Crates

From LoveToKnow Dogs

Crates and Dog Shows

It's a fact of dog show life, crates are a necessity. Dog carriears come in all shapes and sizes, and different types serve different purposes. Most dog cages fall into two categories, wire, and high density plastic. Let's take a look at what accommodations are commonly available and how they should be used.

Crate

Dog Show Uses

If you enter a dog show, you're going to have to move your pet somehow from Point A to Point B. The prospect of having one or more dogs loose in a moving vehicle simply isn't safe or feasible. Although nearly any type of dog crates are better than no crates at all, high density plastic carriers provide the most protection for travelling dogs, and are the number one choice of most dog show exhibitors because of their versatility.

The Vari-Kennel is perhaps the most common brand of plastic dog carrier used. These portable kennels were originally used to ship dogs by airplane, manufactured to airline safety specifications, and airline approved. Because of their ease of cleaning and extra protection from the elements, these kennels are now used on a daily basis in Dog Day Care and homes as well. The Vari-Kennel is available from size 100P 21"x16"x15" for the smallest breeds up to size 700P 48"x32"x35" for the largest breeds.

The Vari-Kennel is actually a two piece, high density copolymer plastic shell that bolts together. There are a minimum of two steel grid window vents on the crate sides, and a heavy gauge steel grid door on the front. This provides excellent ventilation, and far more safety in case of impact, where a wire cage would not keep a dog's legs contained within. This makes them perfect for transporting dogs. Similar products are also sold under names like Sky Kennel, and Kennel Cab.

Other Useful Crates

Heavy Duty 7-11 gauge wire crates are also commonly used by dog show exhibitors and breeders, although they do not meet shipping standards for airline use. Most wire dog crates are collapsible, and can be folded down to fit in a vehicle for transport to the dog show.

These products are completely open to wind, sun and rain, and with typical wire spacing running 1-1 1/2 inches apart, do not offer the same security as high density plastic dog cages. A dog's leg could conceivably be pushed through the spacing and lead to a greater chance of injury during a crash.

However, some wire products are highly useful in the home and at the dog show. Wire exercise pens come in two basic styles with plenty of size variations.

  • Regular exercise pens are comprised of six to eight panels and sit directly on the ground. These pens are typically used as a private potty area for an exhibitor's own dogs. They are very useful for preventing dogs from accidentally coming in contact with illnesses passed through other dogs' eliminations.
  • Raised exercise pens, sometimes referred to as "puppy play pens" are similar to regular exercise pens, but have only four sides, and come with a hygienic wire floor grid that allows eliminations to pass through and be caught on a pan underneath. This allows dogs and puppies to remain much cleaner, and these crates are highly utilized for those gloriously coated breeds such as Shih Tzu, Lhasa Apsos, Maltese and Yorkshire Terriers to name a few.

Conclusion

Hopefully this mini tutorial on dog crates has given you the basic knowledge to help you select crates that will be useful for your individual needs. Links have been provided as examples, and an internet search will yield many other resources where you can purchase crates.


 


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