What size crate......

[Jana's Mumma]

When I get a pup should I get a pup sized crate then when she/he's older move into a bigger one or begin with one that's a bit big?

[Tassie]

Hi Naomi

 

Depends a bit on how long the pup is going to be crated. My dogs started in a cat crate, then went to a borrowed dog travel crate, then moved up to a wire crate big enough for an adult. Now they don?t need their crate, except in the car, where they have a big one that they both fit in and can lie down comfortably in. Oh, and I also have a big (4?x 4?x 4?) stainless steel cage which I can set up inside or outside if I need to keep them confined ? like when our dog club had the instructors meeting and BBQ at my house ? the pups were youngsters, and it was easier to have them in their pen.

 

I was just thinking ? you?re doing a great job doing lots of reading and preparation ? have you come across Kim?s Black Dog Farm site yet ? she has the greatest set of Border Collie links, and they?re really well sorted out. Here?s the link

http://www.geocities.com/black_dog_farm/BCLinks.html

(Actually, it wasn?t working just now, but her server might be down for some reason.)

[INU]

I read somewhere that you can buy a bigger crate and then block some portion of it with wood or something and gradually expand the usable space for your dog as she grows. That way you don't need to buy different ones.

 

I bought a plastic one that fits perfectly to mine and yes she is growing really fast

but that was only like 15 US dollars (like 30 AU dollars?)

[INU]

wow! that was my 100th post

I didn't think I would be so active on a board online.

[Jana's Mumma]

I had actually looked at that site but thanks anyway Barb.

[border_collie_crazy]

for a border collie, if you get a vari kennel, you need an intermedite, or a 300 for other types

[Betsy]

We have a huge - and I mean HUGE - crate. It's big enough for me to get in, sit with my legs straight out and my body straight up, and nothing touches the ends or top of the cage. I got it at a garage sale - the original owners had a great pyranees.

 

We have used this crate since Riley was brought home at 6 weeks old (yes, I now know we should have waited until he was 7 weeks old). My husband cut a piece of plywood to fit snugly inside with holes in the corners to tie it to the cage so it couldn't be moved. He would still urinate it in because it was still pretty long, so we tried putting a box in there to make the space smaller, but he chewed it up. So I rummaged around the house to find something of the appropriate size that was not chewable - the bread machine! This lasted for a few days until he managed to climb on TOP of the slippery bread machine and urinated ON it. :eek: Needless to say, my friends won't eat my homemade bread when they come over.

[SarahPL]

I have used the same crate for all my dogs. It originally belonged to my wolfhound mix, so it is fairly large. I used the blocking method. When we first got our puppies I filled up the majority of the crate with wooden wine crates. We had success with this method, of course you have to be sure and let them out frequently enough to prevent accidents, but our last puppy was house trained by 3.5 months. Not too bad! Plus it's cheaper this way!