Dog Crates

What do you guys like for crates for your dogs? Do you prefer wire or hard-sided, and why? Any brands that are better than others? Some of the wire crates that I have seen look like they’re poorly built.

Looking for a crate for at home and another for the back of the SUV. I think I’d prefer wire for the home.

I was happy with our wire crate for our Great Dane, but it’s 54″L x 37″W x 45″H, so it’s way too big for most other breeds. I also have a XXL fold-up canvas crate for traveling that we really love.

Thoughts? Opinions?

Probably not a huge factor but I went with a solid plastic sided one because of cold winter driving to SD for pheasants (Back of F150 w/ a topper…). I put a blanket over it and thought the hard plastic would have more of an insulating factor vs a wire caged one. You’re in an SUV so prolly not a huge factor…RR

Does that mean you are getting a dog?!?!?!?!?!

I like the hard plastic crates better. I think they are more den-like and quieter, and provide for better privacy for the dog. Of course you can always use a cover with a wire crate to create a similar affect. A wire crate would offer better ventilation as well, but the plastic ones are easier to clean in case of an accident in my opinion.

suzuki wrote:

Does that mean you are getting a dog?!?!?!?!?!

Yes. Timing TBD, but it’s time to start figuring things out.

Plastic. Safer for a happy tail and for any escape artists.

FDR

I have 4 crates. All are standard vented plastic. 2 are full size and I take them hunting. All were used in the house at one time throughout stages of dogs lives. I also have a med size and pup. Several of my friends have borrowed the pup kennel which I think is a great idea since it only gets used for a short period of time. No sense everyone buying one when we rarely have pups.
Same with Med for that matter.

We have a big hard sided one at home, and a pet porter for travel. The pet porter is nice and light, and breaks down easily if need be. I actually found it on CList for free, and there are usually some for sale cheap.

One of the reasons I am asking now is that garage sale season is around the corner!

I have been using a pair of these for 15+ years and would buy them again. I do not have experience with the wire ones. One stays in the truck and the other is used at destination.

Also, I secure my crate to the truck by running a ratchet strap through the holes at the back of the crate and securing to the cleats on each corner of the truck bed. I don’t think I could do that with wire.

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Depends on the dog sometimes. Some like the viability of the wire and some dogs will chew on the wire. Solid plastic seems to keep most dogs calmer that we have had at our house.

We found a nice wood one for the house and I use a plastic one for travel/hunting. We get a lot of compliments on the wooden one plus the wife can set pictures on top of it since it looks like an end table..win-win

@Pete S can you post a pic of the wooden crate? I’d like to make something like that.

Francis K wrote:

I have been using a pair of these for 15+ years and would buy them again. I do not have experience with the wire ones. One stays in the truck and the other is used at destination.

Also, I secure my crate to the truck by running a ratchet strap through the holes at the back of the crate and securing to the cleats on each corner of the truck bed. I don’t think I could do that with wire.

…I have 2 large crates like the one Francis k shows $45 each or both for $85 …651 764 0002 …. rrr

BigWerm wrote:

@Pete S can you post a pic of the wooden crate? I’d like to make something like that.

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I have a smaller plastic sided one you can have, just used it to bring the pup home. It is brand new, but she has outgrown it.

@pete05 – That is beautiful! I’ve not seen one like that before. It really does look like a normal piece of furniture vs. a crate. Has your dog ever tried chewing on it? That would be my worry. I would think wood would be more tempting to chew than plastic for a dog, depending on the breed of course.

Sharon wrote:

@pete05 – That is beautiful! I’ve not seen one like that before. It really does look like a normal piece of furniture vs. a crate. Has your dog ever tried chewing on it? That would be my worry. I would think wood would be more tempting to chew than plastic for a dog, depending on the breed of course.

We have a british lab and thankfully she’s a carrier and not a chewer so we’ve never had any problems. However, if someone is missing a shoe or a sock it’s usually the first place we look.

Hard side hands down. The wire ones are junk and offer 0 protection for your animal. Evan the new hard plastic ones out theses days are kinda junk. You best bet is to go on Craigslist and buy one in the picture above that Francis k posted. They don’t make them like that anymore and those are nice. I have 3 myself and will buy another after I get another dog soon.

