What size/brand crate?

[RemsMom]

In a couple of weeks I am attending a seminar and will need to bring my puppy along. I was thinking of purchasing a collapsible, soft crate. Any recommendations as to size and brand? I would like to purchase the crate online if possible.

[Gloria Atwater]

Depends how big your puppy is. How old/big is he?

I got a really nice soft crate for motel use from Amazon.com that's made by EliteField. It's big, but it's for my boy.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004ZUCPUE/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00

They make smaller ones, too:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_pet-supplies?ie=UTF8&field-brandtextbin=EliteField&node=2619533011

~ Gloria

[RemsMom]

Thank you for the links. My puppy is 12 weeks old and 11lbs. but I would like to get a crate that will hold her as adult. My daughter will be the one participating in the seminar with a dog that belongs to a friend. My daughter is also going an agility trial over two days in July. Since we will be away for most of the day I don't want to leave pup at home but I want to have someplace safe to put her if she needs to rest (or I need a break).

[G. Festerling]

Not to be contrary.....but the word safe in connection with the soft crates just always gives me pause.

[RemsMom]

I was thinking safe as in contained. I would not be leaving her unsupervised. I would be keeping a close eye on her.

 

I have never had a soft crate but I saw them at the last seminar I attended and thought it might be nice to have one.

[Gloria Atwater]

I was thinking safe as in contained. I would not be leaving her unsupervised.

 

Glad to hear that, because the number one complaint in the reviews for the soft crate I bought was from owners whose dogs chewed or clawed their way out. Soft crates are very destructible!

 

~ Gloria

[GoodbyeHalcyonDays]

I use a soft-sided crate to travel with my dog on the NYC subway rarely when I need to get him somewhere else. I got it from Amazon for about $50 a few years back, but the price hasn't changed much since then I see.

 

http://www.amazon.com/ABO-Gear-Digs-Crate-Large/dp/B000FOTUJI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403155103&sr=8-1&keywords=abo+crate

 

I use the medium for a 50 lb. dog who is about 20 inches in neck, 22 inches in length, and about 24 inches tall, and there's more than enough room for him to spare; if he is snuggled in on himself, half the crate is still available. The cool thing about this crate, and the reason why I bought it, is that it folds up into a very neat canvas tote that you can just put on your back (think violin case, but much thinner), so it works well for me.

[NorthfieldNick]

I have a soft crate for travel. Both my boys would kennel up in a paper bag. However... Hoot (5 yrs) knows how to undo the zipper on the soft crate, and Nick (10 yrs) makes it roll by pushing on the sides. I found Hoot curled up in the crate with the zipper undone, and Nick stuck against a wall with the crate at an odd angle If I were you, I'd get an appropriately sized solid or foldable metal crate for now. I'd worry about your pup chewing its way out of the soft crate, and subsequently learning that it CAN do that. A solid crate for an 11 Lb dog is pretty manageable (the crate for the boyfriend's 23 Lb dog is tiny compared to my 45-50 Lb dogs' crates). Buy a soft crate later when your dog is an adult, and has an attention span longer than the average gnat's

 

I have the same crate as the post above mine linked to. It's light & foldable, but still kind of large. I might have the size larger- Hoot only weighs 50 Lbs, but 90% of that is legs.

[G. Festerling]

^^ put so much better than what I did.

 

Also, it is very easy to get a false sense of security. The plan is, not to leave. Something comes up....oh, he will be ok, it is only for a second....but one can get delayed.

 

And make no mistake, I have used one. Did not dislike it. But as my dog at the time liked to enter a crate at rather high speed....this invariably ended up with dog and crate slipping across half the room before coming to a halt.

 

Oh, and I learned not to stack that crate on another for that reason.

[Camden's Mom]

I got a really nice soft crate for motel use from Amazon.com that's made by EliteField. It's big, but it's for my boy.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004ZUCPUE/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00

 

My sister gave Camden this crate for Christmas last year and we LOVELOVELOVE it. Seriously, it's so easy to transport (just folds right up and goes into a portfolio style canvas bag with a shoulder strap). Set up and break down takes no time at all (less then a minute once you know how it's done), it's not too heavy and it's got a couple extra pouches for storage. I have no idea how well it would hold a dog/puppy who is actively trying to get out of it, lol, but I can say that it's a great portable crate for a crate trained dog. I also got the 36" and it's plenty big enough for my boy who weighs in at 40lbs. I think it could easily hold a 50lb BC, but I don't mind him having the extra room to stretch out. It's an investment at $70 but it will probably be a very useful item for many years to come!

