We got our little Bichon Frise when off on holiday for three weeks and house training seemed to be going well. The problems started again when we returned to work and we left Archie with the run of the kitchen.

Unfortunately all our efforts were undone and he had messed all around the place! Never keen on the idea of a cage for him we had no choice as we couldn't be there 24/7 to keep an eye on him.

I went for the large version, at £38 from ebay, including delivery. Even though I had checked the measurements I was still surprised at how big it was, and to be fair I did want to give him as much room as possible. A similar sized cage was around £55 at the local pet store.

It was easy to build and clips together in seconds, and same for disassembling it. We stuck his own bed on the tray in the bottom and this made it easier for him to adjust. It was hard the first few times leaving him in there, but it will get easier for him once he learns you come back!

The cage is a great training aid. As the dog will not go to the toilet where he sleeps, he learns to hold it till you return to let him out. If possible have a few practice days at this before leaving him the full day. Archie ran straight to the door when we let him out the first day, and a lot of praise and a little treat afterwards and he learned very quick.

We've been using the cage a few months now and it's at the stage where I leave the door open for him to go and explore and he has learned to wait until he's let outside before going to the toiliet.

I would recommend this wholeheartedly to those trying to house train a dog. Even those like me who were deadest against the idea of caging your little pup will find this humane, speedy and useful, and after the first few days your pup will see the cage a his or her new home!