Crates

[Jeni D]

Emmye: I use the same crate that Linda does and it seems to be great. The best part is that you can create more or less room as they grow to prevent pottying in the crate.

Col Colt: I use a pet harness with Dudley when we are in the car. And, it may be a coincidence, but ever since we have started using it, he has not gotten carsick once! Even on the incredibly nauseating drive to Arkansas to pick up Maya! I think it makes him feel more comfortable and I know he is safer.

[Chip's Mom]

I would use the do not disturb sign either way. I have a small crate and a medium crate - both are soft sided. I also have a regular wire crate that is large enough for two but I haven't used that one. They should sleep but I might just take the playpen for Dale and put his bed in that. He would be much happier and he is used to staying in it. Chip will be fine because he would just sleep until we came back.

Thanks for helping me figure that one out Peggy. I think the x pen would be best for Dale and it is large enough that I could put Chip in it also and leave the crate open in there for the two of them. It's high enough so neither one could get out and they wouldn't chew it either.

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by Chip's Mom

Thanks for helping me figure that one out Peggy. I think the x pen would be best for Dale and it is large enough that I could put Chip in it also and leave the crate open in there for the two of them. It's high enough so neither one could get out and they wouldn't chew it either.

Just put something under it in case they have an accident. Old shower curtains work well. But make sure they won't chew it.

Peggy

[Shelly]

The kind of crate depends on what you use the crate for. I use my plastic crates both in the house and when I need to take my corgis to someone's house (say to spend a weekend) when I'm away from home and they are not sure if my dogs are housetrained or not and they (the people) feel safer having the dogs contained while sleeping -- or little children are visiting, etc. My friends let the dogs roam while they can keep an eye on them. I have both the small and medium size plastic crates I got at Petco and both fit in my Honda Civic and Honda Accord. I would not be able to get a crate larger than the medium size through the door of the car. Though I could get both crates lengthwise on the backseat of the accord, end to end, in the Civic I have to have the medium crate lengthwise and the small crate crossing the "T" with the passenger front seat scooted up as close as it will go to the front because the back seat just isn't long enough on that car. Thus I need to drive alone with both crates if in the Civic. Another good thing about the plastic crates is they're plastic even on the bottom so if the dog by accident has a potty accident, it will not soak the floor of the house, etc. and can be wiped up (you can't do that with a wire crate).

[dcole]

Originally Posted by ColColt

I had seen a harness type device at Pet Smart last Saturday that looked comfortable enough and safe enough for travel and was just curious if anyone used anything like that. Perhaps a crate would be more comfortable for them on a long drive but, with the harness type, they could see more on the trip.

When we first got Trevor, I bought one of those harnesses from PetSmart, but ended up taking it back. It wasn't adjustable enough, and fit too loosely across his chest. Of course, this was when he was still young and hadn't deveolped that "corgi chest" yet.

I ended up getting this system from Champion K9 Designs:

Champion Canine Seat Belt System

I wanted a harness system, versus using a crate, because in the event of an accident, or even a sudden stop, they are still thrown against the insides of the crate with a force equal to the velocity at which you are traveling.

The harness is quite well made, and fully adjustable. The restraint strap gives you some solid connection options inside your vehicle, and the way it fastenes to the harness, it will NOT let go of your dog, should the plastic harness buckle fail. I just ordered a new harness, in fact, because his first one is REALLY tight on him now. About the only bad thing I can say about the company is they are SLOOOOOW to ship. As in, my VISA card charge cleared on the 11th, and they just sent me an email, saying they shipped my order today???

Good product, though. My 0.02.

[Dillydoodle]

ok, i will weigh in... I had a vari kennel plastic crate which i used during the puppy chewing/housebreaking stage. Once Dillon was reliable in his crate and he was not a real chewer... I got him a Noz2Noz soft crate. I got the identical crate for Gus when he came, but i made sure to ask his former owner if he was a chewer or digger or had issues with crates, and she said no, he has a soft crate and loves it. So they both love their crates, they are zipped up in them at night- even though Gus is over 2 yrs old and Dillon is a few months short of 2 yrs... I know where they are, I know that no one is getting into trouble and no cats are being chased... This is what works for us well, and the boys do not complain one bit, infact when it is time for bed they put themselves in their crates and wait for me to zip them up.

