crate size question

[Krista, Angel, and Toby]

Hi all. So I currently have a 36" wire crate for Angel that she sleeps in. But...she's just about out-grown it now. Her butt reaches one end while her paws reach the other. She no longer has room to sprawl in it. Anyway, she is now 41lbs (not sure about height or length) at 5 months old. I was wondering, should I get a 42" crate or a 48" crate to replace it? How much more substantial growth will I see?

Thanks!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I would get the largest crate possible. It was my understanding that the crate remain small only when you are potty training. Once this has been accomplished it is not necessary to keep the den small. Make it big, homey, and comfortable.

My son just moved out and I thought of making Spud's new crate his very own room 15' by 13' :) I could paint or wallpaper a doggie mural, have shelves of toys.........................

Okay, I'm getting carried away. My suggestion go for as big as your home allows. Do get a crate that will allow you to travel. We have one for the van just in case, but it is never used. Some hotels insist you have one if you and your dog check in.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I agree, the bigger, the better just in case and extra room never hurts. there are soft portable crates for traveling which might be more convenient since the large wire crates get pretty heavy.

[Karen & Lucy]

I like those soft sided crates for traveling, If you need one, AND right now our Big Lots has them in small and large. The large ones say up to 100 lbs. Check them out. Would probably be a good price. I also agree on the bigger size, If the potty training is all over.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

I'm going to Big Lots. Maybe our store will also have one available. Spud is great in a car, but would like to keep one in case for travel.

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

I would go right with the 48". If she is not potty trained yet you can use a divider. At 5 months of age you have another 7 months of growth to go and a standard sized Doodle she could easily go 55 to 60lbs. or more since she is already 41lbs. They say to double their weight and add 10lbs...that would put at about 90lbs...yikes. I would definetly go with the larger crate.

[Lorraine Bromley]

We have just went through this crate fiasco. First off I bought a large wire crate. Great for at home. Too big for anything else. He is 9 mths soon and hasn't used a crate in months. He sleeps in our room or on the sofa. He is trusted in the house daily. It's the kids leaving interesting chewy things around that he gets into that is the problem. Trying to train the kids.(24, 21,18)
We had a trip to Quebec that we wanted to take Neely on and fly. If Your EVER going to fly be sure to buy a flight ready crate and make sure you call the airlines direct to get the dimensions of what they allow and not go by the pet shops labeling. We had to buy something smaller than we would have liked. He did fine in it for the flight. There were several other dogs flyiing that day too and also larger dogs that had the same size crate as the one we had to buy. They fit but that is all. These type also come into two peices so that you could take the top off and use it as a pet bed with out the lid. I hope this helps.

[Lynda Kamrath]

Crate questions were a big one for us as we have two BIG doodles. I personally don't like crates, but we did have one for the car to curtail puppy exuberance. Then I got a new car and built the back into a large crate. It has a truck bed cover of plastic that is easy to clean after our trips to the beach and for just running around town. We have a foam pad that we use for longer trips and it fits both of them fine. Our dogs are 28 and 30 inches tall and weigh 95 and 107 pounds, so crates (even the largest ones) are ridiculous. We have memory foam pads for them in our bedroom, but Groucho Too prefers the cold tiles in the bathroom. They were trained as puppies in baby playpens, so we have never had crates in the house.

[Linda,Yankee & Finn]

I just got a new car and my dogs stay in the back right now on a dog bed. What did you use to block them from climbing over the back seats? My seats are leather and the puppy is hanging over the seat and making them filthy.