Dog crate help?

djc315

I live in a very small space and need to crate my dog. For the past 9 months we used her airplane crate, which is huge. But I am finally able to get furniture for ME and the crate doesn't fit (the crate was literally the only furniture for 9mos lol). I am looking for a good durable collapsible crate, one that I could easily take out and put away when it is needed.

Trust me, I wouldn't crate her if I didn't have to. She does pretty good a few hours at a time but she is a chewer/rips everything a parter.. And she chews more when she is stressed. I've been unemployed for a few months and she is used to me being home - but now I have a job I am starting Monday. She is going to be stressed . When she was a puppy she actually got out of a metal crate by ripping the bars a part - it was a cheap wire crate but still. (once she ripped the wires apart, I was able to bend them in half and break them. It really was a cheap crate...but still!)

Sedona (the pup) is 35-40 pounds. I've been leaving her "free" a lot this past week during errands or other odd jobs I do and she's been doing great - but I still think longer than 5 hours she will start ripping a part my couch.

I've considered locking her in the kitchen or bathroom but since I rent, I am too worried she will rip the floor up.

So...any suggestions on collapsible crates?

DrBentonQuest

Rather than crating the dog, you might consider hiring a walker? Someone who would come in for about an hour in the middle of the day to break up the monotony for the dog?

I definitely wouldn't lock her in the bathroom or kitchen--the dog will really get into mischief.

My dog has a crate in my bedroom. It is always built and the door is always open. My bedroom door is also always open. She knows when I put her in the crate, it means I need her to chill out for a little bit, but she's also got free reign of my apartment. It is also a good safety zone for her. When she knows she's been bad, like eating something out of the garbage, she'll run in the crate and hang out there for a bit.

It is definitely something that is trained into a dog. I'd make sure the crate is the appropriate size for a medium-sized dog, but also make sure your pup has something in there that he or she recognizes--a blanket or pad that he or she loves to sleep on. Something like that. Otherwise, she's going to be trying to break out and pissing and ****ting everywhere.

Cr01502

You Muss beee Dee Pack Leaderrrrr!

MsEmmy

Dogs shouldn't be left for more than four hours even when free in the house so I'm not surprised she gets so upset. To be honest, you are expecting too much of her to think she could stay in any crate for more than four hours. If you are going to be in work you will need to get a dogwalker or ask a friend or family member to help out by letting her out of the crate and walking her or keeping her company in your home. Dogs are social pack animals, not to mention she needs to pee...

MsEmmy

You Muss beee Dee Pack Leaderrrrr!

Cesar Milan is an idiot.

DavidC1857

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00063MQJ4/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is the one I started with when she was a puppy. She outgrew it and I had to go with a bigger one. As you can see, there are many sizes to choose from. It is easy to unfold, fold and transport.

You should get one large enough that the dog can stand up, turn around and lie down easily without having to curl up. I put a lot of old towels in it for bedding.

Most dogs that are crate trained will turn to the crate as their bedroom. It is a dogs natural instinct to either sleep with the pack (you), or in a confined space. If properly trained, the dog will see the crate as a safe place.

Edit: I also agree that leaving her in the crate for too long is not the best. My dog slept all night in her crate. So they can go 8+ hours. But I was there so that if something came up and she needed out, I could get up and let her outside.

They also need to get out and stretch. It would be better for your dog if someone could take her out for a bit during the day. Most adult dogs can go a pretty long time without needing to pee. But it would be more comfortable for them if they were not in it all day.

DrBentonQuest

Cesar Milan is an idiot.

What? He's Mexican Jesus!

He goes into broken homes and brings peace and resolution.

MsEmmy

Cesar Milan is an idiot.

What? He's Mexican Jesus!

He goes into broken homes and brings peace and resolution.

He teaches outmoded and dangerous methods and he also beats dogs

MsEmmy

Edit: I also agree that leaving her in the crate for too long is not the best. My dog slept all night in her crate. So they can go 8+ hours. But I was there so that if something came up and she needed out, I could get up and let her outside.

Eight hours sleep at night is natural for people and dogs but more than 4-5 hours a day is not fair on them. As you say, you were there if she got distressed at night anyway.

thisismeraw

If you have a PetSmart around they have crates that fold down when you don't need them.

Does your dog have a lot of bones around to keep her busy and give them something to chew on? Not the ones with the balls on the end or rawhides. Or those Kong things help keep the dog busy.

