Kennels and Crates

Some of the new "welded" plastic crates will last you ten times as long as a Pet Porter or Kennel air. The bad news is they are $150 on up. There is a collapsible metal crate or kennel at Sportsman's Warehouse, but its at $250 plus.
The welded plastic kennel industry seems to be centered in the northwest IA,. southwest MN area for some reason. There Is one outfit out of Orange City that make a double crate lenghtwise, put it on a slider add ramp and gun storage underneath. Add water also. You can open the rear box thru the front and move your dogs around. Very slick at $1,800, but solve problems in a pickup or Suburban. I'LL POST THEIR WEBSITE IF YOU TELL 'EM I SENT YA'!
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I use a plastic kennel and have a mud river cover. In my opinion, you can't go cheap on a cover. The mud river has been great. If my dog is in the back, I know he's warm.
 
chadsbritt said:
I use a plastic kennel and have a mud river cover. In my opinion, you can't go cheap on a cover. The mud river has been great. If my dog is in the back, I know he's warm.
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where can you get those mud river covers? i have a cover but i know that on those cold nights my dog is cold, and i've heard nothing but good things on the mud river kennel cover thanks.
 
I also built a platform that both crates sit on in the back of the suburban. I store my guns, shells, and other gear underneath the crates. I didnâ??t make any pull out drawers like I have seen on others, but may consider modifying the platform in the future.
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Scoutdog,

Could you share some details on your platform and maybe some pics. I've been thinking of doing this in my Expedition.

DZ
 
GSP4Life- try gun dog supply or Northland dog supply for the kennel covers. I think I am going to get one too, saw them at Pheasant Fest very nice!
 
Dakotazeb said:
Scoutdog,

Could you share some details on your platform and maybe some pics. I've been thinking of doing this in my Expedition.

DZ
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I didnâ??t have any pictures, so I ran out and took one to give you an idea. Itâ??s basically 2 separate platforms which have a single bolt to hold them together. The back seat of the suburban is removed as we rarely use it any way. The platform on the right goes the full length of the rear area and is where I keep my guns. The platform on the left is only as long as the crate. I store things under the platforms in soda crates so I can pull them out easily.

The platforms are very simple and I didnâ??t try to get elaborate with them. They are basically 1x6 boards with a plywood top screwed on. There is a single bolt holding the two platforms together so the smaller one doesnâ??t slide around. Also, with separate platforms I can take one out if I need to put something in the back of the suburban. The wire crates are held in place by a simple L bracket on each end that is mounted upside down. The one thing I am going to change when I take them out some time is to replace the corner braces with L brackets. The corner braces make it harder to get things in and out from under the platform.

Hope this helps.

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I use both wire and plastic, seems like I have one of every size and can't seem to find the right one. I am going to get a couple of those furrarri Kennels that split in half with a simple latch for easy cleaning and the doors open both ways. I think they are made by Pet mate too. They are pricy but very nice. The darn wire crate lets the dogs pull stuff in and chew, my 1 year old just got my new shooting vest the other day so she has to be in plastic, pluss they get wet and shake and well you know where most of that ends up with a wire crate. I take the dogs to training in a station wagon so its nice to keep it some what clean.I can get three of the crates in and can keep the heat or the air condition on. In MN 30 below it's kinda needed.
 
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FCSpringer said:
I use both wire and plastic, seems like I have one of every size and can't seem to find the right one. I am going to get a couple of those furrarri Kennels that split in half with a simple latch for easy cleaning and the doors open both ways. I think they are made by Pet mate too. They are pricy but very nice. The darn wire crate lets the dogs pull stuff in and chew, my 1 year old just got my new shooting vest the other day so she has to be in plastic, pluss they get wet and shake and well you know where most of that ends up with a wire crate. I take the dogs to training in a station wagon so its nice to keep it some what clean.I can get three of the crates in and can keep the heat or the air condition on. In MN 30 below it's kinda needed.
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Sounds like you are pretty much where I am at.
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I started this thread and I have reached a conclusion. At least for myself. I'm staying with the plastic kennels. That's what I've always used for travel. (I have wire crates for the dogs in the house) I hear several of you talking about the dog grabbing things through wire crates, the dogs shaking themselves and it spraying throught the wire crates, etc. Plastic gets my vote. And I should get the two kennel jackets today that I ordered. I'm set now!

