I made a crate for puppy! He keeps outgrowing the ones we bought, so I made a large one out of his playpen panels that should be big enough until he’s fully grown.
The floor is a sheet of plywood. I put vinyl wrap on it for waterproofing (turns out it’s too fragile, by the time I made the rest I made a couple of tears).
For the top, I made a lip out of PSE wood (I think 25mm), to give more rigidity and allow fitting a hinged top.
Cabin hooks for the door, but they turned out to be too loose, so I added a Brenton bolt.
Puppy likes it, so overall a success!
Progress pictures :
The host of the crate:
How’s he going to get to the books though?
Is that a Newfoundlander?
A standard poodle. In that picture he hadn’t had his first trim yet, so he’s showing gloriously fluffy puppy hair
Looks great! Thanks for sharing
Not a crate, that’s a cage. Monstrous.
I didn’t know that was a called a Brenton bolt. Neat!
I actually had to look it up when writing that post, I think I searched for “garden gate lock” at first :)
Why do you choose to keep your dog in a cage?
Not OP but here’s some personal experience: I had a really hard time agreeing to create training with my dog. I found the entire ordeal stressful for myself until I started to see the benefits.
When the dog needs a break from a dangerous or stressful situation they have somewhere just for them. The cats can’t get to them. If I’m in the kitchen with her and I need her out of the way, she now knows that her bed or crate is a good place to go to avoid being stepped on.
At night, the crate stays open but she crawls in there to go to sleep. Brings her toys in there or special treats she wants to hide from the cats.
It also helps if she ever has to go to a kennel or, like others have said, a groomer that needs to hold her for a bit.
Overall, when I analyze it deeply I feel remorse for getting a living creature used to living in a box. But, she’s never in there for long and it’s always a rewarding experience with treats and tons of praise afterward. Many people may find the process unsavoury as I did. Even though I disagree to an extent… I listened to expert opinion and I’m glad I did.
Offering a crate as a safe and cosy space to relax, sleep, etc. is recommended by the RSPCA (and the Dog Trust, Battersea, and many more).
In normal use it’s fitted with a small mattress, vet bed, toys (that I didn’t show because I didn’t make those myself).
It’s also a good idea to have your dogs crate-trained for emergencies and visits from the types of people they may have trauma with.
OP has a poodle as well, which means either hair cuts at home or regular grooming. Many groomers keep dogs in crates between wash and cut, which is a lot easier on the dog if they consider crates safe.
You live in one yourself, they get one away from you.
I’ve never understood the copium it takes to convince yourself this isn’t just slavery of other species. They have no choice in anything without a human, from defecation to eating, and you literally cage them when they act against your wishes. I’ll take my downvotes now.
Slavery usually implies material profiting from another’s unpaid labor. I’ve been losing money on this investment since day 1.
Does it? I’ve just taken it to mean enslavement. Every definition I can find lines up with pet ownership like a carbon copy.
I guess there are working breeds (hunting/herding/pest removal) so you’re right in a way.
Personally, I view it as a symbiotic relationship. To each their own.
Oh, I didn’t realize it was symbiotic. When do they take you for your walk and let you eat?
I feel like you might be a troll so I’m just gunna disengage
Or you just don’t have arguments lmao. They’re right about this and it hurts your feelings 🥺
Yep, I’m a big ol idiot that’s scared of being wrong on the internet. Not that i don’t want to waste my time with this argument that checks notes dogs are slaves.
Both organisms in a symbiotic relationship can get different things from the relationship
When I see posts like this though, where a pet like a dog is put in a cage instead of being allowed free roam at least of the house, it makes me very sad.
