Puppy Crate?
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
Since we brought our pup (5 month old Havanese) home she has been crate trained in a plastic petmate travel crate.and loves it! But the problem is is that she is getting big and cannot sit up, barely turn around, or stretch out b/c the crate is too small now. A friend of mine gave us a bigger wire crate but we tried it for about a week and she was scared to death of it ( its a large crate and she is only about 9 lbs). So, my question is…do I try a smaller wire crate or do I buy a larger plastic crate? I am also going back to work next week and she will be in the crate all day. I read that metal crates are better b/c of ventilation. Any advice? Thanks so much!
**Even though she weighs only 9 lbs., her body is long- 15 inches and she likes to really stretch out and then she is even longer.**
Related Havanese Training & Care posts:
Buy a different big crate, could be she’s smelling another dogs scent on it. She could also be scared of it because its new and different. Think about it, heres this little dog and a gaint crate. But you’ll want a big crate so that when she grows she’ll still fit in it. Put a blanket in the crate and a few toys and an article of clothing of yours that you dont really want anymore, that way your scent is in there. She’ll still be scared for awhile, so what you want to do is re-train her using that crate.
I have always been told that you don’t want to put a dog in a crate big enough for them to poop in one end and rest on the other end. This reasoning seems logic as what dog wants to lay in their own poop….most don’t:) Plastic crates are easier to clean and are not hard on their feet. Get one that has good ventilation on the sides and it will be fine.
All dogs are different – some prefer wire while others prefer the plastic crates. If your dog was comfortable in her plastic crate and has shown you she doesn’t like being in the wire one, why not just get her a plastic crate that’s large enough for her?
Your puppy probably likes the plastic one because it is dark inside. Dogs in the wild like to live in dens. Which are basically a dark hole in the ground. I got a wire crate for my puppy last year and throw an old window curtain over it to make it dark inside and he love being in it. So throw an old blanket or towel over the wire one to make it look dark inside. Put whatever bedding was in the plastic one in the wire one along with a chew toy. It won’t take to long for your puppy to get use to it and call it Home.
try putting a blanket around it to make it dark..she may just like it because its completely enclosed..stick with the wire crate its best to have one that is slightly too big for your dog
i would buy a larger plastic cage, and if your dog is still scared put a blanket over the cage, it works!!!
She just needs to get used to the new crate. Leave it open next to her old crate and let her investigate it. Once she has sniffed it out, put her blankets (or whatever she sleeps on) in the new crate. She needs the larger crate and will eventually accept it. Try putting it in a corner or against a wall so that one or two sides are “closed.” A travel crate should only be used for traveling purposes.