Crate types

[simba]

What's your favourite crate type, and why? Not just brand, but style, and features you look for.

 

Are any brands or types known for being less sturdy?

 

Are different crate types suited for different things? How far can you make one crate fit multiple purposes (for example car and inside house)?

 

What's the most transportable crate type?

 

I am thinking of getting one for travel (car, staying in dog-friendly accommodation). I'm short and weak, so that's a factor.

 

 

I was searching through the threads on crates and couldn't find anything that covered exactly the stuff I wanted to know. I know there's a million threads on them already, sorry if this is one too many.

[GentleLake]

I love soft crates like Dog Digs (just one brand name of many) when I travel with my dogs. They won't provide any protection for your dog when you're driving, but would keep dogs who won't stay in one place or need to be separated from another, but that's about it. I use them when we get wherever we're going and the dogs need to be crated. They fold down small, are relatively lightweight, and are easy to pack with whatever else you're taking.

 

I used to use Vari-kennels and Pet Porters when I had a pick up truck (before the days of extended cabs) and dogs had to travel in the bed. Secure them well so they don't go flying.

 

I have wire crates and the vari-kennel style in the house for whoever wants to use them.

 

Most wire crates will fold down in a suitcase type arrangement for traveling, but they're much heavier than the soft crates. Some are pretty strong and some are quite flimsy, so be careful what you're choosing if you intend to crate your dog(s) while driving.

 

HTH

[Sue R]

If you might be using your crate for flying, make sure it meets the standards required - it must have screw-type connectors to hold top to bottom (not the quick-release plastic handles that some have for convenience). There are standards for how large it has to be for the dog (that the dog can stand up full height and full length, be able to turn around, etc., without crouching in any way. And for some air travel, at least, there must be ventilation on all four sides.

 

Just something to keep in mind so that when you do buy, you won't have to buy again...

[simba]

Oh, and the dog is totally new to crates. That's probably important.

 

Some of the guidelines are giving me quite different sizes too- one had 'base of neck to base of tail' and 'shoulder height' +3 in, one had the same measurements +6in.

 

Sorry for starting a new thread but I read everything that came up on searching variations of 'crate types', 'wire crates' etc. Once I got to page 8 of the generic 'crates' search I gave in and asked.

[Gideon's girl]

I have heavy duty wire crates for in the house, a few of them are 30 years old or more, so they have really stood the test of time. For in the car, I have light weight wire crates, so I can remove them/ move them by myself. I live in the hot south, so I prefer wire for circulation. I think if I lived in the great white north, I might want the coziness of a plastic carrier.

[Maralynn]

Medium duty wire crates in the house and in the car. I got most of them from ebay. Easy to transport, easy to transfer, easy to fit in the car. They won't provide much protection in the case of being rear ended (like almost every other crate out there), but other than that they provide very nice protection for the dogs in the car

[juliepoudrier]

I have mainly VariKennels and similar. My dogs prefer them, and they contain any accidents and also reduce the likelihood of stuff being dragged into the crate and chewed. They also provide greater privacy (more denlike) than a wire crate. I have covered wire crates with blankets, but that sort of defeats the purpose if you want air circulation. I do like wire crates for dogs on crate rest *when I am home,* because I think the restricted dog can feel more a part of things if they can see out on all sides. I do worry about dogs catching paws, tags/collars, etc., in a wire crate, and I don't think they are suitable for separating dogs that don't get along, but if I'm going to leave a dog in a wire crate, I prefer the Kennel-Aire types that have small square openings rather than the longer rectangular openings. Even so, the newer Kennel -Aire crates also seem less sturdy than the older styles.

 

I am currently living in a camper and space is at a premium. I borrowed some crates from the woman who owns the property. They are made by Dogloo and may be Furrari crates? They snap together, but the big plus for me in my current situation is that the doors are designed to be opened from either side (spring latches like a Varikennel/Pet Porter, but on both sides of the door). This means the door can be easily removed without taking the crate spart (partially or fully), a feature I love because it means I don't have doors sticking out in these tight quarters. There are some aspects of the design that I don't like as much as the Varekennels, but the double latching door is awesome.

