Crates

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Postby concreterose » April 12th, 2006, 10:40 pm

Do you find that your dogs are more comfortable in a particular kind of crate? I have always used wire crates because of the convenience of folding them down, but Vicki has never really liked them. She tolerated it well enough, but never went in it too much on her own unless the couch was occupied. I went and got her a vari-kennel type crate tonight, and as soon as I brought it in the house and put her bed in it, she ran in it and curled up :o
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Postby Maryellen » April 13th, 2006, 6:49 am

wire crates are more open.. the vari kennels are more like dens per say.... i use both, but with the wire crate i have a crate cover for it.. i am glad vicki likes the vari kennel, some of them are cozier then the wire ones.. mine will go in anything as long as its looking like a vari kennel.. if its a wire crate it has to have a cover on it.
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Postby rockermom » April 13th, 2006, 8:42 am

I have a plastic kennel too. Rocky loves to go in there when he needs a quiet space. However when I would put it in the car to go on long trips Rocky would cry the whole way. So I bought a wire crate for the car since putting the plastic one in was a pain anyway. However I discovered the curve of the plastic crate allows it to fit in my car where the wire one I had to down size to a medium the large does not fit. So Rocky will go in but he is not happy that he can not sit up tall and look out the window. Sometimes he looks so sad in there. Once I can trust he wont chew on anything in my car I will get a divider I guess. I had one of those car seat belt harnes things he chewed through it and got the seatbelt once on the way home from trianing. He was laying down so quiet did not have a clue.
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Postby Patch O' Pits » April 13th, 2006, 8:55 am

Mine hate the plastic ones.
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Postby dogcrazyjen » April 13th, 2006, 9:52 am

Tess had horrible separation anxiety in her wire crate. She literally tore it up, I would find sticks of wire from the bottom every time she was left. If you put a blanket over it she would pull the blanket into the crate through the bars. I got out an old huge broken airline kennel, twist-tied the top and bottom together, and tried that. She has no crate issues now, the effect was immediate. She sleeps through the night no problems, and can be left up to 8 hours if necessary without issue. Wire crates were rattlely and had no security.

My other dogs don't care what kind of crates- Tallulah, "its all good,love my crate" ; Jack, "if I HAVE to!"
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Postby SisMorphine » April 13th, 2006, 1:23 pm

Patch O' Pits wrote:Mine hate the plastic ones.

Wally too. He much prefers the very open wire crates, no cover, not even anything on the top.
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Postby Malli » April 13th, 2006, 1:35 pm

Oscar stresses in his old plastic crate, does much better in the wire one. But I wonder if that has to do with the fact that his most recent time he spent in the plastic crate was in the car, and his wire one is much much bigger.

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Postby bustersmama » April 13th, 2006, 5:49 pm

Buster sleeps in my walk in closet. When I cannot find him, most of the time (unless he is chewing up my DVD's) he is in there. He has got his bed in there (takes up the whole floor) and his favorite blanket. Its pretty comical me trying to get ready in the morning, trying to get around him.

Buster never really went to his wire crate on his own, so I am assuming he didnt like it. Everytime I open the airliner crate though - he goes right in (when I dont want him too).

Am I rambling? Sorry!
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Postby katiek0417 » April 14th, 2006, 8:54 am

Both my girls are in vari-kennels.

I used to have Sacha in a wire kennel (for ease of growth, separator, etc since I got her as a puppy). She always barked and carried on in there. Even when I covered it, she would rip the covering. So, I switched her to the vari-kennel...and no issues...no carrying on....what's funny is this: when she sleeps in my bedroom, I tether her to my bed. She has a really nice down feather bed next to my bed. She sleeps UNDER my bed...

With Nisha, I just kept buying bigger vari-kennels (planning for the next puppy is what I call it).
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Postby Devin » April 14th, 2006, 12:34 pm

Patch O' Pits wrote:Mine hate the plastic ones.


Dante does too. He will only go into the wire crate.
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Postby Here's Johnny » April 14th, 2006, 8:36 pm

I've never tried the plastic ones for Ally. She would eventually chew through the plastic and she likes to be able to see around her. One time I tried draping a sheet over her kennel to sleep, all she did was whine all night. The second time it did it she was quiet but shredded the sheet while we were sleeping.
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Postby AchillesThePit » April 16th, 2006, 8:33 pm

I just want to know, for your pit bull(s), what size crate do you use? I'll need to know all the inches to the L, W and H (length/long, wide, height) Thank you very much.
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Postby Malli » April 16th, 2006, 9:55 pm

The crate should be large enough for your dog to stand up and turn around in.