BUT! What does everyone use for a pad/dog bed inside the kennel? I use carpet that I have left over from the last time we re-carpeted the house. I cut them to size and put them in the bottom. When they get dirty I throw them out and put a new one in. But when it's cold I'd like to add something else.
 
George; When you got new carpet, what happened to the pad that was under it? Or when they laid the new carpet was any padding left over. If so cut that to size and put it under the carpets. It is surprizing how much more comfort and insulation that stuff offers. If it is the waffle type stuff that I don't know how good that is. I am speaking of the solid padding that is close to a half inch think.---Bob
 
Good idea Bob. I don't have any used pad but that stuff is pretty cheap. $3-4 per yard. I just put the new insulated kennel jackets on that I found for $20.94 each. They fit perfect. If it gets really cold I might throw a wool banket over the top of the kennels. I'm ready to go huntin'.
 
Well I dont use anything but straw wich I hate unless I have too. I try to use some nice big fluffy bath towls, We get them at a second hand wholesale store here for two $, But if the dog chews on anything in the crate they get nothing or if it is cold straw. My older dogs have figured it out that the towels are nice and leave them alone. The River pup she still thinks they are a chew toy, but when we are driveing she leaves them alone, its just in the house she chews, I think to get attention. She will figure it out soon enough that the floor is hard after awhile. Pluss the towels can be washed easily and I keep a bunch in the wagon for a quick change on the road. They work very well and cheap.
 
Uncle Buck said:
Sounds like you are pretty much where I am at.
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10-4, I thought ther may be some new inovations out there when you mention welded mine are all just stamped or molded I would say. I have Pet mate petporters, vari kennels, remington, that kind of stuff. Those furrarri's by pet mate are pretty handy but the price is stiffer.
 
Dakotazeb said:
BUT! What does everyone use for a pad/dog bed inside the kennel? I use carpet that I have left over from the last time we re-carpeted the house. I cut them to size and put them in the bottom. When they get dirty I throw them out and put a new one in. But when it's cold I'd like to add something else.
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For wire kennels, I make my own using ½” plywood, foam padding, carpet and a staple gun. Overlapping the carpet and stapling it to the bottom of the plywood makes ‘em chew-proof too. I’m switching to plastic crates this year so I’ll have to make some changes to accommodate those.

I actually began making these out of necessity. I knew I had to come up with something that was chew-proof when our Springers were pups and they worked so well, I've been using them ever since.
 
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For the crates in the car, we use zippered pillow cases filled with cedar shavings. Every few months we just empty the shavings and wash the pillow cases. Between washings, we just flip the cases over if they are too dirty. In the winter, we just add some pieces of an old fleece blanket.
 
I bought a close-cell camping sleeping bad and cut it in half. Half of it is her kennel pad and the other half of it is her "steady spot" in the boat. Well, let me correct that, the half that WAS her kennel pad got TRASHED by a jack russel terrier that we had the misfortune of agreeing to take care of last weekend. the little monster wouldn't stay off the furniture, so we crated her when we were not there to correct her. Now I've gotta buy a new pad for the kennel..... :mad:
We were not too heartbroken to see her go on Sunday evening...................
-Croc
 
I have a welded plastic kennel and love it. They are expensive but they last along time. I have had mine 7 or 8 years and it shows very little wear. I think the company that made mine was bought out and they are now NorthStar Kennels. I found this website that sells them: http://www.thepawsmahal.com/dogs/kennels/ My favorite feature is the mesh type floor which prevents the wet dogs from laying in water until you let them out again. Good luck in your search.

PBH
 
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