 

As I said, I mainly have Varikennels, and the older ones are definitely sturdier than the newer models. I liked the twist latches on the old premium style Varikennels, but those that have held up best were the original style that screwed together. The newer Varikennel Ultras are not nearly as sturdy as the original Varikennels.

 

I also find plastic crates easier to stack. That may not be an issue in a single- or few-dog household, but at home and in the van, being able to easily stack crates is important to me. You could slip a piece of plywood between wire crates to stack them, but that's more trouble than I care to deal with, at least in the van, since I do remove crates wirh some regularity and wouldn't want to have to deal with the plywood to remove just some of the crate (I have 6 crates stacked in twos in the van, with a seventh at the back, large, so I can't put one on top, and I can fit an 8th intermediate size kennel in front of the stacked crates (between the stacked crates and the van's sliding door).

 

A final note: the Dogloo kennels are sized differently than the Varikennels. The XL Dogloo kennel is the same size as the large Varikennel, and the large Dogloo = the intermediate (300) Varikennel. So best to take actual measurements when comparing sizes of different types of crates.

 

J.

[juliepoudrier]

Please excuse typos above--fat fingering the tiny phone keyboard....

 

J.

[gcv-border]

I like different crates for different purposes. Although my dog is fine in a crate, I would never trust him in a soft crate while at a dog event unless I was close by. He is usually not crate aggressive, but every once in a while ..... I am not sure if it would hold up in such a situation. The soft crate is very light though, which I love.

 

I usually use wire crates since those were what I bought over the years. See caveats above.

 

I recently bought a Ruff Tough crate (very strong plastic). I like it a lot. It has ventilation holes, but not as good as a wire crate - obviously. The door swings open both ways. It is quite light, but because of its size, it can be cumbersome. It is not the clamshell design so you can not collapse it for storage.

[Gideon's girl]

My 30+ year old crates are all Kennel-Aires, and there are no kennels like them that I can find anywhere anymore.

[Olivia]

How can you tell if a wire crate is the stronger or more flimsy wire? I'm about to purchase a couple of wire crates to install in my new van for travel and want strong crates but when I look online I can't see any difference in the ones offered, just price.

[NCStarkey]

Olivia,

 

Check the weight of the crates you are considering. Heavier crates usually have thicker wire and the wires are spaced more closely together. Usually, the heavier the weight, the stronger the crate.

 

nancy

[Gideon's girl]

Usually, price is a factor, better quality metal costs more, unfortunately there isn't any way I know of to take into account how much you are paying for the company name. Weight is definitely a big factor. My Kennel Aire crates actually have thinner metal, but they are really strong, more wires, more welds, they weigh about 70 lbs each. My cheap ones weigh 20-25 lbs each.

[Alchemist]

I think there's no perfect crate. A lot depends on just what you're trying to use a crate for. Travel = safety in a vehicle? Or securing a dog at your destination?

 

The Vari-kennel style is good for providing security in a vehicle, and many dogs are happy with it indoors as a "den". It also contains mess in case of accidents or vomiting. But it's not light or easy to carry if you're as short and weak as I am. We keep a couple in our bedroom for crating some of the dogs at night (the ones that don't understand that sometimes we like to sleep late and not have a dog jump up on the bed at first dawn), but we don't haul them downstairs to load in our car. They're a bit wider than the Rough Tuff crates that are also good for providing security in a car (but are also inconvenient to load and unload or to carry upstairs each night).

 

I wasn't able to locate heavy-duty wire crates (like the Kennel-Aires, which don't seem to be made any longer) for sale, only the collapsible ones. I wouldn't trust the collapsible type I originally purchased for use in the car in case of an accident. They are very prone to starting to collapse if I look at them sideways - I fear if I were to get into an accident that I'd end up with dogs impaled on wire.