Oscar's crate is quite a bit bigger, but he at one time spent a fair bit of time in it so I got a roomier size for him.

Pit Bulls are so many different sizes that its not easy to just tell you a particular size. there are people on here who have 35 lb Pits and Oscar (my dog) is 75 lbs !

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Postby dogcrazyjen » April 16th, 2006, 10:41 pm

I have an large veri kennel for Tess, who is probably 25 inches and 58 pounds.Tallulah is 16.5 inches and 38 pounds, and has a medium wire crate. They can stand up and turn around in them no problem. In the car Tess is in a med verikennel, and Tallulah is in a small one. These crates are smallish for the dogs, but they are rarely in them for long, and they are the largest that will fit side by side in my car. Tallualah has no problem sleeping all night in this crate if it is left open and her other crate is closed, so it apparently isn't too small for her!
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Postby Here's Johnny » April 17th, 2006, 2:38 pm

The wire crate I have for Ally is meant for 150 lb. Great Dane. I don't know the exact dimensions but it is huge. Most people wouldn't use a crate this large but Ally loves to strech out on her back so she loves the extra space. She used to be in a kennel that fit her size and she used to always whine. Since I got her the huge crate she's quit whining, and loves sleeping in her crate.
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Postby Maryellen » April 17th, 2006, 2:43 pm

i use a GSD crate for rufus, its like 42 inches long, 39 inches high, and 2 1/2 feet wide.. and he is only 56lbs..... i think if the dog is totally housebroken then a huge crate can be used for comfort.. for housebreaking issues then go with a smaller tighter crate..
even arturo is in rufus's old crate, which is a few inches smaller then the GSD crate he is in now.. for traveling get a crate that fits in your vehicle nicely, most vari kennels are more pliable for that.
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Postby katiek0417 » April 17th, 2006, 3:35 pm

Maryellen wrote:i use a GSD crate for rufus, its like 42 inches long, 39 inches high, and 2 1/2 feet wide.. and he is only 56lbs..... i think if the dog is totally housebroken then a huge crate can be used for comfort.. for housebreaking issues then go with a smaller tighter crate..
even arturo is in rufus's old crate, which is a few inches smaller then the GSD crate he is in now.. for traveling get a crate that fits in your vehicle nicely, most vari kennels are more pliable for that.


I agree 100%. Even though Sacha can fit in the 36-inch kennel (which is what I have for her in the car), I have her in the 42-incher at my house. The puppy has plenty of room in the 36-inch, but I will eventually take her up to the 42-inch in the house (been too lazy to go buy it).

If the dog is completely housebroken, why not give them a bigger crate. I don't use them for "potty" issues anymore. I use them as a "babysitter." To keep them out of things while I'm not there. I've left them out before, and while they have no potty accidents, they torture the cats, take bones off the counter (rawhides), etc....So, I prefer letting them be comfortable in their crates...
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Postby SpiritFngrz » April 18th, 2006, 11:50 am

Yah I think it just depends on the pup. Some like the den-lifestyle, some like to be open and see everything that's going on. Satin has the precision wire crate, a big one for the living room and one for the car. All I have to do is show her a treat in the morning and she makes a run for the crate. She's so good in the crate God bless her little heart.
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Postby Magnolia618 » April 29th, 2006, 1:56 pm

Hendrix (my shih tzu) got his jaw stuck on a wire crate. He is DAMN lucky that I was standing right there. He also seems to like the vari kennel MUCH more. Everytime I give him a treat or if the other dogs are being annoying, he runs right in there.

Last night I had a bit of a scare. I was in my bedroom about to go to sleep and I heard Trey crying. I figured that he just didnt want to be in the crate. Later, I get up to get a glass of water and a look into the living room where Trey's crate is, and he got his HEAD stuck in the wires. HIS WHOLE HEAD!. :o

One of my fosters had already broken the crate, so I have it held together with wire ties, choke chains and those little oval shaped screwy things. Trey must have been digging in the crate and unscrewed the thing. Then he tried to push his way out and only got his head through.

Trey does NOT have separation anxiety, and he is VERY good in his crate. He's just a little bastard.

I seriously need to get a vari kennel this weekend, but they are so damn expensive :x Oh well... I guess the soft top for the jeep will have to wait two more weeks. :cry:
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