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Which one is better?

vicarrieous

Well-known member
I have heard of people using both and I wondered? Which is better: a plastic crate/kennel (like a pet taxi I guess) or a wire crate?

I have a friend so said she will NEVER use a wire crate and only uses a pet carrier as her pup's crate at night and when they travel.

On the other hand I have seen people use just the wire crate.

Is there a big difference? Should you only be using one or the other or a combination of both?

What do you think?
 
Wire crates are not very easy to port around in a car and can rip fabric. Also they are more easily crushed in an accident.

I use plastic crates for transport and wire crates at home.
 
We use both; we have a wire crate that we keep at home, where the puppy is crated during the day. For travel we use the Vari Kennel hard plastic crate because it's smaller, has a handle, is sturdier and easier to transport. I like the wire crate for home because it's larger and the puppy can see out of it more; the plastic one is more enclosed and is safer for travel.
 
Do you know of any negative issues with crating them in a plastic crate at home? We do the wire at home and plastic crate for travel but it seems if they serve the same purpose why not just have one that you can keep at home and is portable?
 
Hmm Like Karlin I use plastic for transport and Wire for home, but when I do have to use plastic in the home there can be a tendancy for them to get chewed. On the plus side you can split the plastic kennels into 2 and make 2 beds out of them!!

The wire crates fold flatter and are far easier to store than their plastic counterparts, they are also far easier to clean.
 
I also use both types of crates. I have the wire one in the family room, and I keep a blanket over the top and sides (makes it more like a den for him). I like it because it came with a divider to make it smaller for now, and then as he gets bigger, he can use the entire size. I use the plastic type carrier for in the car when he goes to the vet, puppy classes, etc.
 
We use the vari-kennel plastic crate and our girl loves it. We have 3. One upstairs by our bed for night time, one in the family room for when I need to sneak out for an hour or two, and one firmly seatbelted in the backseat of our SUV.

I may consider a wire cage for Summer though. I am wondering if the plastic ones get a little too stuffy when the weather warms up?
 
All of our crates are the plastic type. When someone goes to a show, vet, etc., they are in the same crate they are used to being in at home. It's just a matter of simple logistics for us, as we have a lot of dogs: where would we put all the plastic crates if they were in wire crates at home? I also think the plastic crate gives them more of a den-type feeling.

Frankly, I don't think there is a right or wrong answer, it's simply a matter of what your dog likes and what works for you. I have always believed in the old saying "If it works, don't fix it".

As far as being cool in the summer, our dog room (where they sleep at night and we do all our grooming) is somewhat air conditioned and we have a fan/air filter that rotates and runs 24/7, so they are comfortable.
 
I use wire crates only now, both in the car and at home and have found them very good. I started out with a soft-sided crate that I used to move between the house and car when needed when he was a young pup, but I upgraded to two wire crates, one in the car and one inside the house, when he decided he did not want to stay in his soft-sided crate when we had to leave him for an hour during the day and made a new opening in it for himself. Was the first and only time he ever did any damage to it but it was enough, it couldn't be fixed and we can't have him loose in the house (separation anxiety, he ruins our doors and furniture if not crated). Wire crates seemed like a safer alternative and so far it has worked brilliantly.
 
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