Kennel Size

[ekoog82]

Hello, I am new to gun dogs and have recently purchased a wonderful 8 week old male GSP. I am in the process of trying to kennel train him and have a wire kennel for him that I am afraid is to large. I am looking to get a vari type kennel but do now know what size I should get. I did see a few today while looking the first was 36 (l) x 27 (h) and the other was like 31x25 which would be best as I do not want one to small or to big.

[buckshot0074]

I am not a professional by any stretch, but I bought my English Setter the biggest one they had (xtra-large) when he was 4 months old. He is now almost 9 months and it allows him to stretch out (he is only in it during the overnight) and I put a dog bed in there for him.

here is a link to the one I have

http://www.gundogsonline.com/dog-crates ... nnels.html

[Brittguy]

I would suggest the 31X25 remember they do not live in it , it is just to confine them for a short period of time. The smaller will be more convenient if you wish to take it to visit or to a picnic. Smaller fits in the car much better. It is also better to housebreak when they cannot go to the back and make a mess then get away from it. Fits better in the corner of the room in your house.

[1114]

I went with this one, it comes with a divider that you can move as the dog grows. At 7 months, she's got plenty of room without the divider and it should be a perfect fit when full grown. It's great as long as you don't need to move it around...

http://www.amazon.com/Midwest-Life-Stag ... 999&sr=8-1

[ekoog82]

Buckshot that is actually the one I purchased today from Gander Mtn. but only in the large . Britguy I definitely agree with you and think it should not be huge, but I do want to make sure that in 6-7 months I am not spending another 70-80 on a new one. 1114 the one you showed is similar to what I have now except I did not get the partition with it. Hopefully I wont regret getting the one I did today. Thanks fort he feed back from each of you.

Now if I can get the little guy to make it a little longer in the kennel and start to make it his retreat. Time for some positive reinforcement.

[buckshot0074]

Buckshot that is actually the one I purchased today from Gander Mtn. but only in the large . Britguy I definitely agree with you and think it should not be huge, but I do want to make sure that in 6-7 months I am not spending another 70-80 on a new one. 1114 the one you showed is similar to what I have now except I did not get the partition with it. Hopefully I wont regret getting the one I did today. Thanks fort he feed back from each of you.

Now if I can get the little guy to make it a little longer in the kennel and start to make it his retreat. Time for some positive reinforcement.

I give my pup a little treat everytime he gets in his crate, he has even stayed in there all night with the door open once. About 2 times a week he gets down off the bed and goes into his crate without being told too.

My pup has never gone to the bathroom in his crate, he did get sick in the other night at 4 am (he ate part of a frisbee that day)

[ekoog82]

How often were you letting him out when he was 4 months? Did you have him locked in there while you were at work or gone for a long stint? I read that some dogs are particular on crates so I hope this one is "The One" for my dog.

[buckshot0074]

How often were you letting him out when he was 4 months? Did you have him locked in there while you were at work or gone for a long stint? I read that some dogs are particular on crates so I hope this one is "The One" for my dog.

My pup was/is only in a crate for the overnight (11 PM - 6:30 AM). When he was 4 months old I used to set my alarm for 3 ish AM to take him out, a couple time he would whine around 2 AM so I would take him out at that time. When we are at work he is left in our back room that has a doggie door to the outdoors where part of our lawn is fenced in.

As far as crates go, my dog has used 3 different ones and hasn't had a problem with any of them (2 plastic and one metal wire type)

[MikeB]

Over my lifetime I have raised many pups both for our family and as a guide dog "puppy raiser". We raised 7 guide dog pups in over 15 years, Goldens, German Shepherds and Labs. Along with several pups for the family and rescued many dogs to rehabilitate and find new homes. In all that time I have use only 1 type of crate. The two-piece plastic Furrari crates as the door can open both ways. Recently with a new rescue dog I purchased a Sky kennel 500 Petmate Ultra with the 4 point locking door. I have always used the 40" long crates. Never had a pup potty in any crate if used properly. I don’t like wire as they are noisy and rattle in he car. Many times with wire crates you have to cover them for the dog to feel like he is in his “den”. Never had to do that with the plastic ones. Just my experience.

[Greg Jennings]

You can get an adult-sized crate and use some plywood to cut pup's living space down so that they can't do their business "in the back of the cave".

Get the crate, then with it taken apart, measure the inside at the point that you want the partition. Cut it, round the corners if necessary, and put it back in. You need to size it for a "friction fit". If not, you have to drill small holes in the plastic and run wood screws through to hold the partition in place.