 

I don't tend to use a crate in a hotel. I'll bring some dog beds and the dogs will settle onto them. I do bring crates when I'm visiting my SIL or for when we're up at my in-laws place in NH - we might be gone all day and the dogs are better off crated. I usually bring the wire-type crates, already collapsed. They're not too heavy to load or unload from a car. A single crate doesn't take up too much luggage space while collapsed. Just don't rely on it to provide any protection for your dog in case of an accident. I've had one dog catch its teeth (as a puppy) in a wire crate, and I accidentally caught another dog's collar in the latch of a wire crate. I wouldn't want to leave a dog new to crates unsupervised in one. From that perspective the Vari-kennel (airplane) style crates or the Rough Tuff crates are safer, I think.

 

Soft-sided crates are fine as long as a dog won't try to chew its way out. Sometimes it's hard to anticipate the trigger that might cause a dog to want to do so. I definitely wouldn't want to put a dog new to crates in a soft-sided crate, not without close supervision, at least.

 

I seem to have two or three crates for each dog. I think that makes me a crate hoarder. I've started to purchase the ones that look like end tables so that the interior of the house doesn't look quite so much like a puppy mill, but one dog has already done some damage to the one I purchased most recently.

[Debbie Meier]

Love the Dogloo/Farrier crates!!! If you can ever find them snatch them up, often times you can find them on Craigslist for a fraction of new prices and I prefer the older crates as opposed to the new ones, seems the old ones are heavier. Down side on the Dogloo/Farrier is that I don't know that they will be airline approved since there are no bolts holding them together.

[juliepoudrier]

I seem to have two or three crates for each dog. I think that makes me a crate hoarder. I've started to purchase the ones that look like end tables so that the interior of the house doesn't look quite so much like a puppy mill, but one dog has already done some damage to the one I purchased most recently.

 

Yep, it's way easier to have multiple crates just so you don't have to move them around a lot. I have crates that stay in the house, and those that stay in the van. There are also crates in the kennel runs my dogs are using where we live now. It's nice not having to haul crates hither and yon. I will sometimes take a crate out of the van at a hotel (mainly if I'm concerned there could be an accident, for example, if traveling with a puppy). I also keep a couple of soft crates for use in hotels as well. I never leave a dog unattended in a hotel, so soft crates would be only for sleeping at night, and I've never had an issue with a dog chewing them.

 

I also like to have extra crates in the house for when company comes and needs them.

 

I have a few folding wire crates, but most of those were repurposed at some point to house chicks, chickens, etc. as needed. They can still be used for dogs, too, but usually I have so little room in my van when I travel that the soft crates or a crate or two from the van will just get pulled out....

 

Perhaps a crate hoarder support group is in order (since I also have a gazillion small crates for cats as well, lol!).

 

J.

 

[simba]

Securing a dog at our destination, mostly. I like the idea of security in a vehicle but it seems that might involve being too heavy for me to carry around. Best-case scenario I'd like to be able to bring it on public transport when I need to.

 

I figured, she doesn't need a crate at home, I won't get one- but I can definitely see the advantage of having a secure, familiar space she can go into when she's somewhere unfamiliar.

 

I'm always paranoid I'll be out with her somewhere she needs to be well-behaved and she'll see something new to her (cough goats freakfit cough) or start a strange new behaviour.

 

She decided about two years ago that coats couldn't be on coat pegs in our house, and went around gently and methodically taking them down. After a day she stopped again of her own accord.

[terrecar]

For Hannah, I have an old Midwest folding wire crate that I bought for my German Shepherd close to 20 years ago. It has held up very well. There is a space on the bottom front of those old crates that can catch a foot, so I have it fitted with a dog bed that butts up against both ends (and no collar on when crated). I also have a Vari Kennel which is close to 20 years old that has held up well. I will find Hannah snoozing in it from time to time. I have both wire and airline crates for smaller dogs hanging around.