Dillon has a seat belt harness ( dr foster's and smith) that works well and I bought another one for Gus, but he has only traveled in his crate before ,so i will have to test him out with the seat belt... For long trips, we take the Expedition and have the back seat fitted with a special hammock style cover for the whole back seat ( preventing them from flying forward and onto the floor... then they have a mattress thatgoes along the whole seat area and makes for one solid floor for them Gus we will have to see , he has not taken a bit long trip with us yet- end of the month will be the test...we will be bringing a soft crate with us incase he has issue traveling out of his crate...

Emilie

[Chip's Mom]

Emilie - that sounds like the ideal set up. How old was Dillon when he started using the seat belt harness?

[TNCorgi]

We have the wire kind for each of the boys but the plastic kind for riding in the car. It is smaller and fits a little better but I have a mini van and 2 little ones in car seats.

[Checkers]

Note on the seatbelt harness. If you have a traveler that like to spin circles and jump around it may not work. I tried one with Checkers a while back and between hooking him in, and walking around the car to get in myself he had managed to spin enough circles that it was choking him! I tried several different methods of hooking him up to try and prevent it, but nothing worked. I can see how it would work fine with Gator because he just lays down and goes to sleep. I drive a Subaru Forester, and there are latches in the back that I keep short leashes (about 2-3 feet) attached to for short road trips to the store and vet. I keep the leashes just short enough that they can walk around and such, but that they can't jump over the seat into the back seat.

[Emmye]

Emmye loves to ride in the car or truck.. In the truck it is easy she lays on the sit next to me and puts her head on my lap. in the car Pontiac Vibe it is a little harder because of the bucket sits, she wants to sit close and that means she tries to sit on your lap and look out the window... and it's funny if there is weight in the seat and the seat belt is not done up the car makes a noise so you have to buckle the seat belt up when she rides with you..

I have a wire crate but it would not fit in the cab part of the truck when traveling and it would not fit in the vibe either and it is a pain to set up and take down... So I think I will try the one from Wal-mart for trips to visit Grandma's house..

[ColColt]

Had trouble getting back...thanks Jeni and Debi.

[Bayoucorgi]

I have a 30" black wire crate. Got it on ebay. Has doors on side and end. I like the ventilation better than the plastic ones since we live in a hot humid climate. I also like that he can see out. My friends dogs have all chewed up or chewed out of their soft-sides but that could just be because they're bad dogs.

[Clogs]

Originally Posted by ColColt

I had seen a harness type device at Pet Smart last Saturday that looked comfortable enough and safe enough for travel and was just curious if anyone used anything like that. Perhaps a crate would be more comfortable for them on a long drive but, with the harness type, they could see more on the trip.

Clogs has a car harness, which is clipped to a short length of braided rope with a dog-lead clip on both ends. That allows the harness to swivel around if the dog is a "turner". One end is anchored to the top seatbelt anchor. She has a booster seat, so she is up high enough to see out, or she gets bored. She spends a lot of time travelling about with me/us.
Duh, yes, I know - over indulgent parents.

[ColColt]

The harness I saw was something like the picture shown. It looked pretty comfortable for at least short travel, which I consider 100 miles or so. I'm just looking ahead. Looking into everything from hair brushes and Kong Toys to the best food and travel restraints. I lost Katie a few months back as most know and have no Corgi right now. My sister has played the Godfather in that she's nearly made me an offer that's hard to refuse. She wants me to come back to NC where she's at and offered to buy me a house on her street if I would! The one she thinks may become available has a fenced in back yard (wood type) and would be ideal from what I saw of it some months ago. If I decide on that, perhaps at that time Debbie would take pity on me and help me find a Corgi since she'll only be less than 100 miles up the road.

[Sizzledog]

My dobe breeder likes wire crates, so that's what I've always used. When we got Ada, we didn't even think about anything other than wire. I have a soft sided crate, but I only trust Ilsa in it - she's got the best manners of the three, and the only one I trust not to damage it. I really like it for traveling!

Pros of Wire:
~ easily transported
~ versatile visibility - the dog can see out, or you can cover it with a blanket.
~ doesn't accumulate crusty dirt as easily as plastic
~ the doors are more secure, IMO, than plastic
~ easier to clean - at least, for me!

Cons of Wire:
~ more expensive
~ the enamel rubs off after a few years of use, then rusts a bit
~ god help you if Poochie gets projectile diarrhea... those bars are hard to clean completely!