Proper size for a dog box?

Post Reply
User avatar
Coachrice
Rank: Just A Pup
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2012 5:58 am
Location: Southeast Texas

Proper size for a dog box?

Post by Coachrice » Fri Sep 21, 2012 9:40 pm

I have a 3 year old britt and we spend quite a bit of time on the road. She is normally a "shotgun" type of girl, but I am looking into getting a dog box that I can put her in if I need to stop and go in somewhere to get a bite to eat or possibly overnight since most motels don't allow dogs inside. I would say she is pretty typical when it comes to size (37 lbs and 20" at the withers) but all of the boxes I see seem to be very short. What is the standard rule of thumb for the height of dog boxes? Are they meant to be smaller than kennels and if so will she be comfortable in something so short? Any and all advice will be extremely appreciated!
~~~A bad day huntin' is better that a good day at work~~~

User avatar
ibbowhunting
Rank: Champion
Posts: 387
Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2012 9:29 pm
Location: Northern Minnesota

Re: Proper size for a dog box?

Post by ibbowhunting » Mon Sep 24, 2012 5:40 pm

http://s1077.photobucket.com/albums/w465/ibbowhunting/
This is my first attempt at building a dog boxs its 44 X 30 X 24 2 stall plywood covered in alumaclad, trim is alum angle and channel, i bought 2 rubber mats for the floor before i started, to keep it clean and dry. also added 4-12volt fans for cooling. let me know what you think! this is a past post of mine
this is the box i built for my britt she seems to be happy in it the longest trip we made was 8hrs she did great from what i gather keeping them short encourages them to laid down which is safer for the dog when traveling so her stall is 22wideX30 deepx24 tall if you built one the best thing i did was to buy the rubber floor mat and built the box to fit it. just trying to help

Mountaineer
GDF Junkie
Posts: 1630
Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2010 7:23 pm
Location: State?...The one where ruffed grouse were.

Re: Proper size for a dog box?

Post by Mountaineer » Mon Sep 24, 2012 6:38 pm

Doubt there is a rule of thumb for a dog box.
I'd consider a RuffTough medium....tho I prefer the double door Intermediate for ventilation with my 40#-52# setters.
Too much room can be detrimental on rough roads, imo.
Many do, I would never let a dog ride loose.
Good luck.

User avatar
sass
Rank: Just A Pup
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2010 9:00 am
Location: Georgia

Re: Proper size for a dog box?

Post by sass » Mon Sep 24, 2012 7:49 pm

Minimum- Maybe not "Proper size". What do you think?
Width: My dogs can turn around in 17" -not too comfortably though. OK for short bumpy jeep rides. Overnight should be bigger.
Deep: Maybe 28" minimum? Overnight could/should be bigger like 32" and most are 36".
Height: Stand to full height (if 20" at withers then) 23-24" seems high enough.
>Stand up, turn around and lie down in a natural position is the key.
>And, if you get a bigger dog or want two dogs in the box.... :wink:

JIM K
Rank: 5X Champion
Posts: 707
Joined: Tue Jan 03, 2012 11:07 pm
Location: PA.

Re: Proper size for a dog box?

Post by JIM K » Mon Sep 24, 2012 9:05 pm

i have intermediate for my small munsterlander that will be 21 inchs at whithers.
but a medium could have worked also.

User avatar
Ruffshooter
GDF Junkie
Posts: 2946
Joined: Sun May 21, 2006 7:28 pm
Location: Maine

Re: Proper size for a dog box?

Post by Ruffshooter » Tue Sep 25, 2012 5:37 am

Your dog does not need that much room.

Kennel box that is 19 or 20" tall inside 20" wide, 30 to 36 deep is plenty.
You want he dog to lay down when riding so the height being lower helps to force them to lay down.
You want them to be able to curl up in the box 20" wide does that.
You do not want to much room because their body heat keeps the kennel comfortable on the colder nights.

Rick
The best part of training is seeing the light come on in your little prot'eg'e.

Rick

User avatar
Coachrice
Rank: Just A Pup
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2012 5:58 am
Location: Southeast Texas

Re: Proper size for a dog box?

Post by Coachrice » Tue Sep 25, 2012 11:17 am

@ ibbowhunting : That is a really nice box. I wish I had the patience to build something like that. It turned out really sharp.

@Ruffshooter : I thought that 19 or 20 might be tall enough even though it does look really tiny. How often do you stop on long road trips and let them stretch out? I am always concerned about the potential negative side effects of having a dog cramped up in a little box. Like would that make a dog more of a candidate for an early onset of arthritis or some other crippling problem?
~~~A bad day huntin' is better that a good day at work~~~

User avatar
Coachrice
Rank: Just A Pup
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2012 5:58 am
Location: Southeast Texas

Re: Proper size for a dog box?

