What size crate??

Hi i posted before regarding what essential i need to get for my new puppy before she arrive, i have decided to use a crate and just wondering what size i would need as she will be using it as a adult dog?? thanks

As big as you can afford & comfortably fit in your home! Mine's 31" x 27" x 25". Which is big enough for Dempsey to stretch out & sleep comfortably. As he isn't left locked in it for any length of time I didn't think he needed a huge one.

By the time he was full grown the door was left open & he can come & go as he likes.

This is the one I bought - it's the last one on the list...
http://www.petstore.uk.com/rosewood_dog_cages.cfm

But you can get them a lot cheaper than that on ebay!

I agree with Caryll, I would get a large one and while she is a puppy and being housetrained, divide it so that she has her bed on one side and papers or pads on the other at night. You can buy crate dividers if you do get a really large one and want to 'cut it in half' while she is a pup because if she has too much space, she will mess everywhere apart form her bed. You really just want enough space for her bed and for her toilet while she's still young to keep the mess to a minimum.

Personally I don't like crates, I do use them when a new dog comes into my house until the new dog can intergrate with my gang but once they have, I don't use the crate.

I don't use it for toilet training either, I prefer to teach my pup to toilet outside instead of putting them into an small area. Pups learn not to toilet in the crate because they don't like all the poo and wee in their, dogs are basically clean animals.

Unfortunately many dogs are left in a crate for far too long, in some cases they live in the crates and only come out to toilet. Unless it is overnight they should never be left in a crate for more than 4 hours maximum.

They do have a use if used properly, especially a pup overnight because you can have the pup in your bedroom to make sure that he settles. If you don't want to have your pup in the bedroom permanently once he is old enough to go through the night you can gradually work his way out of the bedroom into the room you want him to sleep in.

It is to easy to put a boistrous pup into a crate than train them.

Crates should be big enough for your dog or pup to stand, lie down and stretch out as well as turn round easily. A dog's natural den is small, if you want a crate to become the dog's bedroom it need to be just big enough but no bigger.

Many dogs like their crate to be covered so it is den like, you can now get beds were the dog can get inside to sleep.

I do have a crate up as several of my dogs like to go in for a sleep, the door is always open for them to go in and out. I have known my dogs to go in to get away from Cyril when he is racing round.

I only really used the crate for night time with Charlie and if I was going out for an hour or two during the day because I knew I would be having a heart attack about what I was going to go hime to if he was left out of the crate.

Yes, unfortunately, sometimes crates are abused, but if used correctly for training, they can be a godsend. And they do help with toilet training, especially at night.

I used to think that crates were cruel. but I read up about them before getting Charlie and realised that they are a great 'den' for dogs rather than a cage if used correctly. Charlie now sleeps in the living room and is in there when we leave during the day, but I'm so glad I had ine when he was a pup and chewing EVERUTHING he could get his teeth into.

as Carylly says what you can afford and as big as fits comfortably. Echo other people in that it should become a den of safety and not a prison, though when they are a bit hyper it is ok to put them in to cal,m down , you just don't do it with agression

correctly done crate training is not cruel, it offers a den like experiance if done correctly. but yes they can be a cruel tool for lazyness. both my two were crate trained but know now where the door is and ask for an exit. yet they prefer to sleep in the crate snuggled up together and thats a loverly picture. treat a crate like dog den and youll have few probs. dont think crate think doggie home away from humans and youll be on right track

I have a 48" crate each for my two as they are plenty, plenty big enough!

is that each Ella or do they share

nope they have one each

They are big handsome boys though

sure are!

I got a medium one from Pets At Home for Zeus when I just got him, it was ideal because he was small and he didn't wee in it much as it was a small crate.

I just changed his cage from the medium to the large last week as he outgrew it, the large is more than ideal, he can sit, stretch out etc.

Pets At Home have currently got 20% off all their crates and if you use reserve & collect, use discount code AJ557P and you'll get another 10% off! Bargain!

By putting the bad side of things as well as the good owners can them decide how and when to use the crate, or any other thing that is used with dogs. I don't like crates but my dogs do so I do have one up for them.

When Cyril gets too boistrous I put a lead on him and keep him with me which he loves, I expect him to have a rest every afternoon or he just races round all day. I don't put him in a crate because that doesn't teach him anything, only if he races round he is confined, I want him to learn to relax. This works for me, it may not for others. I struggle to get weight onto him and without a rest he looses weight. I have found that by insisting on him having a rest, he is becoming a much calmer dog.

Usually his rest is immediately after my lunch, the lead goes on and he settles down either next to me or on my legs. Dogs do need to be able to settle down on command so by getting them to rest during the day teaches them to do this. Pups brought up to have rest periods learn that there are times when they can run and play and other times when they can't.

Even though Cyril has nearly doubled his weight since I got him to me he is still underweight, this was Cyril when he arrived, he was struggling to stand with his back legs, they were so weak.



This is him now, to me he is underweight still.

Nope I wouldn't say he is underweight at all now, I keep my boys very lean and yes you can see a bit of their ribs but that's how I keep them