Sharon, I have quite a few crates also. I don't really prefer one over the other (plastic vs. wire), but I do think buying the size they will stay in is a good idea. For metal crates, I have a Midwest (24L x 18W x 21H). For plastic, I have a PetMate Pet Porter medium (about the same dimensions) that I bought at K-Mart. It is considerably cheaper than the VariKennel, and seems just as nice to me. I ordered the Midwest crates.
I agree with Rosanne that they all like to squeeze into one. My Dinah and Savannah each had their own crate, although I never needed to close the door with them. They chose to stay in one medium plastic crate side by side. When I got my puppy Nick, he was so active that I chose to give him a plastic crate rather than the wire crate. I was afraid he would get his legs stuck in the wire crate. He seems to like it. I've never had any of them resist using a crate, although I've never tried to keep them in it while I was at home! That may be a challenge. :o) Carol Richards East Tennessee, USA [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.geocities.com/carolscavaliers/ "My little dog, a heartbeat at my feet." Edith Wharton ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sharon Crawford" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, August 30, 2002 5:18 PM Subject: [CKCS-L] Choosing crates > I've read up on crate training but now I want to ask the Cavalier experts. > This is for a puppy who will be just over 8 weeks old when he arrives. > There seem to be two distinct kinds. TI already have several of the > Vari-Kennel type ranging from teeny-tiny to pretty big. (The largest one was > purchased for our Maine Coon cat who weighs 22 pounds.) > The other type is the "cage" variety. The Vari-Kennel type is cozier, I > think, and makes for a real "den." On the other hand, the cage variety lets > the pup see what's going on around him. > My intention is for the puppy to be in the same room with me just about all > the time (whether he's in his crate or not) for housetraining purposes. I am > fortunate in that I work at home and so does my husband. > I'm thinking of keeping a "cage" crate downstairs in the family room right > next to the kitchen. And a Vari-Kennel crate upstairs which can be in my > office during the day and in the bedroom at night. > Does that sound right? > > Also, the books say to buy a crate that will continue to be suitable when > the dog is grown up. As I said, I have Vari-Kennels of various sizes so I > could start him in a smaller one and change for a larger one later. But for > the "cage" crate, I'm not sure what size to get. They're not that expensive > so if I had to buy a larger one later on, I would. Should I start with a > small one? What size? > > Sharon Crawford > Hayward, CA > > ========================================================= > "Magic Commands": > to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL > to start it up gain click here: > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL > > E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. > Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html > > All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author. > ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author.