Post by Coachrice » Thu Jan 22, 2015 2:41 pm

ibbowhunting wrote:http://s1077.photobucket.com/albums/w465/ibbowhunting/
This is my first attempt at building a dog boxs its 44 X 30 X 24 2 stall plywood covered in alumaclad, trim is alum angle and channel, i bought 2 rubber mats for the floor before i started, to keep it clean and dry. also added 4-12volt fans for cooling. let me know what you think! this is a past post of mine
this is the box i built for my britt she seems to be happy in it the longest trip we made was 8hrs she did great from what i gather keeping them short encourages them to laid down which is safer for the dog when traveling so her stall is 22wideX30 deepx24 tall if you built one the best thing i did was to buy the rubber floor mat and built the box to fit it. just trying to help
Do you have any building plans for your box. I think I am ready to try and tackle something like this. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated!
~~~A bad day huntin' is better that a good day at work~~~

RayGubernat
GDF Junkie
Posts: 3307
Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2008 11:47 am
Location: Central DE

Re: Proper size for a dog box?

Post by RayGubernat » Thu Feb 12, 2015 7:45 pm

FWIW -

I have pointers of varying sizes, the biggest being about 55#. They are all comfortable in an Intermediate crate. I have a smaller pointer , about 35# soaking wet and she is quite comfortable in a Medium crate, which is the largest size that still comes with a handle on top. I suspect that unless your Brittany is unusually leggy, an intermediate crate will be plenty big, even with a doggie pillow inside.

The part about the dog having enough room to turn around and lay down...and not much more...is spot on. It is safer for them and easier travelling when they are laying down.

Regarding potty and exercise breaks...as a rule of thumb, every time I stop for gas, which is about every four or five hours, I stretch my legs and the dogs' as well. I let them walk about for a couple minutes each. If the want to pee, fine, I've given them an opportunity. If not, they go back in the box. Those that didn't utilize the first stop, will almost always do their business at the second stop. I think the best thing you can do to keep a dog comfortable on a long ride is to withhold food the night before and, unless it is warm, take away water the morning of the trip. Dogs will do just fine without food for a day, and there will be less in there to give them stomach upset. As far as water is concerned...a full bladder is a prescription for disaster. a dog will hold their water for a long time and might even injure itself because of not wanting to soil their kennel. God forbid there is a vehicle accident, a full bladder can burst person or dog.

I carry water with me and offer it when I stop, if it is warm out. If it is warm out, have some way for air to circulate. I use a DC powered fan. Some folks I know have inverters and use a regular plug in box fan.

RayG

shags
GDF Junkie
Posts: 2717
Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2008 4:57 pm

Re: Proper size for a dog box?

Post by shags » Fri Feb 13, 2015 6:18 am

Coachrice wrote:@ ibbowhunting : That is a really nice box. I wish I had the patience to build something like that. It turned out really sharp.

@Ruffshooter : I thought that 19 or 20 might be tall enough even though it does look really tiny. How often do you stop on long road trips and let them stretch out? I am always concerned about the potential negative side effects of having a dog cramped up in a little box. Like would that make a dog more of a candidate for an early onset of arthritis or some other crippling problem?

I consider boxes or crates to be primarily for safety while traveling; otherwise why not leave the dogs loose in the vehicle? A dog tumbling around in an oversized box is more prone to injury during an accident than in one that is more snug fit.

A stop to stretch their legs every few hours has worked well for my dogs. They are around 50 pounders give or take and have intermediate size airline crates in the truck bed. One of my setters is just over 60 pounds and he might be a tad stuffed in there, but he curls up rather than stretches out anyway. One rule we stick to pretty closely is to never put a dog up immediately after a hard workout; we always take the time to cool them down and let them relax for a few minutes before crating them. They get walked a little on lead, or put on the stakeout; dried off if it's wet, and offered something to drink. They never seem to get stoved up this way.

Dirty Dawger
Rank: Junior Hunter
Posts: 88
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2015 9:48 am

Re: Proper size for a dog box?

Post by Dirty Dawger » Mon Feb 16, 2015 8:23 am

Coachrice, it is evident you really care for your dog and that is a SUPER question you ask!
I used medium vinyl crates for Britts - the Rufftough would work as well.
