Wire Dog Crates

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Dog Crates: Fact vs. Fiction

It just galls me every time someone tells me that crate training a dog is cruel – dogs shouldn’t live in ‘cages.’ These comments never go unanswered….

The first thing I do when running into the kind of person who makes this remark (generally I find these folks at the dog park with an out-of-control dog) is to try to educate the speaker about why dog crates are not only a good thing for a puppy but also a necessary item in the arsenal of keeping the dog (and your house….) safe.

Dogs In The Wild Live In Dens

I start by explaining that dogs in the wild live in dens. A wild dog’s den is frequently made of leaves or boughs of trees, grass, straw, or any other insulating, fluffy material they can find.

The dens in the wild also are cozy places for their inhabitants. A wild dog will make a den just large enough for the dog to enter, turn around, and lie down. Wild dogs retire to their dens to eat, sleep, or just relax. Wild dogs will also never willingly urinate or defecate in their den. The den is always kept pristine.

Similar to a wild dog’s need to make a den, a new puppy also has a need for a den. In Dash’s mind, his crate is his place of security. In my mind, it gives me a break from chasing him around the house or having an electrocuted basset puppy if he chews on a wire. We have a much nicer relationship now that Dash is crate trained.

When Dash first came to us, we didn’t just stick him in the crate and call it a day. Crate training is much more than that.

Selecting The Right Crate For Your Dog

The first thing we did was buy a dog crate, but, not just any crate. Since Dash was only 11 lbs at 10 weeks, he would outgrow any crate that fit him at that time very quickly. But, if we put him in an adult dog sized crate, he most likely would use the extra space for potty – definitely not our wishes.

That’s why we selected a crate with a divider panel which can be moved around to make the crate smaller for housebreaking but also can be moved later to expand the inside of the crate as Dash grows.

When selecting a dog crate, don’t just judge the crate based on your puppy’s current size, envision how large he will be as an adult and select a crate that will serve him well throughout the phases of his life. The crate we bought will serve as Dash’s crate for the rest of his life.

At first, the interior space of a puppy crate should be just large enough for your puppy to stand up and turn around. Dogs instinctively will not foul their ‘den’ (in this case, their crate) but, if the crate is too large, a puppy may use one end for urination/defecation and the other end for sleeping. If this happens, make the inside of the crate smaller with the use of a dividing panel. Using a crate in this way will greatly speed up housebreaking. It also will help in protecting your furniture from new sharp teeth.

For more specific information about the correct way to introduce any dog to a crate, check out the Humane Society’s article on crate training.

Dog crates come in four basic types:

• Wire dog crates. Wire crates will always have a door at one end. Some wire dog crates may have two doors – one on the end and one on the side. This lends the crate to increased accessibility as you have two places for the dog to enter or exit. Wire crates are my favorite as the inside can easily be made smaller to aid in house breaking.

For the purposes of this article, I will focus only on wire dog crates which are the ones I recommend for a growing puppy.

• Furniture type dog crates. These dog crates are made to look like a coffee table or maybe a side table. I think they are a wonderful way to keep a dog in the mainstream of the family’s activity without having your living room look like a kennel.
• Hard-sided dog crates. These types of crates are typically used for air travel. Hard-sided crates have a front which the dog can see through but the sides are solid. These types of dog crates are not able to be divided into smaller sections.
• Soft-sided collapsible crates. These dog crates are more portable than the wire crates and are great when going to a friend’s house, or a puppy training class.

Wire Dog Crates Suitable For A Basset Hound

Bassets are simply big, l-o-n-g on dogs short legs. Dash is well on his way to being at least 42″ long and weighing in close to 80 lbs. We needed to purchase a crate that would accommodate him, not only as a puppy, but as a full-sized adult dog. Unless you decide to upgrade your crate at different times through the basset’s development, I suggest getting at least a 42″ crate.

Also, I suggest purchasing a wire crate with a divider panel so that you can adjust the crate to the appropriate size to aid in house breaking. However, if you are given or purchase a wire dog crate without the divider, it’s easy enough to purchase a separate divider panel. Just make SURE you get the right size!

The newer wire crates are foldable and thus, much more portable than the wire crates of old. Older wire crates have long metal pins that go in each corner of the crate. I always hated setting up these types of crates. And, because of this hatred, all you’ll find in this section below are foldable dog crates.

 MidWest iCrate Double-Door Folding Metal Dog Crate, 42 Inches by 28 Inches by 30 Inches MidWest Life Stages Single-Door Folding Metal Dog Crate, 48 Inches by 30 Inches by 33 Inches Carlson Secure and Compact Single Door Metal Dog Crate, Extra Large Proselect Easy Dog Crates for Dogs and Pets – Black; Extra Large Lucky Dog 2-Door Training Crate, 42-Inch

Dog Crate Covers

Covering Dash’s dog crate, no matter what time of day it is, is his signal to calm down and chill out for a while. If we don’t cover the dog crate when Dash is inside, he gets too caught up in what’s going on around him.

You can cover the dog crate with an old blanket, a sheet or anything you want really. The below dog crate covers are just a bit snazzier as they can make the crate look as though it’s part of the decor (that’s a stretch….).

 Modern Blue Marine Dog Pet Wire Kennel Crate Cage House Cover (Small, Medium, Large, XL) (LARGE 36x24x27 MidWest Black Polyester Crate Cover for 42 Inch Wire Crates, 42 Inches by 28 Inches by 30 Inches You & Me Shelter Me Lightweight Crate Cover, X-Large, For Crates 42 Petmate Canvas Indoor/Outdoor Kennel and Crate Cover with Roll-up Windows, Maroon and Gray Crate Covers and More Double Door 22 Pet Crate Cover, Marbella Storm with Grey Polka Dot

Puppy Pads

I’m lucky enough to be able to be at home all day with Dash. I realize that’s not necessarily a normal scenario. If you find yourself with a puppy and a full time job, you might need some help with house breaking.

Puppy pads were developed to encourage puppies to go to the bathroom on the puppy pads. If you choose to use puppy pads, make sure to leave enough room in the crate to separate the bathroom area (covered with a puppy pad) from the sleeping area.

 All-Absorb 120 Count Training Pad, 17.5 by 23.5-Inch, White and Blue Arm & Hammer Ultra Absorbent Adult Dog Pads, 75 count All-absorb Training Pads 100-count, 22-inch By 23-inch Four Paws Wee-Wee Puppy Housebreaking Pads, 150-Pack Favorite® 22 Inch by 23 Inch Floor Protection Dog Training Pads/ Puppy Training Pads/Housebreaking Pads for Dogs/Potty Training for House Doggies, 100 Pack IRIS Training Pad Holder, Regular