I’m not sure what a dog would need protection from in my home… You’re an opinionated fella, Matt.

They all have a little different needs…
Wire Fold Up crates are nice for in the house or when you need something compact to travel.

Plastic ones work good when traveling. I put mine in the back of the pickup and have a insulated kennel cover that I put over it in the fall/winter. It is surprising how warm it can get in there. I always make sure to feel my lab when I let him out in extreme cold. We could have a 5 hour drive at 10 degrees outside, and he still feels warm when I let him out when we stop. It looks like you have an SUV, so this may be all that is needed.

Ultimately when you travel, you want to think of the kennel like a car seat for a dog. If you get in an accident, do you want your dog or the kennel to act like a free weight and fly around inside or out of the vehicle? Do you want the kennel to be strong, and act like a safety barrier for your dog in the most extreme accident? Do you need to strap it down? Do you need to put a cover over for insulation? Does the gate need to lock so the dog isn’t stolen? Does the kennel need to lock to the vehicle so it isn’t stolen?

These are hands down the best on the market for traveling, but they are also expensive. They are made out of the same material that a kayak is made out of.
https://www.gunnerkennels.com/

These are also pretty good, and still a little pricey.
http://www.rufftoughkennels.com/

mnrabbit wrote:

These are hands down the best on the market for traveling, but they are also expensive. They are made out of the same material that a kayak is made out of.
https://www.gunnerkennels.com/

Holy crap! It’s the Yeti Cooler of dog crates!

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

Holy crap! It’s the Yeti Cooler of dog crates!

You are correct on that! If it wasn’t $600 for a large one, I’d buy one in a heart beat. I’ve been searching for something similar but far less money. The Ruff Tough Kennels are the best I’ve found for the price, but I still haven’t been able to talk myself into spending $200+ for that.

I was just talking about a crate for the back of a truck. Sorry I went off on a rant. Lol

mattgroff wrote:

I was just talking about a crate for the back of a truck.

Yeah, that’s a little more understandable. Our pup will be riding in the lap of luxury in the rear of an SUV, though.

mnrabbit wrote:

The Ruff Tough Kennels are the best I’ve found for the price, but I still haven’t been able to talk myself into spending $200+ for that.

I have an intermediate Ruff Tough and although it is expensive I think it’s worth it. They are tough, you’re never going to have to worry about cracking or damaging it if you cinch it down with a strap or wedge it in the back of a quad-cab pickup like I do. If you are trying to fit it in a tight spot there is no ridge around the middle like a pet porter style so I think you can get more kennel floor space in the same overall space. The door(s) are also really heavy duty and nice and don’t make any noise whatsoever, no rattling on bumpy roads.

The only thing I don’t like about them is they are kind of a weird size, the intermediate anyways, so it’s hard to find a good mat. They are also extremely slippery which again makes mat selection harder, a regular fabric one ends up bunched in the corner as soon as you drive around a corner.

I agree with Francis. Those old Pet Porters are great. I have one that’s got to be 20 years old through 3 dogs and its still works good as new. Although they dont make them anymore I found one that seems similar.

https://www.chewy.com/dog/petmate-vari-ultra-pet-kennel-large/dp/101583?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=Petmate&utm_term=&gclid=CjwKEAiAjfq2BRDpmdHmssaW5xsSJABToP4lQFXpbC3JTtmHJDDQOpbT_cDpdeBr9f97_8-1Rvx3tRoCo5bw_wcB

We bought ours similar to that at L & M Fleet Supply. They had a good selection of sizes and strengths and comparable prices. I love that store!

Sharon wrote:

We bought ours similar to that at L & M Fleet Supply. They had a good selection of sizes and strengths and comparable prices. I love that store!

We go out of our way to stop at L&M stores. I’ve been to the one in Grand Rapids MN and Hayward Wi. many times. They are just fun to be in!

Circling back around since we’re in countdown mode, now. I scoured craiglist for quite a while and ended up getting a new-looking wire crate for the home and a nice hard-sided crate for the truck/traveling. The hard-side needed some cleanup, but for the price, I was happy to clean it up, and it looks great now. I also have to thank wildfan for the smaller crate that we will need to bring the pup home.

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