I think crates have many advantages. It is nice to have your dog crate trained in the home which addresses a number of dynamics. What's good about that is if you are travelling, their "home" crate travels with them. If you fly your dog to a hunting destination, that same "home" crate can travel with him. If you are in a hotel, you can off-load said crate and rest it in the hotel or someone's home that might not appreciate your dog running loose.
I had dog boxes but they don't allow for the flexibility I just alluded to.
I find folk with the best of intentions buy crates that are too big for their dogs. I say this because a larger crate will contribute to more agitation when driving/flying within the crate and some dogs will develop car sickness because of this. Dogs have a denning instinct an are quite comfortable with their body resting against the side/back of said crate. Too large a box can also allow a dog that needs to go potty to do so casually in "the far" corner, so-to-speak. ....not good.
The only consideration is that airlines have their own definition of what is best for dogs but I think it is more business driven than canine. For example, what does the requirement that the dog can "stand up" have to do with anything canine? Are we saying he must be able to stand head high as if not in a crate? Not sure why??? It's a crate, not a kennel.
When I drove to the prairies - 11-12 hours on the road per day, I would start my ritual by tending to the dogs first thing in the morning. I'd let them out of their crates to do their business on long lines, then stake them out for food/water. I'd leave them out for about 1 hour while I ate breakfast, then loaded everybody up in their respective crates. I'd drive from 7-ish til noon. All the dogs were tended to first again - this time just to air out and take some water. After eating my lunch I would drive again until about7-ish pm. The process would repeat itself once we had secured a hotel room with property that would address our canine requirements (stake-outs). Dog would get their food/water and relax. I put them up while we ate dinner if they were not visible. We would go for dinner and I would put the dogs out one last time on the stake-outs before crating them up for the night. This consistent regimen worked amazing for us. Crates were loaded, unloaded, relocated, cleaned as required. Crates are light, versatile and safe!
I do not recommend travelling with your dog loose in your vehicle. They call them "accidents" for a reason and a loose dog can kill or get killed! Crates should be well secured too.
Oh...and if you run out of gas or your truck breaks down and someone stops to help, you can load up your dog in their vehicle, crate and all, instead of carrying your dog in your lap.
Hope this helps!

User avatar
Devilscreekw
Rank: Junior Hunter
Posts: 31
Joined: Mon Nov 25, 2013 7:09 pm
Location: Cloverleaf, Manitoba, Canada

Re: Proper size for a dog box?

Post by Devilscreekw » Thu Mar 19, 2015 6:07 am

Dirty Dawger...

Great post!

Dirty Dawger
Rank: Junior Hunter
Posts: 88
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2015 9:48 am

Re: Proper size for a dog box?

Post by Dirty Dawger » Thu Apr 02, 2015 6:04 am

Devilscreekw, thank you kindly Sir.
And the best part is that the aforementioned regimen parallels their home routine. Dogs love consistency which means traveling is second nature to my dogs and dogs I travel with when training. When we get where we need to be, they're read to rock minus the groggy, upset belly, diarrhea, etc.
I've gone back and forth with systems offered and some not mentioned but I keep going back to what is easy and works best, for me that is.

kdave21
Rank: Just A Pup
Posts: 21
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 3:21 am
Location: Midwest

Re: Proper size for a dog box?

Post by kdave21 » Fri Jul 31, 2015 6:40 am

My dog is about 26" tall from the ground to the top of his shoulder blades , (or withers). He is just a little shy of 80lbs last I weighed him, and should be basically done growing. What is a safe height of box for him for truck travel?

User avatar
ezzy333
GDF Junkie
Posts: 16625
Joined: Fri Aug 20, 2004 3:14 pm
Location: Dixon IL

Re: Proper size for a dog box?

Post by ezzy333 » Fri Jul 31, 2015 9:49 am

There is no proper size for a dog but rather a proper size for a dog for traveling, a size for sleeping, a size for hot weather, and a size for cold weather. need to know what you are going to use the box for before even having an idea about proper size and design.
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=144
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=207

It's not how many breaths you have taken but how many times it has been taken away!

Has anyone noticed common sense isn't very common anymore.

User avatar
Dakotazeb
Rank: 4X Champion
Posts: 671
Joined: Sat Dec 06, 2014 1:10 pm
Location: South Dakota / Arizona

Re: Proper size for a dog box?

Post by Dakotazeb » Fri Jul 31, 2015 10:19 am

