Crate Preferences

[StaceyW]

We are bringing our labradoodle home at the end of June (he will be about 10 weeks old) and I am researching crates right now. I think we will need two (one upstairs and one down) and probably one of them should be foldable for travel purposes. Ollie will grow to be pretty big (his parents are 60 and 70 pounds) so I also need to get them with dividers so he has room to grow. Since I need two - also don't want them to be the $$ ones. Suggestions? Do you think I should get two of the same or does that not matter? Thanks in advance

[Tricia, Shiloh, Fenway & Tessie]

My best suggestion is to get the wire crates....they have a lot more airflow than the plastic ones. Walmart has the wire ones cheaper than say petsmart. They fold down flat. I have two of them and have not had any problems with them. They have the doors on the front and side so that you have more versatility about where you position it in a room. They also have the dividers.

[Betsy D.]

Once you have decided which kind of crate you want, you might try finding it on Craigs List. Our breeder says that she gets far better prices this way. You just need to cleanse it thoroughly before using. My family has crates for us to borrow when we bring our baby home in 3 weeks. I will, however, have to get a larger once rapidly, I'm sure.

[sandy b]

We bought Midwest Life Stages at Petsmart or Petco. It's wire and has 2 doors and a divider. Max is now 10 months and has been sleeping in it since we brought him home at 8 wks. It's very sturdy but not so heavy you can't move it around.

[Tammy & Gracie]

I also use a wire crate, with 2 doors and a divider. It does break down flat pretty easily for travel. I also cover mine at night, I just use an old quilt but there are packages out there with combo quilt, pad, etc. I also have an old (donated by a friend) plastic travel crate downstairs that I just use when I need to put her up during the day. It does not seem to matter that the two crates are different.

[Kyoko]

This is the same kind we have for Charlie. It looked huge when we first got her at 7 1/2 weeks, divider was at the very end of the crate. But now she is 5 1/2 months, we no longer use the divider.

[Dan, Judi, & Timbow]

I got a midwest crate for Timbow and we love it! I got it from petedge.com because it's cheaper. It shipped a lot faster than what they said too! We got a lot of toys and other supplies from them too and have been very happy with them.