Dog box vs kennel

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isonychia
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Dog box vs kennel

Post by isonychia » Tue Jun 05, 2018 10:11 am

I have been thinking about picking up a full sized pickup and replacing a small toyota pickup. I plan on pulling a small 14-16ft camper around 3000-4000lbs with it. My neighbor has a 2007 f-150 he might be offing for a deal. It has the slower 4.6L but with my camper size in mind shouldn't matter. It is a long bed with a regular cab so my questions are:

1) Would you rather have an extended cab for dogs or place them in the back? I have always let them ride in the back in kennels.

2) Is a dog box safer and... most importantly cooler temp wise than a kennel in the back of a truck with a camper shell?

Seems like a crew cab would be better for 2 dogs. Just a kennel at each door. Then they can also be safer in an accident or lightning strike on these high passes we have out here. The dog boxes would make great faraday cages if you could insulate the inside, which isn't really a option from what I understand about dog boxes.

JONOV
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Re: Dog box vs kennel

Post by JONOV » Tue Jun 05, 2018 10:29 am

isonychia wrote:I have been thinking about picking up a full sized pickup and replacing a small toyota pickup. I plan on pulling a small 14-16ft camper around 3000-4000lbs with it. My neighbor has a 2007 f-150 he might be offing for a deal. It has the slower 4.6L but with my camper size in mind shouldn't matter. It is a long bed with a regular cab so my questions are:

1) Would you rather have an extended cab for dogs or place them in the back? I have always let them ride in the back in kennels.

2) Is a dog box safer and... most importantly cooler temp wise than a kennel in the back of a truck with a camper shell?

Seems like a crew cab would be better for 2 dogs. Just a kennel at each door. Then they can also be safer in an accident or lightning strike on these high passes we have out here. The dog boxes would make great faraday cages if you could insulate the inside, which isn't really a option from what I understand about dog boxes.
6 of 1, 1/2 dozen of the other for the first question. Although, I agree that its easier to get them in and out sometimes, and less securing of the kennel if you wedge it. Make sure to measure. It also depends on your need/desire to leave them in the kennel in the cab for any amount of time, too.

My big hangup on a dog box is that it seems to me that you have to have a very high instance of use for it to make sense (weight, cost, space it takes up); very nearly that of a pro trainer, dedicated trialer etc...And even the two pro trainers I know best don't use dog boxes, they use a camper shell or kennels. Its a lot easier to lift a plastic crate in and out IMO.

averageguy
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Re: Dog box vs kennel

Post by averageguy » Tue Jun 05, 2018 11:19 am

I have always used a camper shell with dog kennels. I like the security of being able to lock both gear and my dogs when staying out on the road in motels. And keeping the weather off the dogs and gear. Extreme heat can be a concern and there have been times when I ran the passenger seat far enough forward to get a dog kennel in the back seat of an extended cab pickup. My current camper shell has a sliding window up front and full length contractor doors down each side with sliding windows with screens in the middle of each door. So with the front and side windows open it will move air through the camper shell when the truck is moving. In high temps I also use a welded wire dog kennel with a RuffnTuff fan mounted on the front. I have a deep cycle battary mounted under the truck hood wired into the alternator for charging and a pigtail run to the back of the camper shell to plug the fan into. With this setup I have never had a dog get into trouble with heat. Severe cold is easier to deal with and I use an insulated kennel cover over the kennel to trap the dog's body heat.

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Re: Dog box vs kennel

Post by shags » Tue Jun 05, 2018 12:30 pm

We have an extended cab HD Chevy 2500, short bed. With the two smaller dogs at home, they ride in crates on the back seats. When all three dogs are with us, and one is a large setter, they go in crates under the cap. The cap has side slider windows and a drop down front window.

Crates make it easy to configure according to who and what we're hauling. Easy to move. Easy to clean. Easy to switch out if we want larger or smaller spaces for each dog. Easy to move crates from the truck to the SUV to the house if needed.

I don't think you would regret having an extended or crew cab truck. It gives you room for passengers. Easier access to dogs and gear that doesn't require crawling around in the bed of the truck, mashing your knees and moving the cooler so you can reach the dogs :lol:

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isonychia
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Re: Dog box vs kennel

Post by isonychia » Tue Jun 05, 2018 5:07 pm

That is all kind of what I was thinking. If I got an extended cab setup it would make life easier and since I will be changing over from a slide in four wheel camper to a pull behind I don't need all of that bed space except for when I get firewood and I can always pull a trailer for that.

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Re: Dog box vs kennel

Post by birddogger2 » Wed Jun 06, 2018 6:30 am

Iso -

I have an extended cab PU with a cap.

99% of the time the dogs go in plastic crates under the cap. No problem in even the coldest of weather around me. The back seat, which is accessible via suicide doors is usually for MY gear and the dog paraphernalia and water when it is below freezing.

If I am transporting one dog(or 2) in the hot weather(85 and up), I will put a crate(or 2) sideways in the back area so the dog(s) can ride in relative safety from the heat. If I HAVE to transport more than 2 dogs in the hot heat, I will rig up a swamp cooler in the PU bed or just put an ice log in each crate.

If I am transporting the dogs in the front of the horse trailer in the summer and I think I may get stuck in traffic, I will do the swamp cooler thing. It is surprising how much cooling you get just by blowing a small, battery powered fan over a block of ice or a bin filled with ice cubes. The block lasts longer of course, but you can get cubed ice almost anywhere on the road.

RayG

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