I've always used the Intermediate size kennels for my Brittanys for traveling and they have always seemed to do quite well in them. I'm sure they would fit in a Medium but I feel they would be a little cramped. The inside floor dimensions of the Intermediate kennels are roughly 17" x 27". In my house I use wire crates to kennel my dogs when I'm gone. The wire crates are 36" ones that allow the dogs to stretch out.
Janee's August Breeze - Bree
http://gundogcentral.com/view_pedigree. ... erations=5

NSTRA Champion Godfather's Dakota Elle 2008-2016
https://gundogcentral.com/view_pedigree ... erations=5

User avatar
ezzy333
GDF Junkie
Posts: 16625
Joined: Fri Aug 20, 2004 3:14 pm
Location: Dixon IL

Re: Proper size for a dog box?

Post by ezzy333 » Fri Jul 31, 2015 10:36 am

Dakotazeb wrote:I've always used the Intermediate size kennels for my Brittanys for traveling and they have always seemed to do quite well in them. I'm sure they would fit in a Medium but I feel they would be a little cramped. The inside floor dimensions of the Intermediate kennels are roughly 17" x 27". In my house I use wire crates to kennel my dogs when I'm gone. The wire crates are 36" ones that allow the dogs to stretch out.
I agree
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=144
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=207

It's not how many breaths you have taken but how many times it has been taken away!

Has anyone noticed common sense isn't very common anymore.

kdave21
Rank: Just A Pup
Posts: 21
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 3:21 am
Location: Midwest

Re: Proper size for a dog box?

Post by kdave21 » Fri Jul 31, 2015 12:06 pm

ezzy333 wrote:There is no proper size for a dog but rather a proper size for a dog for traveling, a size for sleeping, a size for hot weather, and a size for cold weather. need to know what you are going to use the box for before even having an idea about proper size and design.
In case you are responding to me, I indicated in my post that I was looking for ideas as it pertained to "truck travel" ie getting from house to hunting spot. The OP also indicated travel circumstances.

I understand temperature adds a new element to choosing a box, but that is not my concern at the moment. I noticed that many dog crates are slightly shorter than my dogs withers, and I was wondering if that was an issue. If height is okay to be shorter than withers, how much so?

User avatar
ezzy333
GDF Junkie
Posts: 16625
Joined: Fri Aug 20, 2004 3:14 pm
Location: Dixon IL

Re: Proper size for a dog box?

Post by ezzy333 » Fri Jul 31, 2015 6:03 pm

kdave21 wrote:
ezzy333 wrote:There is no proper size for a dog but rather a proper size for a dog for traveling, a size for sleeping, a size for hot weather, and a size for cold weather. need to know what you are going to use the box for before even having an idea about proper size and design.
In case you are responding to me, I indicated in my post that I was looking for ideas as it pertained to "truck travel" ie getting from house to hunting spot. The OP also indicated travel circumstances.

I understand temperature adds a new element to choosing a box, but that is not my concern at the moment. I noticed that many dog crates are slightly shorter than my dogs withers, and I was wondering if that was an issue. If height is okay to be shorter than withers, how much so?
It can be a 2 or 3 inches short since you don't want your dog standing up while traveling.
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=144
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/4genview.php?id=207

It's not how many breaths you have taken but how many times it has been taken away!

Has anyone noticed common sense isn't very common anymore.

kdave21
Rank: Just A Pup
Posts: 21
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 3:21 am
Location: Midwest

Re: Proper size for a dog box?

Post by kdave21 » Fri Jul 31, 2015 10:11 pm

ezzy333 wrote:
kdave21 wrote:
ezzy333 wrote:There is no proper size for a dog but rather a proper size for a dog for traveling, a size for sleeping, a size for hot weather, and a size for cold weather. need to know what you are going to use the box for before even having an idea about proper size and design.
In case you are responding to me, I indicated in my post that I was looking for ideas as it pertained to "truck travel" ie getting from house to hunting spot. The OP also indicated travel circumstances.

I understand temperature adds a new element to choosing a box, but that is not my concern at the moment. I noticed that many dog crates are slightly shorter than my dogs withers, and I was wondering if that was an issue. If height is okay to be shorter than withers, how much so?
It can be a 2 or 3 inches short since you don't want your dog standing up while traveling.
Thank you! Good information. I used to think bigger was better but I totally get how a smaller box would be safer. I'll look in the 24" range when I get to that point...

Post Reply