Soft-crate For Training?

[IncrediJack]

Hi Everyone!

Has anyone ever tried a soft-crate for crate training? I am preparing for the arrival of my golden retriever puppy and am wondering what kind of crate to get. The wire ones seem very clunky and heavy. And the plastic ones are very expensive (actually I am having a hard time finding one I think will be big enough for an adult golden). I like the idea of the soft ones, as I will be able to lug it easily up and down the stairs and take it in the car (collapsed). BUT . . . Are they sturdy enough? Will puppy chew through the fabric? Do they last, or will I be constantly replacing it?

Thanks!

[miamay]

mmm good question. I have just bought one for my lab pup, so far so good but he isn't left unsupervised in it. I would imagine you would have to line the bottom for a new pup.

[The Spotted Devil]

Personally, I wouldn't use a soft crate for initial crate training.....I think it would be a very expensive exercise :D not to mention dangerous if pup decides to ingest it too. I have a plastic (airline type) crate for young Zig - I leave the door off and have it in the laundry....he loves it :D Every single time he goes to bed he gets a few biscuits in his puppy kong (from his ration)....last thing at night he gets a chicken wing too. You only have to tell him that it's "time for bye byes" and he's in his crate before you can say "good boy!" Oh and when he first arrived home (at 8 weeks), he was already paper trained, so I left newspaper near his crate and never had to get up in the night to let him out. Within 7-10 days he only toileted overnight 3 or 4 times and then never again.

I've recently purchased a soft crate for showing/traveling but young Zig (now 10 months) has required some supervision to ensure he doesn't try and dig his way out. Have a look on e-bay - there are some bargains to be had...even new crates.

[IncrediJack]

Thanks miamay and Spotted Devil! I do prefer the idea of a solid crate that will last. The challenge is finding one bigger enough that doesn't cost $400! I'll have a look on ebay. Cheers!

[Poodle wrangler]

Try Ebay. You should be able to get one for about $145 or less. I paid about that for an XL one from a pet shop.

The plastic ones are designed for air travel. The wire type are heavy, but better ventilated and more suitable for every day use.

[donandsharon]

We have a Golden Retriever who is almost 5 months old now and we trained her in the soft crate. We have never had a problem with her chewing on it and its very easy to move around the house. We got ours on Ebay for 1/2 the price of the pet shops. My advice is get the biggest one you can, because they look huge at first but they soon grow in to it.

[IncrediJack]

Thanks Poodle Wrangler and DonandSharon. That's good to know about the soft crate. It would be nice to have something easily portable (and affordable). There are pros and cons to every type of crate, I suppose.

[Hounder]

I used a soft crate for our Deerhound pup. He didn't damage it when zipped inside, it was when he was left alone for the day with the door open so he could come and go. That was when he damaged it. We now use a metal crate for night time as it is a lot quieter when he is stretching etc. I've had the soft crate repaired for when I'll need it at shows etc

He chewed the zip and 2 small holes in the corners which I'm still not sure if that was him or the crate frame work. The holes were patched and I asked them to just sew the zip up and we will use the side door rather than the end. It would have cost a fortune to have got the zip replaced.