Measuring For Crate Size

[poodle proud]

Hi,

Looking to buy crates for my two poodles, a mini and a toy.

Now ive read most of the crate posts and I know the general standard is that they should be able to turn around in it and lie comfortably.

I found these instructions online. If I followed them would the crate be big enough and also not too big?

Thanks

PP

http://www.wikihow.com/Buy-a-Dog-Crate

[Rysup]

They sound reasonable.

[Christina]

I don't crate for house training, not in agreement but that is just me. However I do crate at short times for safety, injury, dog on heat, tiny puppies, when they have a bone & some go in pens on their own over night as they like their own space.

I would not put any animal in a pen/crate so small it can only sleep & stretch its body length.

The Bunnings compost panels make a metre square pen & can be joined for bigger pens & the large metal dog crates are 4ft x 2 ft.

www.dealsdirect.com.au

have them for around $60. That is the smallest I would confine in & mine are toys.

Remember your pups will grow too.

[poodle proud]

Thankyou for your replies.

My purpose for crating is for when friends who arent dog friendly or when children visit at this stage and possibly to sleep in our room with the doors open. Otherwise they will be on the brand new leather lounges under the air conditioning vents exactly where they are now

I want it to be a place they can retreat to.

[Christina]

The Bunnings compost pens are ideal for you. When you don't need them you can just seperate & slide them behind a wardrobe or lounge. They are only $26 for 4 panels & you join the with those plastic garden ties. Handy & easy

[poodle proud]

The Bunnings compost pens are ideal for you. When you don't need them you can just seperate & slide them behind a wardrobe or lounge. They are only $26 for 4 panels & you join the with those plastic garden ties. Handy & easy

Thanks Christina,

I bought 2 sets of those when we brought midnight home. My only concern with using them is how to configure them to pen size? How will they enter in and out of them? As in will I basically make a cube without a front panel or is there some other way to make a door?

I will be crate training from scratch.

It was also reccomended to me to use crate training to teach the poodles how to spend time away from me calmly as they are used to following me around. Reading all the crate training material they suggest at some point I will need to start enclosing them in their crate for brief periods and then gradually building up the time they spend enclosed.

Would this still be feasible with the compost bin panels?

p.s I forgot to add in my previous post that osca is 5 and fully grown and midnight is 13 months so I have been told she is fully grown?

[Christina]

The Bunnings compost pens are ideal for you. When you don't need them you can just seperate & slide them behind a wardrobe or lounge. They are only $26 for 4 panels & you join the with those plastic garden ties. Handy & easy

Thanks Christina,

I bought 2 sets of those when we brought midnight home. My only concern with using them is how to configure them to pen size? How will they enter in and out of them? As in will I basically make a cube without a front panel or is there some other way to make a door?

Would this still be feasible with the compost bin panels?

p.s I forgot to add in my previous post that osca is 5 and fully grown and midnight is 13 months so I have been told she is fully grown?

Yes your dogs are fully grown now.

Easy for door. Just leave the ties off 1 panel on 1 side & leave open, tie with a ribbon/cord etc when you want to shut the door. Use 2 or 3 ties on each join, top/bottom/middle.

I join 6 or 8 of them for puppy or whelping pen & find octagonal shape gives it better balance but just using 4 a square balances fine. If they jump & shove it about put 1 end against a wall/sofa etc & that solves that.

If you leave it open & they like it they just go in on their own.

Edited January 14, 2010 by Christina

[Red Fox]

I bought my crate from C-Crates and had the correct size recommended to me then. I was actually going to go one bigger but now I'm glad I didn't - otherwise it wouldn't have fit anywhere! (ours is an AP7/107cmL x 79cmW x 84cmH)

It might be helpful to ask your dogs breeders or other owners of your breed what they use to give you a starting point. In my opinion if the dog is already toilet trained and you have the room you are better off going bigger. But in saying that said Kei (40kg Ridgie) still prefers to cram himself into his old 90cm x 60cm crate that he had as a puppy and seems perfectly happy in there (though I dont close the door anymore )

The other option (if you are happy to have both dogs together) is a secura pen http://www.ccrates.com.au/secura.html basically it's a big crate without a floor. I think Bonofido make a similar pen as well which is much cheaper

[poodle proud]

Yes your dogs are fully grown now.

Easy for door. Just leave the ties off 1 panel on 1 side & leave open, tie with a ribbon/cord etc when you want to shut the door. Use 2 or 3 ties on each join, top/bottom/middle.

I join 6 or 8 of them for puppy or whelping pen & find octagonal shape gives it better balance but just using 4 a square balances fine. If they jump & shove it about put 1 end against a wall/sofa etc & that solves that.

If you leave it open & they like it they just go in on their own.

Ok, Im going to join mine together and see how it goes. thanks

But in saying that said Kei (40kg Ridgie) still prefers to cram himself into his old 90cm x 60cm crate that he had as a puppy and seems perfectly happy in there (though I dont close the door anymore )

Thats hilarious. Thanks for the reccomendations.