Hope that makes sense.

Greg J.

[Greg Jennings]

BTW, sometimes it makes sense to have a smaller crate to transport the dog and a larger for them to sleep in.

When you're on the road, you want them to get in there and lay down. You don't really want them standing up and moving around. They get banged around. Thus, a smaller crate.

The larger crate allows them to stretch out and be more comfortable when you crate them over night or similar.

FWIW,
Greg J.

[mountaindogs]

BTW, sometimes it makes sense to have a smaller crate to transport the dog and a larger for them to sleep in.

When you're on the road, you want them to get in there and lay down. You don't really want them standing up and moving around. They get banged around. Thus, a smaller crate.

The larger crate allows them to stretch out and be more comfortable when you crate them over night or similar.

FWIW,
Greg J.

I do. I have several and sometimes we have to travel with smaller crates to fit. I wouldn't want smaller than the 36" long for my adult males though, for any trip or crating longer than an hour or so. But the girls can all stretch out in the 36" easily and fit nicely for travel in the 31" The breed varies alot in size. Do you know how big the mom and dad were?

[RayGubernat]

I won't comment on crates in the house and such because I don't do that.

However my guys travel in intermediate sized Petmate crates and it is fine for a dog that is over sixty pounds. They get in, lie down and we go down the road. I think the dimensions are something like 32L X24H X22W.

They stay in these kennels at trials for several days at a time. I have noted no problems. Of course, they are let out on a chain gang regularly during our stay.

When dogs are travelling, I want them in a somewhat confined space, especially height confined, because the last thing I want is a dog up and walking around if I have to stop short or make a sharp turn. Much more chance(I think) for a standing dog that is bracing itself to keep its balance to get injured than one that is lying down, curled up and relaxed.

RayG

[gittrdonebritts]

Don't know if you live close to a farm and Fleet or not but they sell a life stages crate with a divider that you can move as the dog grows and for potty training they come in 4 sizes small medium large and XL i have mediums and they work nice for my Briits and english pointer and my GSP when i had her. and there relatively cheap

[buckshot0074]

I am not a professional by any stretch, but I bought my English Setter the biggest one they had (xtra-large) when he was 4 months old. He is now almost 9 months and it allows him to stretch out (he is only in it during the overnight) and I put a dog bed in there for him.

here is a link to the one I have

http://www.gundogsonline.com/dog-crates ... nnels.html

BTW - I did potty train my pup when he was sleeping in a smaller crate (that came with him when he was purchased)

[ekoog82]

The problem I am having with sizing it down is that my wife and I are gone from 8a to about 4p most days. This is a long time for him to hold it and I would hate to make him sit in it. What do you think or would you suggest with the time he is in the crate? Should I still partition it off or just leave it? I think that the one I got will be good for when he get older as it is not to big or to small. Thanks for the feed back.

[buckshot0074]

He is going to need to be let out to goto the bathroom during the day til he is a little older (say 5-6 months old or so). You never want him to goto the bathroom in his crate.

[mountaindogs]

He is going to need to be let out to goto the bathroom during the day til he is a little older (say 5-6 months old or so). You never want him to goto the bathroom in his crate.

Yep.

I just helped a friend set up a 4 foot by 4 foot pen in their utility room against a dog door to an outside kennel for this very reason. They work swing shifts and the poor puppy was not getting on shedule well, but wants to go outside. She tried having neighbors come over but her schedule was so erratic it wasn't working. But that solution seems to be working for them.

[ekoog82]

BTW, sometimes it makes sense to have a smaller crate to transport the dog and a larger for them to sleep in.

When you're on the road, you want them to get in there and lay down. You don't really want them standing up and moving around. They get banged around. Thus, a smaller crate.

The larger crate allows them to stretch out and be more comfortable when you crate them over night or similar.

FWIW,
Greg J.

I do. I have several and sometimes we have to travel with smaller crates to fit. I wouldn't want smaller than the 36" long for my adult males though, for any trip or crating longer than an hour or so. But the girls can all stretch out in the 36" easily and fit nicely for travel in the 31" The breed varies alot in size. Do you know how big the mom and dad were?

Mom was pretty good size, dad was a little smaller. I am not sure of the exact weight, but I think the larger one will work better for him as he is already a big boy.

[AzDoggin]

For those of you near a populated area, Craigslist is a gold mine for any sized used crates you need, CHEAP. Wash them out good with a bleach solution, then soap and water, and you are good to go.

For dogs that shed alot, the plastic crates do alot better job of containing the hair than the wire crates do.