If you can afford it maybe hire a dog walker? Or if you have a nice neighbour, friend or family member that can stop by and take the dog out for a bit in the middle of the day while you are gone at work. A friend of mine gets her friend to come by once a day to take the dog out for a walk. She gives him a couple bucks for each walk so it works out great and is cheaper than a normal dog walker.

StrongerKelly

Cesar Milan is an idiot.

What? He's Mexican Jesus!

He goes into broken homes and brings peace and resolution.

He teaches outmoded and dangerous methods and he also beats dogs

Can't stand him. Victoria Stilwell is SO much better. We watched her show and read her book (It's Me or the Dog: How to Raise the Perfect Pet) before bringing our puppy home. He's fantastic, well-behaved, friendly, and happy because we were equipped to train him from the start.

To the OP, our dog is crate-trained, and although he's not an anxious dog, he cannot be left out alone because he's a professional chewer. We have taught him that his crate is his "room" - his happy place. He goes in there whenever he just wants to rest... door wide open. Our crate is metal with a plastic bottom (we have put old sheets, my husband's gross old white undershirts, which the dog LOVES, and old towels in there so he's comfy). We can take it apart for traveling, but it's not easily reconstructed. It's better quality than the collapsible ones, which tend to be made of cheaper materials. I recommend finding a good quality crate (look on Craigslist for good deals because a new one runs over 100 bucks) and MAKING room for it. Your dog needs her own space, even if just a little bit.

Duck_Puddle

I have a demon spawn 100 lb yellow lab puppy who has eaten: chunks of the driveway that she chewed off, a stainless steel collander, a few steak knives, multiple "indestructible" toys, the siding off the house, part of a cinder block and much, much more. She has a collapsible crate from petsmart and although she tried, she wasn't able to chew her way out of that. She lost her bedding priviledges because she ate the towels/pads/beds, but seemed to be comfortable in there anyway. She's not crated anymore, but she occasionally goes in there for some peace and quiet.

3dogsrunning

baileysmom4

I can't quit watching this!

AFaris2262

I truly believe create training is good, especially when they're puppies. We crate-trained our German Shepherd and now we can leave him alone in the house for 8 hours with no problems. One thing that worked great was having 1 specific treat for when he needed to go to his crate. He knew if I grabbed a milkbone and put peanut butter on it, where he needed to go. Now that we don't have the crate out anymore, he still goes to the same place and lays down to get his treat before we leave.

We got our crate at Petsmart. One of the collapsible ones that we could take anywhere with us, when we traveled. That was it was familiar to him. We would leave it open all the time, and he found it to "his place". He could go there and chill out if he wanted to. When we had company over, I could easily fold it and slide it under the sofa or in another room to get it out of the way.

djc315

Thank you for all the input!


My friend will be stopping by mid day (or mid shift of mine) to take Sedona for a walk (or run) and spend some time outside (and with my friends dog, too). I can even ask her to come by more than once if the day is really long - and I will. But I still need a crate for her. She is almost 3 and doesn't mind the crate. However, I live in a studio apartment - my current crate is not going to work. She gets a special treat every time she goes in the crate, and like AFaris' dog, any time I get that treat she goes right to her crate. If I didn't have to crate her, I wouldn't. I'm not really for it, but some dogs need to be.

She has MANY bones. I swear every time I go out I bring her home another one haha.

AFaris2262 what is the crate from Petsmart you have?

I have a demon spawn 100 lb yellow lab puppy who has eaten: chunks of the driveway that she chewed off, a stainless steel collander, a few steak knives, multiple "indestructible" toys, the siding off the house, part of a cinder block and much, much more. She has a collapsible crate from petsmart and although she tried, she wasn't able to chew her way out of that. She lost her bedding priviledges because she ate the towels/pads/beds, but seemed to be comfortable in there anyway. She's not crated anymore, but she occasionally goes in there for some peace and quiet.

This is Sedona. She has eaten so many "indestructible" toys. And other things that make you go WTF? She shreds her towels/beds/blankets within minutes - even when I am home. And yes, she gets a lot of exercise so it isn't lack of exercise lol. She has gotten better as she gets older (she is almost 3) but she is still a dog that will destroy everything. What is the crate you got that she couldn't get through?

ladymiseryali

You Muss beee Dee Pack Leaderrrrr!

Cesar Milan is an idiot.

