IRIS Plastic Exercise / Containment Pet Pen for Dogs, White
This product is absolutely INCREDIBLE. I have a chihuahua who's almost 11 years old, and has occasional accidents. Since having the carpeting replaced, and not wanting to put her into a claustrophobic kennel (just seemed wrong), I went for this product. It's so roomy! and the design is feminine, sturdy, lightweight and open. The gate is so well made and very cute and useful.
For those of use who work and need to keep our pets in a controlled area when we can't watch for accidents, this pet pen is a livesaver, and my dog absolutely loves it. There's enough room for a small oil-filled heater, her large burrow bed and blankets, water bowl, bone-chewing/play area. Also, I sectioned off a small area for her potty pads, so she doesn't have to "hold it" when I'm gone for longer periods of time. The pen is so roomy, that there's plenty of distance between the potty pads, her bed, and water dish. You can also customizing the shape of the pen. It's the greatest!
In terms of waterproofing, I lined the bottom with a shower curtain from the dollar store and topped with a queen-sized quilt. It's soft and comfy and accident-proof! Even my cat sneaks in there to catch a few winks.
This is so much better than a kennel or keeping your pet in the bathroom while you're away.
We call this our pet apartment. We have two miniature dachshunds who stay inside our home all day while we are away at work. They love their apartment. It is big enough inside for them to have their bed, food, water, potty pads, and play area. One of the great things about this particular one is that you can reshape it so that it can take on just about any shape...even go around corners like we have it doing now in our home. We even went out of town and packed it down so that we could take it with us. (It is so easy to take apart and put up!)
I bought this pen for my new boston terrier puppy. It is very portable and sturdy. we take it apart, which takes about 5 seconds, and take it outside for her to play in and it sets back up just as quick and easy. it keeps her out of trouble and safe from choking and other hazards (and my furniture) when we are away and cant keep our eyes on her. i just keep plenty of safe puppy toys in there to keep her entertained. I can make it as small as 4 panels or use all of them. it has also been great for housebreaking. I kept the entire floor inside the pen covered with puppy papers for several days and gradually reduced them to only one pad. now when I let her out she goes straight to a pad and she is only 11 weeks old. I have raised puppies before but this pen has made a world of difference with this puppy.
I am actually very surprised that this item has worked so well. The door latches seem flimsy and I thought the dog (especially since she is a lab mix) would eat through the thin plastic rails. Amazingly, even though she tries to eat walls and loves plastic, this did not happen. Perhaps this is because the spacing is just not big enough for dogs to bite the rails. She has always stayed inside the pen. One time, she got overexcited and knocked it over, but scared herself so badly in the process (it made a lot of noise) that she has never tried it again.
The pen is light, so is perfect for indoor apartment use as it is easily moveable, conforms to tight spaces (as it is made up of interlocking panels) and does not scratch the wood floor. If your dog does manage to knock it over, it would be relatively easy to buy metal clamps at Lowes and bolt the structure to the floor. It would be impossible for most dogs, even large ones, to jump out of it. It seems fine for outdoor use as well, though I haven't had the opportunity to try it. Best of all, it is extremely easy to disassemble and put back together. It has lasted more than a year without a scratch so far, even though it gets a lot of daily alone time with the dog; even the latches are still good... so it has already earned its keep.
