FranVT Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 (edited) I have decided to crate train Atlas, for various reasons, the major one being that OH has bought a 4WD so we are going to take him camping and stuff so I want him to be reliably crate trained. But I also really like the idea of Atlas having somewhere to go that is comfy, safe and a "happy" place. So here are my questions: 1. Will this crate be big enough? http://www.dealsdirect.com.au/p/dog-home-g...le-104-63-71cm/ He is a fairly normal-sized bull terrier. I will get or make a cover for it so it's nice and dark in there, just how he likes it. 2. Where do I start? Do I just put toys etc in there and hope he figures it out? I don't want to "put" him in there because I fear that will bring negative connotations to the crate and he'll think it's a punishment thing. 3. For those who travel with dogs, could I travel with this in the back seat of my Mazda3 if I could figure out a way to secure it or am I just better off buying a harness for him in the car? This is mainly for our 1600km trip to see K9 Force. At the moment I'm just harnessing him but I thought it would be nice to take his crate plus I will probably need it when we get to our accommodation. Thanks guys. Edited November 26, 2009 by FranCQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 (edited) As a start, I'd always feed him in the crate and give him chewy treats to eat while he's in there. I can't see you fitting that in anything other than a ute or big station wagon. Where does he sleep now? If possible, I'd put the crate in that position, put his regular bed in it and let him sleep in it. Leave the door open at first, then close it later on. Edited November 1, 2009 by poodlefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranVT Posted November 1, 2009 Author Share Posted November 1, 2009 Yep my brain doesn't do dimensions very well ;) 104cm is pretty long I suppose! I can always fold it down and take it with me and have him harnessed in the back on the seat protector like normal. Okay that seems simple enough, feed him in there and give him chewy things because that way; food = good therefore crate = good? Simple enough even for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Got Spots Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 i recently bought a crate after much umming and ahhhing Best thing ever Got a really good deal from these people in Brisbane - best price I could find and I added beds and covers and they didn't charge extra for freight REally quick to i got it within 2 days Excellent quality The covers are canvas and fantastic the dog who is thunder scared loves going in their to hide and voluntarily will go in there to sleep have had to do very little training at all with them A sneaky thing to do is to go to your local pet shop and try the crate sizes out with him for the best size - very valuable I ended getting a 30' for my whippies and there is heaps and heaps of room and they are really light to move, I can comfortably lift them. They also pack up really easy and flat btw i did a lot of research on the net and these were by far the cheapest Website - www.pethomes.com.au An example of a blue canvas cover - also comes in brown http://cgi.ebay.com.au/COLLAPSIBLE-DOG-CRA...=item563221ebe0 36' is $92 30' is $64.90 30' crate cover is $30 - excellent quality tough canvas, the brown one is ripstop two 30' crate mat was $30 - they are really good quality Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 I edited my post to add some stuff about sleeping too. At over a metre long and quite tall, you may have trouble carrying it collapsed. I'd head out to the car with the tape measure to see if it will fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranVT Posted November 1, 2009 Author Share Posted November 1, 2009 Where does he sleep now? If possible, I'd put the crate in that position, put his regular bed in it and let him sleep in it. Leave the door open at first, then close it later on. Umm... he ... sleeps in our bed.... ;) But we could put it in the corner of the room or something? BAD PARENTS! Thanks heaps Neats! Will check them out for sure! He really likes dark cosy spots so I don't think he will mind the crate one bit. That info is fantastic I am going to check it all out right now! poodlefan I think you're right, that one might be too big, I suppose I'd rather get one that was a tad big than a tad small but I need to be practical about it. Will go to pet shop and see what sizes they have and then use that dimension, that way I don't have to support our pet-selling pet shop YAY! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 He needs to be able to stand, turn around and lie down in it without hitting the sides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranVT Posted November 1, 2009 Author Share Posted November 1, 2009 He needs to be able to stand, turn around and lie down in it without hitting the sides. Yep, that is why I don't want to underestimate, and as he is a rather solid chap (muscular etc) he's not particularly lithe. Will the pet shop allow me to actually put him in one to see or will I just have to guess? