May 22, 2016

What Kind of Crate should I get for my dog?

When getting a crate for a puppy who you may be trying to housetrain, you will need to get one that will be just the right size for your dog to only provide just enough space for a comfortable sleep and nothing else.
A wire crate, with a light blanket or towel thrown over top, usually is an ideal crate for dogs because they provide the most ventilation and can be more versatile than the hard plastic kind normally primarily used for traveling.
Most wire crates come with a divider these days and I would lightly recommend getting a crate which comes with a moveable divider.
Find out what the approximate height of the dog should be when then dog is full grown.  You will need the overall height, from the floor to the top of the dog's head and this will give you an idea of how high the crate needs to be. And, find out the height from the floor to his shoulder's, this will give you an approximate wide you will need for the crate.
Crates are an essential accessory for dogs throughout their lives and if you want to save some money by not having to purchase two crates, I would recommend getting a crate one size larger than what you really need for housetraining. Read more about how crates are not just for housetraining.
Use the divider to reduce the available room in the crate for the dog for housetraining purposes. Read more about housetraining your puppy.

Other recommendation I have

Avoid crates with a wire mesh on the bottom of the crate above a pull-out tray. For one, in order to use them you need a thick blanket on the bottom so it is comfortable for the dog. And two, the wire mesh serves no other purpose other than to let liquid and solid waste fall onto the tray. These types of wire crates will hinder your efforts in trying to housetrain your dog and frankly are uncomfortable without a thick blanket. I got one many years ago (see image with the white dog (Bolognese)) and I had regretted my purchase.
  • Get a crate with a removable divider for house training.
  • Make sure it has a removable tray for easy cleaning.
  • Second side door is completely optional but it may come in handy later (in years to come) on depending on how you want to set up and use the crate.
  • Plastic coated usually look great when you first get them but generally the plastic falls off after years of use.

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