What size crate do I need ?
 

I'm sending hubby price-shopping today for a crate for Bo.
I'll be at work, and he'll have all three kids with him, so I know he won't take Bo to try out the crates.

But it HAS to be done pronto. She messed on the living room floor overnight last night (she jumps over the gate to get out of the kitchen), and in the basement yesterday during the day (which I think is her trying to mark over the cat's scent down there).

Anyhow - we have decided that we MUST crate her. It's worked wonders for Pugsley, and he doesn't mind being in his crate at all.

She is roughly 55 lbs, a shepherd / collie / hound / etc kind of mix.
Roughly 24" tall at the shoulder.
From base of tail to base of neck is ~ 27" to 28"


At Petcetera (which is where we got Pugsley's crate, which we like - it folds !) they have these lengths for crates :
24" : obviously too short
36" : ???
42" : ???
48" : too big I think.

Suggestions ?

Since crating is a new experience for her, and she is a larger, strong dog, she will howl and try VERY hard to escape the crate if she is locked in with little training due to your time constraints. I would get as large and as strong a crate as you can, have her out of it for potty breaks as much as possible, and be prepared with many toys such as Kongs that that be stuffed to keep her busy in there.

I have seen dogs escape crates that were deemed impossible to escape, so I wish you luck on the crate training of an older dog. I hope she has used a crate a little before now to make it easier for you.

Penny, who's 56lbs and roughly the same size as Bo, fitted rather comfortably, in her 42" x 28" x 31" wire crate.

I would recommend you slowly introduce her to the crate if at all possible as well, especially if she's never been crate trained before.

Lots and lots of exercise before you finally leave her in it for any extended period of time, and as [B]DoubleRR[/B] said, stuffed Kongs to help keep her busy.

Although they don't fold up, you may want to consider the [B]Hagen Pet Cargo[/B] crate (series 700 or 800 will be large enough for Bo). They're more expensive but we've found them to be much more sturdier than regular cargo-type crates. They are also frequently on sale at Petcetera.

Ours are 40" x 27" x 30"...so roughly the same size as LP's...and our 50 - 60 pound boys fit perfectly comfortably in them with a little room to spare. :thumbs up

Thank you all.