Dog Playpen Buying Guide

When exercising, playing or camping with your pet dog outside, do you worry that your dog will get into trouble or worse, run away? Appropriate and portable dog playpens give you peace of mind and allow you to take your pet with you at all times. Choosing the right dog playpens is a great way to keep our furry friends safe and provide them with plenty of space to romp around.

Buying Guides：

For those looking for a furry companion, a dog is a smart pet with a playful and sociable personality. With their cute furry appearance, smart heads and playful personalities, they always win our affection, both on the outside and on the inside. Therefore, before you bring your canine friend home, you'd better have a proper dog enclosure so that your new pet will have a happy and healthy life in your home.

But not all dog playpens are equal. Our buyers' guide is a great way to narrow down your search and make the right purchase for your furry friend. Here are six recommendations to consider when choosing the budgeted fit and the best durable sports dog playpens for your pup.

Why Consider a Dog Playpen?

Dog playpens are a great alternative to over-crating. When you travel or go out to travel on business, need to leave for long periods, and worry about your pet friends running loose around in your house or the garden, destroying the room at sixes and sevens, the dog playpen will give your pet dogs more playing and mobile space and also can avoid your flower bed was damaged. Keeping them contained in a movable dog playpen will keep your puppy happy and you'll feel more at ease and focused on your own.

Portable playpens can also be useful for other purposes. They can be used as a dog’s safe space and help them avoid separation anxiety, puppy potty training, to contain dogs around guests, or as space for them to dry off after coming in from the rain. Certain dog playpens can be brought outdoors for play and even brought on camping trips to keep your dog safe and close by.

Size

Dogs are active, and a large enough dog playpen will provide a space for your pet to ensure safety in the wild so the pets can exercise in it. If you have a puppy, you should know in advance how big and heavy the different breeds will be, and plan the number of pets you want to have, otherwise they will quickly outgrow their baby playpens.

An ideal dog playpen should include the following points.

• The dog playpens should be high enough so that the dog cannot jump out and should be made of material strong enough to withstand the dog's force.
• Your dog's playpen needs to be the right size for your pet (make it bigger if you can, because dogs love to run and play freely), no matter what breed it is. The playpen you choose should have enough room for a dog bed, food and water dishes, and toys for your dog to play with.
• Your dog should be able to stand up, sit down, lie down, turn around and stretch freely.

Portable dog pens are usually for small to medium-breed dogs (such dogs are lighter and shorter). You can also buy a customizable one and add panels as your dog grows or make DIY designs. You can connect or change up the various panels to create several different shapes so as to increase durability, sturdiness, and size. If you plan to use a baby playpen for your dogs to play in the garden or would like to add an indoor/outdoor dog urinal, it should be larger to allow the dog to play freely in other areas.

Material and Quality

Dogs are active and escape artists, you should choose a dog playpen that is safe and high-quality allows your dogs to run and play and get the exercise they need. Pay attention to the overall quality of your dog playpens for your vulnerable pets. An ideal dog playpen should be safe, hygienic and durable.

Here are the pros and cons of common dog playpens materials.

• Plastic (Plastic is less likely to scratch indoor floors than other materials, lightweight, easy to carry (suitable for people living alone), easy to install, and easy to remove due to its rust-resistant material, have a long lifespan, perfect for outdoor use. But for dogs with large weights or reminders, plastic isn't chewable and can be easily chewed.)
• Metal (Metal dog playpen is easy to install, durable, suitable for larger or heavier dogs, chewable, some metal dog playpen also has the characteristics of rustproof, heat-resistance and improved strength, but the weight is relatively heavy, difficult to carry to outdoor activities)
• Plastic (Plastic is less likely to scratch indoor floors than other materials, lightweight, easy to carry (suitable for people living alone), easy to install, and easy to remove due to its rust-resistant material, have a long lifespan, perfect for outdoor use. But for dogs with large weights or reminders, plastic isn't chewable and can be easily chewed.)
• Metal (Metal dog playpen is easy to install, durable, suitable for larger or heavier dogs, chewable, some metal dog playpen also has the characteristics of rustproof, heat-resistance and improved strength, but the weight is relatively heavy, difficult to carry to outdoor activities).

• Acrylic（This material is excellent optical clarity and transparency, is half the weight of glass and is impact resistant. This acrylic dog playpen is generally only used indoors ）
• Polyester fiber (This material makes dog playpens smaller and lighter, so they are easy to carry and suitable for smaller dogs.

Polyester dog playpens usually have a removable roof, but they are difficult to clean and can be harmful to heavy chewing dogs).

Material-Pros-Cons

Also, when choosing a reliable dog playpen, be sure to thoroughly check for the dog playpen's sharp edge/corner exposed in neither the inner nor exterior of the dog playpen to protect your pet from potential risks.

Bar Spacing

Choosing the appropriate bar spacing is choosing safety. The spacing of the dog playpens consists of the horizontal and vertical spaces between the fingerboards. If you choose the wrong spacing for your pet dog, there may be some safety risks. If the spacing between the bars is too wide, your dog may stick its head out of the bars, get stuck, or even squeeze through to escape. Conversely, if the pole spacing is too small, you and your dog may be blocked from interacting or getting to know each other! Therefore, proper bar spacing can help your pet friend familiarize himself with his new activity space as soon as possible, while also keeping them safe.

Overhead Guard

Do you often travel with your pet or camping? If your dog is smaller in size or timid in physiologic, you may consider a dog playpen with a detachable overhead guard, such not only can ensure the safety of your dog in a strange place, also can give it a comfortable place to sleep, let he always keep a happy mood, becoming your best partner in your journal.
To keep dogs safe, a removable overhead guard is necessary when choosing a dog playpen. Not only does the canopy prevent dogs from jumping out of their playpens, but it also helps protect dogs from UV rays, excess sunlight, rain and cold snow.
In most cases, these dog playpens have removable top and/or bottom panels for heat absorption and insulation, depending on the weather.

Weight

The weight of your dog's baby playpen is an important factor to consider, along with the material you want to choose, the size of your dog, and how you plan to use it.

If you are in different places using your dog's playpens and often need to move them, such as moving from home to your garden, or even to the outdoor lawn, in order to ensure that you can move it, you need to select the dog playpens, whose total weight is lighter. If the dog playpens are heavy, you need to seek help from others, which can cause trouble for you.

Safety use

By nature, dogs love to run and play. While a dog playpen can be a convenience, it is not a substitute for walking and playing outside with your dog. While dog playpens are safe, they should not be used for long periods or as a tool of punishment.
Improper use of the dog playpen can make your friends physically unhealthy and unhappy. Make sure you leave plenty of food and fresh water for your dog when you leave, get your dog used to the playpen, and leave some toys or blankets for your dog to entertain if necessary.

Conclusion

There are many types of dog playpens for your dog. When choosing, it's best to choose indoor/outdoor dog pens that are easy to set up, lightweight, durable, and easy to fold. Usually, they are waterproof, easy to clean, and most now come with removable top and bottom panels.

Choosing the right dog playpens for dogs of different sizes. It's also important for owners to know that these playpens are never a substitute for proper walking and exercise, although they're a great way to give your dog more space when you're not around. So go out and play with your best friend, find a lightweight dog playpen, and enjoy the great outdoors together.