Hi Snogrl,
Welcome to Pet Talk!!!

I read your first post but did not reply b/c
i did not know what to say exactly to help
you .i have a big dog who was also a big pup
and chewed up any thing in sight when i went
to work ..Also when i was there but asleep..
i got a crate, read all the in info about
Crate Training, etc..but with me it was a
total failure..
First. the crate i purchased 3 weeks before
assembling it and introducing it to him
turned out to be too small and actually
collapsed on me as i tried to get him to
go inside it & check it out..
I know of many people that swear by the
Crate as a good solution to leaving a young
pup or introducting an older dog to the
house routine..i however never really felt
it was any thing but convenient for me & not
really good for him!!!
i ended up confining him to the kitchen area
with a 'baby gate' with toys ,water,etc. and plenty of newspapers spread around..
You probably will get a lot of opinions on
this but that is probably a good thing.Right?
Good Luck and may you both enjoy your new
furbaby SADIE..