[GentleLake]

Soft crates are great, but can be problematic if a dog's destructive, as people have said.

 

When I got mine (looks similar to the one GoodbyHalcyonDays linked to, but folds down to fit into into a tubular style carry bag, much like a lawn chair), I tried it out at home first to make sure the dogs would be OK in them. I left them sit open in the living room for a couple days so they could investigate and go in and out at will, then would put them in for short periods of time with the door zippered while I was there and if there was any attempt at scratching, digging, etc., I was there to give a verbal reprimand. Neither bothered it though. Of course, my dogs were already crate trained

 

When the third dog came, I just trained her to the soft crate at the same time as I was training her to the other crate. No problems.

 

So, if you're there to supervise, it should be OK. I wouldn't use it with a dog known to be destructive, though.

 

I got mine (Dog Digs brand) at Big Lots several years ago. They don't have them any more, but they do regularly get another brand that I've considered picking one of up. It folds flat. I think I paid around $45 for them, and that's what the Large in the current brand runs, as well. Definitely worth checking out odd lots stores if there are any in your area.

 

I have 36" soft crates (I'm pretty sure that's Large) that I use for my guys, who are 42, 39 and 36.5 lb. dogs and they all have plenty of room in them.

 

ETA: Dog Digs is ABO Gear (name change?), which is why they look similar. They are. I can definitely recommend them.

[HJTRAS]

Soft crate for a border collie. put a camera on that be fun to watch the destruction.

[GentleLake]

^^ That's really not a fair or accurate representation of a border collie.

 

I really believe that border collies tend to be less destructive than many other breeds, unless, of course, you're not providing them with sufficient exercise and mental stimulation. At least that's been my experience.

 

Sure, puppies will chew until they realize, usually pretty darn quickly, that it's not acceptable. Or they learn what things are acceptable to chew.

 

But if you've read the previous posts, you'll see that many of us have been using soft crates quite successfully. Mine look brand new, except for a few scuff marks on the corners, but that was from dragging them around, not from anything my dogs did to them.

 

So it could be a pretty boring video.

[Gideon's girl]

I had a GSD that used to roll a big heavy metal crate. I've never even had to correct one of my BCs for pushing the side of an x-pen, much less something exciting in a crate.

[Tess's Girl]

My girl is not very destructive at all. I've had her almost a year now and I've never had a problem with her chewing anything inappropriate, she doesn't even destroy her toys. She has always loved her crate and never had a problem being in it.

 

Well my mom bought her a soft crate for Christmas to keep at my parent's house for when we visit. She did fine with it for weeks. I got her acclimated to it, left her in it for short periods of time, the whole nine yards.

 

I came home one day and she met me in the living room. There was a nice Tess-sized hole in the front of the crate. I don't think I had even been gone an hour.

 

It was completely unexpected. She had never shown any inclination to chew on it, but when she did, she went all the way through it. Luckily she didn't ingest any of it or we might've had a nice obstruction on our hands.

 

So I would recommend proceeding with caution if a soft crate is what you're looking for.

 

Personally, I love the airline crates. Tess loves her crate. I also have a wire crate for traveling and it folds flat. I leave it in my SUV and just pop it up when I need to take Tess somewhere.

[RemsMom]

Thank you for all the input, I really appreciate it!

 

I think I will purchase a soft crate and slowly get my puppy used to it. I have to admit that my puppy has been the most difficult to crate train but she is slowly warming up to the crate. I have her in a wire crate and will move her to an airline crate when she outgrows the wire one (my former adult dogs range from 8 to 95 lbs).

 

I got my puppy to be an agility dog for my 12 year old daughter and to be our second dog (I don't feel our family is complete without two dogs) and I want to be able to take her everywhere but I want her to have a safe, quiet place to rest when she needs it.

 

When I told my adult daughter I was thinking about purchasing a soft crate her response was, "Won't she just chew it up?"

[Gloria Atwater]

Soft crate for a border collie. put a camera on that be fun to watch the destruction.

 

 

Don't be a wise acre. If you read the posts here, a number of us DO own and use soft crates. If a border collie is properly trained to a crate, there is absolutely no reason they can't use a soft crate. My 48 pound working boy does just fine in a soft crate when we're traveling. A destructive dog, meanwhile, can shred even metal if he really wants to.

