Need help figuring out crate/playpen/potty training setup for 4-month-old puppy in apartment
We brought home a 4-month-old puppy on Wednesday, and it’s now Friday, so we’ve only had her for about two days. Her mom is a Shiba Inu/terrier mix, and her dad is a poodle. She came from an accidental litter.
I know a lot of this may just be normal adjustment stress, but I’m trying to make sure we’re setting her up correctly and not accidentally creating bad habits.
We’ve been trying to crate train her. The first night was awful. We put the crate in our bedroom and she cried basically all night. Last night, we slept on a blow-up mattress next to the crate, and that worked much better. She still cried/whined a little while settling down, but she was quiet most of the night. I put my finger near/through the crate while she was settling, and that seemed to help calm her.
For feeding, I’ve been trying to feed her as close to the crate as possible, and right now I have her food bowl inside the crate so she builds a positive association with it. She has been eating less today, though. I think part of that may be because we ran out of the wet food her previous owner had been giving her. The wet food was not puppy food, so I also don’t want her becoming totally reliant on it. My goal is to keep feeding her near/in the crate and make the crate feel safe, but I’m slightly concerned because she hasn’t eaten much today.
We also just bought a playpen because potty training has been rough. She has been difficult about going where we want her to go. The current plan is to cover the playpen area with pee pads and try to use that as her potty area. But I’m confused about the logistics.
She generally has access to the living room/apartment when she’s hanging out with us. Our apartment is not huge, but I’ve heard giving a puppy too much space can make potty training harder. At the same time, I don’t want to keep her confined to the playpen all day, and I obviously don’t want her stuck in the crate all day either.
What we’ve tried so far:
Crate in the bedroom the first night, which led to a lot of crying.
Sleeping on a blow-up mattress next to the crate the second night, which worked much better.
Feeding her near/in the crate to create a positive association.
Putting her in the crate when she’s already sleepy so she gets used to sleeping there.
Buying a playpen and planning to cover that area with pee pads.
Trying to guide her to pee pads, but she still seems to pee/poop without much warning or pattern.
I’m trying to figure out:
When should I put her in the playpen to try to pee/poop?
Should I physically stand in the playpen with her and wait?
Should the playpen be just for potty, or also for hanging out?
How much freedom should she have in the apartment at this stage?
Is it okay to keep feeding her in/near the crate even if she’s eating less today?
How should I balance crate time, playpen time, and supervised living room time?
Right now it feels like she has no rhyme or reason to when she pees or poops. But again, we’ve only had her for two nights, so I know it’s very early.
I’m mostly trying to figure out the best apartment setup and routine so we’re not confusing her. Any advice on how to structure the crate, playpen, potty pad area, and general living room access would be really appreciated. I want to get the foundation right before we accidentally build some insane puppy casino where every corner is a bathroom.