What type of crate to buy??
We'll be getting our little bundle mid-July, after having been researching sheepies for 2 years. We have a westie that we took from a family that just couldn't care for her anymore. I was wondering what you all suggested as far as a crate? Our Westie still sleeps in hers and stays in there while we're away. She has a wire crate and really likes to see out. What is best for sheepdogs? I want to be really prepared, as I know that the first months can be trying and want to make our little guy comfy, etc. Also, where do we put the crate? Our westie sleeps downstairs in our very large kitchen in her crate. But, I know that our puppy will need to be let out, etc., so we're thinking of putting it upstairs in our bedroom. Also, our Westie has some issues from her past such as lots of barking, etc. Will our sheepie acquire these bad habits? Nothing has worked with our Westie but we love her dearly. I just don't want our Sheepie to pick up all of her "naughty" behavior. Thanks, AMy |
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I have a wire crate and a soft crate. Bingley prefers the wire crate, hands down. He likes the coolness of it and the visibility difference as far as I can tell. It was also easy to section off a smaller side for when he was potty training. We keep the crate in our bedroom. . . 
HAVE FUN! |
| I have a wire and a plastic crate for Chewie. He likes the one on the porch - it is cooler there. It happens to be the big plastic crate out there. Maggie the coonhound uses the wire one for everyday and she likes looking around. Chewie "borrows" the wire one for shows.
The min pins are nesty, so they like the plastic best. |
| We had both the mesh crate & the wire, and Frank preferred the wire crate hands-down. (He used to be a little anxious in the mesh crate). Our Norfolk Terrier sleeps in his wire crate at night & is crated when we go out.
Welcome to the forum & good luck with your new addition! |
| Congratulations on your soon to be new sheepie! We use a wire crate. Ours is 48L x 30W x 33H and our sheepie girl is a year old and about 60 pounds.
http://www.midwesthomes4pets.com/Produc ... 1600DD.asp If you are getting a puppy you will obviously need to either invest in several sizes (you don't want to put a puppy in too big of a space) or better yet get a crate that you can put a divider into and change the size of the crate as the puppy grows. As for where to keep the crate...I think you'll figure that out once you get your baby home. Sometimes puppies do better when they feel they are close to you. Of course if you are going to have a hard time letting he/she "tough it out" in a crate the first few nights then it might be better to have the crate out of arms reach!!
Good luck! |
| I have two wire crates , a small and large and when I brought Dutch home at 8 weeks I put her in the small crate beside my bed and she slept through the nite right from the start I kept waking up and laying there listening for her but not a peep LOL . when she couldn't strech out full I then set up the large crate in the kitchen. she didn't like it at first but I sat in the crate till she came in on her own and then I petted her for awhile before I got out and then she was fine. she now will go into it herself without being told , not for long but it's a start |
| I have 2 crates, a wire and a plastic. The plastic one is in the bedroom and the wire one is in the kitchen. The wire one allows for more air flow. I was actually thinking of putting the wire one in the bedroom because some nights Scarlet seems hot in the plastic crate.
When we got Scarlet I put a laundry basket upside down in the wire crate to make it smaller so she wouldn't potty at one end and sleep at the other end. What ended up happening is she would sleep on TOP of the laundry basket LOL. She is far too big now and has the whole crate. She is only in the crate when I can't watch her. |
| I used a wire crate for when I brought my puppy home. During the night I would bring the crate into the bedroom, so she could be with us during the night and Violet would lay outside the crate and China would lay up next to the Violet from the inside of the crate. We had very restful nights. During the day I put the crate in the living room. I work from home, so I was able to leave the door opened on it and put treats and toys in it so she would go in and out at her pleasure. Using the wire crate worked really well for China until I felt she was ready not to use it anymore. Anyway, even when we traveled I would bring the wire crate. It broke down flat so easy. Good luck with your new pup. |
| We have a wire crate and a portable mesh crate. Bailey prefers the wire crate. We're using the portable crate right now because we're getting ready for a big vacation and the wire crate is too heavy to schlep around! |
| After reading all of your reponses, we've decided to get the wire crate. We will buy the BIG crate and hope to be able to section off smaller parts of it for our sheepie, as you all suggested.
We're going shopping today for even more puppy stuff. We actually forgot to buy a KONG and from what I've read, it's a necessity. Although, I will be home with the little guy, as I'm a stay at home mom. Thanks so much for the help. So glad to be here where there's so much support!! Thanks again, Amy |
| Final note, remember, you can cover the wire crate if the pup needs a time out. |
| When I got Barney as a pup I had a large wire crate and took a piece of 2" x 4" welded wire fencing and cut it to the size of the crate then used plastic ties to hold it in place. As he grew I just cut the ties and moved it to a larger position. Now I have to large plastic crates I use only for transportation. |
| Our newest wire crate by LifeStages came with a divider. We didn't need it, but I thought it was a nice idea. I have it saved in case we need it for a puppy at a later time. It is 38L x 24W x 27H. It is totally collapsible and has carry handles. We use it daily for Maggie the coon hound and it is Chewie's show crate. |
| Amy,
I got a used wire, flat-fold kennel-aire crate. It's 22x 40 but I don't remember the height. Since it's older. nothing fits quite right. I made bolsters to go around the edges to make the inside seem smaller. I heard if the space is to big, they might potty in the crate. I am expecting my new boy puppy on July 18th. Anyway, I cozied the crate up so maybe I won't have to do too much washing up. I never had one mess in their crate...but to be fair, my last one was 12 weeks when I got him, this one will only be 8 weeks when he gets here. It's so exciting!!! I am right there with you! |
wendy58 wrote: Amy,
I got a used wire, flat-fold kennel-aire crate. It's 22x 40 but I don't remember the height. Since it's older. nothing fits quite right. I made bolsters to go around the edges to make the inside seem smaller. I heard if the space is to big, they might potty in the crate. I am expecting my new boy puppy on July 18th. Lol. Some love it. Once every 10 years, a very special puppy arrives-- a gift from the gods. This puppy loves its own urine so much, it wants to lay in it whenever possible. This puppy will pee outside but save a special amount of urine in which to bathe himself immediately in as soon as he is back in his crate. This puppy will pee on a walk, then walk in the house, pee on the floor and walk through it. This puppy will pee so much, he will be checked for JRD, but will be found to be perfectly healthy. This puppy will develop a lifetime technique of peeing on its own front leg so that it can carry the scent of its own sweet urine around with it everywhere it goes. This decade, that puppy was Clyde... and, almost 3, he still pees on his own foot. Anyone of you could receive the next pee lover at any time. |
| My last OES boy only ever lifted his leg to pee a few times. He usually just squatted. He was only 4 1/2 at the time of his death, so who knows if he would ever grow out of it.
So I have been lucky...out of 3 boys no one ever wanted to pee on himself. I only ever crate them until they are trustworthy...this time I will go past 6 months. They seem to lose their tiny little minds at that age. I am sure an 8 week old will have accidents...but that is what the bissell little green machine is for. We only have carpet in the bedrooms anyway. Mine will sleep in onr room. I am up and down all night anyway...so when I pee, he can go out and pee too. Too much fun in store!!!  |
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