• If you're a past member of the board, but can't recall your password any more, you don't need to set up a new account (unless you wish to). As long as you recall your old login name, you can log in with that user name then select 'forgot password' and the board will email you at your registration email, to let you reset your password.

Question about Crates

M

meray83

Member
We will be bringing home Tucker in June and I'm trying to decide what type of crate to get. I found this crate that I really like but it's designed as a travel crate.

http://www.firstrax.net/pdfs/35.pdf

It's the sof krate n2. What (if any) are the disadvantages of using a crate like this as his permanent crate at home?
 
We use a large travel crate when we are gone for a very short time...and we used it to train early on. We now use a childs gate in our laundry room when we are gone for longer periods....
 
I have this crate. It was used for crate training when he was a baby. It's still his favorite crate to sleep in and it's great for traveling.
 
I love soft crates, but there are two main disadvantages: In the car, a hard plastic crate is probably safer in accidents. Also, if your puppy/dog scratches at the fabric to get out, the fabric can tear somewhat easily.

But I love the crates for how portable they are. We've taken them into hotels and also to my parents' house. We also had the soft crates set up in our bedroom for the dogs for several years. Our dogs are crate trained, so they actually prefer to sleep in crates. :)
 
That is a good size, but I have found that the 30" one they like a little better when grown. It has a bit more room for them to stretch out in. Teddy had the 26" originally, but I got the 30" and he loved it.:hug:
 
I think the soft crates are great once you have your dog crate trained in an indestructible one and they are past chewing. They certainly are more portable and compact, though not safe for travel. If they soil them, you'd have trouble getting the odor completely out, too, unlike the plastic ones.
 
I have a lightweight metal crate, a Croft Alpine, which folds up to about 3 ins deep with a carrying handle - rather like one of those folding wallpapering tables. Big enough for 2 Cavaliers to travel in and covered in plastic, with a choice of blue, pink or white. Cost about £26, and I wonder how I ever managed without it, especially as I now have a rescue who occasionally had anxiety attacks when left on his own and started scrabbling and would have rapidly escaped from a fabric crate! Aled now loves the crate and stays happily on his own, though he prefers to snuggle up with Oliver.

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
Hi Kate

I agree we have individual metal crates in the house and they all sleep next to each but have their own comfortable space to sleep in and in the car we have a big multi one in the boot they can all comfortably fit in .Last year on hols I bought three soft fabric crates for them to use rather than taking the big one out of the car ,but on the first night it took Daisy all of 10 minutes to grip the zip in her teeth and escape ,so needless to say we gave up on them and let the girls do what they wanted as always. :)
 
Soft crates are nice , light and colourful, still my little devil ;) learnt quickly how to escape, using his paws to open the zip, and since he is also a chewer (chronic :confused:) he could open it with his mouth, so for his safety i switched to a crate made by iron, it is great also for transport and collipsible, if you don't like the idea, pls check on petadventure, they have nice plastic crates

good luck
 
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the sof krate n2!!! I have the 36" so I can fit both my boys in there with plenty of room and can even put a third dog in there if necessary. I use it at home and when traveling, but NOT in the car...I use a plastic Vari Kennel crate for car travel since it's much safer. My boys will crawl in there together and sleep at home. There's a thing that keeps the zippers together too so they can't unzip the front and let themselves out ;) I bought mine on Amazon.com for about $94...I actually posted about this crate in the shopping section about a month ago!
 
We have Midwest wire crates in the house and then the N2N soft-sided crates for travel. They are very well made and if you do not have rambuctous children who would sit or climb on them :))) would hold up well as a permanent crate with these caveats: (1) probably not a good "first" training crate as it will not be easy to keep odor free unless you rig up some type of plastic tray for the botton; a wire crate with plastic tray or plastic crate would be easier to clean; (2) if you have a chewer, which you will not know for a while, I would not use this as a permanent crate; and (3) if the puppy has trouble adjusting to the crate it is possible to teat along the zipper-line and get out (speaking from personal experience!). So I would start with a metal or plastic crate and switch to this later. The 26" by 16" would be fine for a puppy (may actually be too much space if the puppy is just 12 weeks or so old) and that size can be okay for life if the Cavalier is small. We have Buddy in a 30" by 19" (he wieghs 20 lbs.). My guys are closed in their crates less than six hours a day, four days a week, but spend lots of additional time there by choice.

My five year old Clumber Spaniel (Hadley) was in a 36" by 24" crate but I recently switched her to a 42" by 28" one not because she needed the space but because our Cavalier Buddy and our Clumber puppy (Katy) (now six months) like to get in the crate with her and once Katy is full grown the 36" by 24" crate will be too small :)))(See my new Avatar!) Of course, Hadley has figured out that when she wants to be alone and have some peace and quiet she can climb in Buddy's smaller crate and there is no room for the other two. It is very funny to see a 61 Lb. dog in a 30" by 19" crate !!

Good luck with your new puppy!!
 
Last edited:
Our breeder had us get 2 crates (metal). One was extra small and the other is small. Our Abigail is on the small side so now the smaller crate is in the car and the larger in the house. I never thought our 4 pound pup would outgrow the smaller one but she didcavtiny

Heather R
 
I have a variety of crates in types and sizes, for different uses as the others have listed. Vivians day crate is a huge wire one, fits her, her litter box, bed, bowels and toys. She and Chelsea have nite crates that are vari kennels intermediate sized. Seem big but what the breeder suggested (not that they sleep in them). I had a smaller plastic nite crate that the door fell apart that was 14 in high, smaller but the dogs loved it. For agility practice I have a huge colapsable crate that came from Costco a few years ago, I agree with the poster that you have to lock the zippers togther or they will be scratched open( I use a small caribeaner? like for climbing). You may find that you need one type now and another later. Good luck.
 
Do you have a cat carrier? We have the plastic "airline" type crates and Alice started out in our cat's crate, it fit her perfectly when she was little. I like our style of crates, they are easy to clean if they potty or throw up in them. (Although our cav has never done either so far...) Our adult schnoodle went through a bout of diarrhea :eek: a few months ago, we were very grateful to have the easy clean plastic type crate!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top