 

~ Gloria

[alligande]

At an agility trial you will see masses of soft crates, it is what most people use, for all breeds. I have had dogs unzip them, but not eat through them. I would use one for a puppy as a crate, as I am sure a bored puppy will eat its way out, I did use a soft crate at agility when my guy was still being crated but he was under supervision.

[GentleLake]

I would use one for a puppy as a crate, as I am sure a bored puppy will eat its way out, I did use a soft crate at agility when my guy was still being crated but he was under supervision.

 

For the record (and for people who may come later to this thread looking for help deciding), I'm assuming you mean you would not use a soft crate for a puppy.

 

I wouldn't recommend a soft crate either for a pup for long term use without supervision, but at an event where the pup can be supervised and corrected for any inappropriate behavior, I still think it'll be fine.

[alligande]

 

For the record (and for people who may come later to this thread looking for help deciding), I'm assuming you mean you would not use a soft crate for a puppy.

 

I wouldn't recommend a soft crate either for a pup for long term use without supervision, but at an event where the pup can be supervised and corrected for any inappropriate behavior, I still think it'll be fine.

Yes you are right I did mean "not".... I had no problems leaving a puppy in the crate at events where I was returning frequently but would not have left him in there at the house and gone out or overnight.

[WildFlower]

I use soft crates in hotels when traveling. They are much more convenient to carry and pack then metal crates. They just sleep in them in the hotel.

 

All of my dogs are crate trained. I would never leave them unsupervised in a soft crate.

[gcv-border]

A little late to this topic, but just wanted to agree with many others that said "don't leave a pup/dog unsupervised in a soft crate."

 

I understand the appeal of a soft crate. I bought one about 14 years ago on the advice of a friend when I was going to an agility seminar. My dog successfully remained in her crate, but I was right next to her or was working with her the whole time. Since then, I can not think of a time that I have used the soft crate.

 

I certainly would NOT use it at an agility trial at which a dog is left unsupervised -- going to the bathroom, getting lunch, walking the course, loading and unloading the car, shopping, volunteering.... etc. I do not worry about my dog that is in a covered wire crate. (the fold-up suitcase type)

 

I know quite a few people do use the soft crates, but IMHO, soft crates are a little like electric fences -- if a dog really wants to get out or get in, it doesn't take much effort.

 

I would recommend putting the money towards a good collapsible metal crate that will work at agility trials. I wouldn't trust a pup in a soft crate at your July agility trial. Peace of mind. Just my 2 cents.

[juliepoudrier]

For the record, I have used soft crates, even for puppies, mainly for staying in a hotel at night, but I have also left a pup in a soft crate at a trial field while I was working. I could check on the pup occasionally but obviously wasn't right there with it the whole time. But those pups were all crate trained beforehand and had appropriate things to chew on while in the crate. And of course I was in the vicinity, if not right next to the pup.

 

I have left adult dogs in soft crates at home, usually when there's company and we needed to crate more dogs than there were crates for in the house. In that case, the dog(s) in the soft crate(s) was one that was crate trained and trusted not to destroy or damage a crate.

 

I have a friend who has those really thin cloth crates that fold flat, and we call them gerbil balls because the dogs really can just roll around in them. Even so, none of her dogs actually chews or tears one....

 

And for what it's worth, I have had dogs damage Varikennels (at least to the point of getting a door open), chew the hell out of the plastic of a Varikennel, spring the door on a metal Kennel-Aire crate, and so forth. <--In these cases, one dog was trying to get another dog, so not quite the same thing, but the fact remains that a determined dog can damage and escape from crates much sturdier than a soft crate.

 

I also know of friends' dogs who have damaged non-cloth crates when in a panic (e.g., during a storm).

 

So, although cloth crates are more fragile than other types, if the dog is crate trained it probably is no more likely to damage a soft crate than any other crate, barring some sort of extenuating circumstances. Any damage that my soft crates have is strictly the result of something *I've* done, usually in my haste to break a crate down.

 

J.

[GentleLake]

I else my dogs unattended in soft crate all the time. They're my travel crates and, as I said in my original reply, my dogs are otherwise crate trained and I trained them to the soft crates as well.

 

I suppose YMMV, but I have no qualms about leaving my dogs in soft crates. I wouldn't do it if I had a dog that had issues with being crated, or was reactive to things outside the crate to the point it might try to escape any crate, but those caveats are just common sense, imo.