Claiming His Space

Today I saw first hand that the crate has been a positive place for my Bichon Frise puppy to call his own. After playing with the neighbor's little boy all morning, the puppy needed some time to himself and he didn't head for the bedroom, or the rug, or anywhere else he could have elected to lay down. Instead he went and laid down in his crate.
The crate doors remain open during the day so the puppy realistically could use the crate as a resting place if he wanted to. But, before today he had never actually used it. Today, however, he went right in, turned himself around into a ball and went into a deep, snoring sleep. It was very cute.
I hadn't been a big advocate for crating prior to the puppy coming to live with us. It seemed cruel to confine him that way. But Mike showed me research on the denning instincts of Bichon Frises and convinced me that it was important to create a living space for our Bichon Frise puppy.
Of course, Corey tried to get near the crate to get the puppy back out to play some more, but I didn't let him near it. I told him that the dog was resting and we wouldn't want to interrupt his nap. Then, as if magic, Corey decided to take a nap too! It was a great solution all the way around.