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 He needs to be able to stand, turn around and lie down in it without hitting the sides. Yep, that is why I don't want to underestimate, and as he is a rather solid chap (muscular etc) he's not particularly lithe. Will the pet shop allow me to actually put him in one to see or will I just have to guess? You can only ask. Your other option is to ask other Bully people what size crates they use for their boys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Got Spots Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 I went to petstock and petbarn and I had no issues they were more than helpful Just say you are thinking about gettting one and want to see how your dog will react and if the size is right They didn't care that I didn't buy them that day Petstock were better they just left me alone the whippies thought it was a great game being told to hop in or on - one person sometimes went to the back of the cage and called them Also great socialisation at the pet shop with lots of other pets around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiggy Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 I've been told for my Stafford boy to get a 36" crate. He'd probably fit in the 30" but being a big boy it might be too small. Someone else mentioned they need to design a new size for the bully dogs which is wider but not taller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiggy Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 Forgot to add I'm getting mine from vebo. http://shop.vebopet.com.au/store/Dogs/Dog%...ges%2C%20Crates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Got Spots Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 i considered vebo - but postage was heaps more and they were more expensive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bully Posted November 1, 2009 Share Posted November 1, 2009 Hi Fran, That crate sounds quite large and it doesn't sound as tho' it is collapsible. Make sure that the crate is collapsible (not just "Easy to disassemble" that sounds like a 10 minute job, not a few seconds). Pele's crate is 90 x 60. Pele is 50cm at the shoulder. As mentioned Atlas needs to be able to stand up and turn around and lie in the crate. Great idea about test driving crates at a pet store Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranVT Posted November 1, 2009 Author Share Posted November 1, 2009 90 x 60, that sounds plenty big enough! I will make sure I get one that is collapsible too. I'll pop over to the pet shop one afternoon this week. Should I call them to see if they'll let me bring him in? Or do all pet shops generally not mind? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranVT Posted November 1, 2009 Author Share Posted November 1, 2009 (edited) i recently bought a crate after much umming and ahhhingBest thing ever Got a really good deal from these people in Brisbane - best price I could find and I added beds and covers and they didn't charge extra for freight REally quick to i got it within 2 days Excellent quality The covers are canvas and fantastic the dog who is thunder scared loves going in their to hide and voluntarily will go in there to sleep have had to do very little training at all with them A sneaky thing to do is to go to your local pet shop and try the crate sizes out with him for the best size - very valuable I ended getting a 30' for my whippies and there is heaps and heaps of room and they are really light to move, I can comfortably lift them. They also pack up really easy and flat btw i did a lot of research on the net and these were by far the cheapest Website - www.pethomes.com.au An example of a blue canvas cover - also comes in brown http://cgi.ebay.com.au/COLLAPSIBLE-DOG-CRA...=item563221ebe0 36' is $92 30' is $64.90 30' crate cover is $30 - excellent quality tough canvas, the brown one is ripstop two 30' crate mat was $30 - they are really good quality Good luck Phwoaar I think they are going to charge me $56 postage. Nothanks! That is pretty obscene postage fees. That's what it states for "outer suburbs" which I am guessing would be me. Unless they're sending it completely assembled I can't see why it would be that much! EDIT: That was for a different thing ... :D Not sure what the difference is but the collapsible cage-style crate I'm leaning towards getting (after Pet Shop soujourn) is only $17 to freight. Phew! Will get a cover as well. Edited November 1, 2009 by FranCQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranVT Posted November 26, 2009 Author Share Posted November 26, 2009 Hey guys, crate arrived today, am keen to start crate training! So first up I am going to feed him in there, praise praise praise, put his favourite cushion in there, put some toys and treats in there etc... If I am trying to train him to sleep in there, but I can't lock him in there, how do I go about this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranVT Posted November 26, 2009 Author Share Posted November 26, 2009 Okay so I fed him in there, he did not even hesitate to go in, ate his food happily without stopping or looking around or being fearful, came out when finished, went back in and kind of had a snuffle / snuggle around in the towels I put in there, rolled around on his back whilst I praised him the whole time, he came out and had a break then I took the crate into the bedroom and he and I played some games like I hid his chewy bone in under the towels and praised him for going in to find it, did a drop/stay in there and he happily laid down in the drop stay, he wasn't keen on staying in there so he's back in the bed sleeping. My thought is that I don't want to force him to go in there, I just want to do a little bit of the training / games / positive reinforcement at a time and take it slowly. Am I doing it right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 http://www.dragonflyllama.com/%20DOGS/Leve...vel/2Level.html ^ second exercise down, one of the many good ways you can start off on the right foot. BTW, my GSD uses 90x60cm crates, they fit nicely in the back of the Commodore wagon too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranVT Posted November 27, 2009 Author Share Posted November 27, 2009 Mine is 90 x 60 too It's fantastic, perfectly sized. That link is awesome, I am definitely going to do all that, I'm so glad I'm not starting with a dog that is fearful of the crate :D The crate will fit in the back of OH's Sierra and fits on the back seat of my Mazda 3 so we're all good for size though its height is a bit awkward getting it in the Mazda! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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