QFT! He uses torture devices on the dogs. Not cool.

Duck_Puddle

I have a demon spawn 100 lb yellow lab puppy who has eaten: chunks of the driveway that she chewed off, a stainless steel collander, a few steak knives, multiple "indestructible" toys, the siding off the house, part of a cinder block and much, much more. She has a collapsible crate from petsmart and although she tried, she wasn't able to chew her way out of that. She lost her bedding priviledges because she ate the towels/pads/beds, but seemed to be comfortable in there anyway. She's not crated anymore, but she occasionally goes in there for some peace and quiet.

This is Sedona. She has eaten so many "indestructible" toys. And other things that make you go WTF? She shreds her towels/beds/blankets within minutes - even when I am home. And yes, she gets a lot of exercise so it isn't lack of exercise lol. She has gotten better as she gets older (she is almost 3) but she is still a dog that will destroy everything. What is the crate you got that she couldn't get through?

We got the Petsmart brand crate (don't remember the brand exactly, but their store brand). The box was no match for her, as an 8 week old pup she had the box shredded before the crate was put together. But the crate has stood the test of time. We have the XL size (I think), it came with a divider that we used when she was smaller (moved it as she grew). It has a door on the side and the end so you can set it up whatever way works best for your room. It worked for us. She is a danger to herself with her chew toy choices (not that she doesn't have an ample supply of appropriate toys), so we had to crate her when we weren't home or were sleeping.

LissaK1981

I prefer drop pin crates to folding. You can take the completely apart and clean them. They don't make them very heavy duty anymore. Also cover your dogs crate with a towel or blanket. Make sure it is in a location that suits your dogs personality as well. If your dog like a lot of attention have it in a part of the house you will be in a lot, if it prefers quiet place somewhere like a bedroom or bathroom. I used to make my own dog beds out of foam and old blankets, they are super simple. Does your dog chew the bedding as well?
During the day when you are home while your dog is not looking place a few treats in the crate. Keep doing this for several days to weeks. Whenever you get a new toy, place it in the crate without your dog seeing. When you eat, if you want to give your dog any "people food" place it in its crate. Soon your dog will start going to its crate often, "checkin for goodies" and will associate it as a good place. My dog would go to his crate as soon as I started cooking cause he knew I would give him small treats. He would wait there until we were done eating. Makes a polite "non begger" dog.
While you are home get your dog used to being in it for different amount of time. 5 minutes here, 30 minutes there. The crate should be comfortable enough your dog will go to it on its own and sleep in it. Never use it as a punishment, ever.
I highly recommend the Petstages Orka jack.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=instant-video&field-keywords=orka+jack
I haven't seen a dog yet that doesnt like these. Put treats in one side, peanut butter in the other, and you got one happy dog.
These are nice looking:
http://www.petsupplies.com/item/midwest-wooden-dog-crate-table-cover/492537 42/?srccode=GPPETSUP&gclid=COKq5-yP_bYCFYRM4AodK08ANA

RhineDHP

So cute!!!

Duck_Puddle

I have a demon spawn 100 lb yellow lab puppy who has eaten: chunks of the driveway that she chewed off, a stainless steel collander, a few steak knives, multiple "indestructible" toys, the siding off the house, part of a cinder block and much, much more. She has a collapsible crate from petsmart and although she tried, she wasn't able to chew her way out of that. She lost her bedding priviledges because she ate the towels/pads/beds, but seemed to be comfortable in there anyway. She's not crated anymore, but she occasionally goes in there for some peace and quiet.

This is Sedona. She has eaten so many "indestructible" toys. And other things that make you go WTF? She shreds her towels/beds/blankets within minutes - even when I am home. And yes, she gets a lot of exercise so it isn't lack of exercise lol. She has gotten better as she gets older (she is almost 3) but she is still a dog that will destroy everything. What is the crate you got that she couldn't get through?

We got the Petsmart brand crate (don't remember the brand exactly, but their store brand). The box was no match for her, as an 8 week old pup she had the box shredded before the crate was put together. But the crate has stood the test of time. We have the XL size (I think), it came with a divider that we used when she was smaller (moved it as she grew). It has a door on the side and the end so you can set it up whatever way works best for your room. It worked for us. She is a danger to herself with her chew toy choices (not that she doesn't have an ample supply of appropriate toys), so we had to crate her when we weren't home or were sleeping.