[Sue R]

We used to break down, lug out of the house, pack into the car, unpack out of the car, lug in the house/rental/whatever, set up, and then repeat everything to go home - and these are our Midwest Ultima Three-Door 36" crates, which are sturdy and correspondingly heavy.

 

Since our three are very good with x-pens, we now have two of those - much lighter, easier to break down and set up, easy to stack in the car, and easy to configure for different reasons. So they are our traveling "crates" that we set up when visiting relatives or using a rental house.

 

My only regret is that I did not buy the kind with the built-in door. Our daughter has one and it is so much easier to use when putting dogs up, letting dogs out, going in and out myself. DH didn't like the ones with the doors but since I'm the one that does most everything with the dogs, I should have gone with my gut and gotten the ones with the doors.

 

One other think I like about the x-pens where they are a good option, is that you can set them up and have two (or more, if they get along that well) dogs share one; you can set one up in a figure-8 configuration so that two dogs can use one x-pen but are separated, like for feeding, if one is a slow feeder and the other is a speedy eater; and you can put two or more together if you want more room for multiple dogs.

 

Everyone's dogs and situations are different, and you just have to do your research and figure out what's best for you. You've gotten lots of good advice from very experienced folks, offering their views on alternatives. Good luck to you!

 

PS - Whether or not you use a crate with any regularity at home, I think it's always wise to have your dog(s) crate-trained. For travel safety; if the dog needs to be at the vet and confined or kenneled for any reason; in case of emergency, evacuation, etc.; for crate rest when being treated or recovering from injury or surgery; etc. It's good preparation for many, often unforeseen, situations.

[GentleLake]

 

 

PS - Whether or not you use a crate with any regularity at home, I think it's always wise to have your dog(s) crate-trained. For travel safety; if the dog needs to be at the vet and confined or kenneled for any reason; in case of emergency, evacuation, etc.; for crate rest when being treated or recovering from injury or surgery; etc. It's good preparation for many, often unforeseen, situations.

 

 

Absolutely agree! Think of the added stress on a dog who's not crate trained if it had to be crated at the vet or on an emergency and had to be confined under these already stressful situations. I think my dogs would actually feel safer in crates, since they're all so comfortable with them at home.

[Gideon's girl]

Add me to the list for Crate Hoarders Anonymous. I have 3 dogs and 10 crates for dogs. I have 3 cats and 7 crates for cats. I have 1 ferret and 2 crates for ferrets, hmm, I think I need another ferret crate. I also have 2 x pens, a large run, spare stalls in the barn, and more cross fencing than anybody needs(that's as close as I can come to crates for the horses).

 

I need an intervention. But I'm happy!

[GentleLake]

LOL You've even got me beat. I have 3 dogs and 8 crates, though in my defense, 2 of them are puppy sized.

[simba]

Yeah, I figured it would be no harm to have the behaviour trained.

 

So basically what I'm getting from this thread is that, when I'm sitting in a house with 10 crates and no dog because they keep making the crates dirty, I can't say I wasn't warned...

[GentleLake]

NO! We'll never tell you to have no dogs!

[simba]

I saw hens in a market today and my first thought, when seeing it from a distance, was 'Ooh, there's a crate for sale! What are those brown things in it?'

 

So general consensus is that the wire ones are good, as are Vari-kennels, wire ones are noisier in the car and catch more but can fold up. Soft crates seem to be closest to what I was looking for but from reading here and old threads she'd probably rip through it if she really wanted to be out of it, so not a good bet for a noob. So from the thread here the folding wire kennels seem to be best?

 

Now off to look for a sale or something. Crates are expensive. I suppose I'm used to 'ordinary' dog accessories and have been spoiled- leads and tags and collars are cheap.

 

Gideon's girl- you can get those temporary stall kits. Those are pretty much folding crates for horses!