Getting a Jack russle pup with a Lab~follow up questions~

Question
Hello again and thank you very much for your help, I will be getting the pup at the end of January so it wont be too long until I have a new pup running around the house, chewing on things, nipping at ankles and peeing on the floor lol, I am fairly good at getting them to stop nipping ankles and chewing things they shouldn't and my lab potty trained rather easily, I have a small kennle(one of those enclosed plastic ones with a wire door)..... would this work for as a crate? I perfer the open wire ones but can't affod when the same time as the pup as they are rather expensive even for a small one, my lab goes in a crate when I leave the house but she sure doesnt stay quite even with a few toys and biscuts, how do I get the pup to be quite when in its crate when I'm gone? and would it be a good idea to have there crates in the same room?

I think I'm going to go with a male because of everyones warnings....just incase, would I have domance issues with a male and female? both desexed?

Ok now for puppy proofing, I'd never done this before as I'd never had a small enough dog to go behide or under furiture..... how do I go about puppy proofing the house? the pup will noyl be allowed in the living room and the kitchen because of my roommates cats litter box at the end of the hall.

And lastly wil the pup tay quite at night in a small puppy pen by the head of my bed or in its kennle?


Thank yiou for your help in advacen  

Answer
Hmmm, thought I had answered this one, but I'll try again.  Been having computer issues, so maybe it didn't post.

Yes, your small kennel should work well as a crate.  Sounds like it is a crate!  And, FWIW, the plastic crates are a bit less messy for housebreaking than the open wire ones.  Easier to clean the crate and the floor ;-) when the mess isn't leaking onto the floor.

Getting your pup to be quiet when you are gone is very next to impossible.  There is no way you can correct it because you are not there to correct it.  I'm assuming your neighbors must be hearing the dog?  Sounds like your dog is lonely and distressed.  That is normal.  Have you tried the Kong with some cream cheese or peanut butter in it?  This can keep your dog occupied for some time.  Put the "goodies" way down in, and smear it all around.  Also, is there a neighbor or friend who would be willing to stop in once a day to take your dogs out?  This gives the dogs something to look forward to and may help them be less anxious about being home alone.

As far as dominance...  Again, this depends upon the temperatments of both dogs.  Yes, you probably will have one who is more dominant than the other, it just depends on HOW much more dominant that dog is as to the "trouble" you will have.  But, both dogs will be young enough that they should get on together just fine.

Puppy proofing:  Again, with a small dog, you need a smaller territory.  Can you get an ex-pen, or one of those baby play area fences?  This would allow for more room for the pup when you are not available to watch it, but keep it in a safe area.  And, again, I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to keep an eye on your pup when it is loose.  Small pups can get into smaller spaces and into trouble easier than large pups.  They can also be quicker.  You need to make sure that there are no electrical cords within reach; no shoes or other items available that you don't want chewed; thoroughly clean and deodorize any areas where the pup has messed; and, a soda can with small stones or pennies in it, with the opening taped shut, to use as a shaker to "startle" your pup when it is aiming to get into trouble.   

I have no idea if the pup will stay quiet at night.  That is up to the individual pup.  Most will cry some at the beginning as they are not used to being away from their litter mates.  Do not ignore the cries when they first start as this could be a signal that your pup has to go out.  Take pup outside to potty, then a cookie treat when back in the crate and "hush" to help it settle back to sleep.  Don't make a fuss about the whole thing, just make it business.  If pup fusses after it potties outside, then you can ignore that.  The more you react to a fuss, the more the pup will fuss.  

Hope this helps!