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Tom Henry
08-30-2007, 4:41 PM
Has anyone on the forum crate trained there dog and if they got a bed for the crate did you get one that filled the crate? :confused:

Jonathan Harvey
08-30-2007, 5:00 PM
If your crate training you want the crate to be as small as it can be comfortable. A dogs crate is like there den. They don't defecate in there den so it need to be small enough that they won't have the urge to do it in the crate. That being said if you forget to put them out or if they are left in the crate for too long it is NEVER the dogs fault.

If you are putting a bed in the crate that is fine. If the bed does not fill the crate put other objects in the crate to fill it up (if you bought a crate that is to big :) ) I find milk crates or boxes work great at filling up empty space.

Hope this helps.

Jonathan

Ken Fitzgerald
08-30-2007, 5:25 PM
Moved this thread to "Off Topic" forum as it was more appropriate than the "turning" forum.

Tom Henry
08-30-2007, 5:43 PM
Sorry...I thought I put it on the Off Topic Forum!!;)

Mike Cutler
08-30-2007, 5:50 PM
Tom

All dogs should be crate trained, imho. It makes it much safer to transport a dog.
If the purpose is for transportation, get a crate as small as possible that the dog fits comfortably in. You want them to lie down.If the crate is for home use, get it as big as you can.
The crate becomes the dog's "spot". Teach the command "Kennel In" to the dog to enter the crate.
I prefer the rectangular egg crate foam beds. they provide a lot of comfort for the dog.

Joe Pelonio
08-30-2007, 6:04 PM
We have done it with our last two. Before them we had a Bernese and a crate would have been as big as a bedroom.

The key is to start them young, and while it's noisy the first week or tow, well worth it later on when you say "get in your house" and both of them run right in and lay down in the right crate. Ours have always been fine with a thick throw rug in it, sort of like a fake sheepskin.

Now that they are past the chewing and accident stage we rarely use them, mainly for the car.

Wes Bischel
08-30-2007, 7:10 PM
Tom,
All of our dogs have been crate trained. Petey knows to "Go to your room."
As far as beds go, our first dog loved her Snuggle ball.
http://www.dog.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=101383+018
She was older and the ball cradled her nicely.

Petey liked it as well, but he has a bad stomach (I'll say no more other than he takes Tagement and has special food:rolleyes: ) so we have defaulted to an old throw pillow and miscellaneous old towels, t-shirts etc. He still uses the Snuggle ball as a bed in our bedroom.

As mentioned, the crate allows the dog to retreat to a safe place if things get too busy etc.

Wes

Jim O'Dell
08-30-2007, 7:36 PM
Definately crate train. Like others have said, it is their den. Our oldest girl still goes in by herself at night, or to hide from ear cleaning or toenails. We have 3 up in the bedroom right now. Have had as many as 5, depending ot the number of fosters we have at any given time. When you let them out of the crate, the very first thing is to go potty. Not ear or belly rubs, or any baby talk...straight outside. Then praise them and really make over them when they finish pottying.
If you ever have to confine the dog due to surgery for some reason, you'll be glad they were crate trained. Jim.

David G Baker
08-30-2007, 8:02 PM
I have a cat that sleeps in its carrier. Started when it was a kitten. Never thought about doing it with a dog but it makes a lot of sense.

Chuck Saunders
08-31-2007, 8:42 AM
I have been lucky. I started crating with my last 3 dogs and they all took to it without complaint. I put them in and they all seem very happy. It is their den and one of my dogs that was a stray will go to his kennel whenever stress starts to rise (storms, lots of people etc). I was expecting a lot more work to train them but they accepted almost immediately. Hope you have the same experience. I tried a bed and they just wadded it up. Went with a rubber stable mat cut to fit instead.

Tom Henry
08-31-2007, 9:26 AM
;) Just to let everyone know how much of a great site this is, I posted this same link on a dog forum and only recieved 3 comments on it. This Forum is the best!

Dan Larson
08-31-2007, 11:33 AM
If you're in the market for a new dog bed, you might consider one of these for your pup...
http://www.kuranda.com/catalog/index.php
The Powermatic of dog beds... a little pricey, but well engineered & very durable. Our guy loves his!

Dan

Pat Germain
08-31-2007, 6:31 PM
I have two beagles and two crates. Beagle number one was crate trained when I adopted him from a local shelter. Wow, what a lucky find! Crate trained dogs a great.

I recently adopted a second beagle. She wasn't crate trained, but I'm working on it. I think the fact she sees the "resident" beagle using his crate helps a lot.

Be sure the dog is ready before you leave him in his crate for long periods. Dogs not used to being crated can injure themselves if left in there too long. They might try to bite and claw their way out. Once they're used to it, dogs can stay in their crate for a long time. My beagle was fine all day.

Each of my crates have a padded sheepskin bed that fits perfectly on the bottom. My wife got them at the local pet superstore. One of my crates in an "Ultima" and the other is an "i-Crate". The Ultima is a little bigger and a little heavier duty. Both work very well.

Happy training!