Crate and Car Question

labst60 said:

Hi everyone! Two quick questions....

1) What size crate do you have for your dog at home? (5.5 to 6.5 lb dog)

2) What is the best way to keep a dog "comfortable" for a 4.5 hour ride home from the breeder?

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I couldn't find a specific link but I have a crate from Petco. It's called the Dog Whisperer and it's the smallest one they carry. My doggy was about 3lbs but this was definitely big for him. I'm glad I didn't get anything smaller though as he will grow into it. - Oh and he has never soiled it at all OR b/c of it being too big.

What I did to keep him all cozy is I layered it with a wooly kind of crate layer and then I put in one of those puppy stuffed animals - the ones with the beating heart and warmer - didn't use the warmer though but turned the heart on. And I then rubbed a little puppy blankie on me and put it in there. It worked out great but he didn't like the car much as he never had had a car ride or had been outside, day or night, so he freaked about that. But his crate became his comfy abode from day 1.
Hope this helps.

We don't use a crate at home but here is a word of caution about traveling with dogs in actual crates in the car that I gained from attending a pet seminar when I first got Hunter:

1. you need to ensure that your crate is locked into place somehow. If you are every in a car accident the crate could become an object that harms you or others traveling with you.

2. do not to travel with him in a crate because he is not secure. If we were ever in an accident he could be flung around in the crate causing severe harm to him (depending on the severity of the accident. I was told that a hard plastic crate/metal are the two worst offenders but that the soft crates aren't that much better. We were taught to either harness him to the seatbelt with approved devices or utilize some type of carseat/restraint.

I don't mean to scare or alarm you - just wanted to pass along the information I had that I didn't know before.

I travel 2-4 weekends a month to dog shows and the usual drive time is at least 3 hours (sometimes a lot more) and all my dogs travel in plastic crates that are seated belted in. I think in the case of an serious car accident, your dog will either fare well or they won't - but at least with the plastic crates I know they would remain contained in the event of an accident since I'd hate to think of them surviving an accident yet escaping in the aftermath and being struck by traffic (definitely doom and gloom here, I don't even like thinking about it!!! Not trying to be callous)

This is one of those questions where you ask and get multiple answers. Every dog show I've been too, I would say that 90% of the participants travel with their dogs in either plastic or metal crates.

These are the crates I happen to use, but any good plastic crate should do. Since your maltese is an adult, that is very helpful! You dont' have to guestimate sizes. I like this size but I could get away with a size smaller, if I needed to. Sometimes I have two in one crate, so I like this size.

What breeder are you getting your baby from? If it were me, I'd ask she/he for advice on a travel crate. They even may have one to send home with you!

can't wait to hear about how your new baby settles in!!

I do not travel with Nikki unless she is secured in her car seat (in the back of the car) She has a special car harness, (purchased at GW Little online) which attaches to the seat belt. The seat belt secures her Lookout Booster seat.

When she was a puppy, we brought her home in a soft-sided Sherpa bag.

Regarding crates, I used a crate to potty train Nikki. I actually had two Midwest crates (amazon.com has good prices) One of them was a 22X13 size, and set up on my nightstand right next to my bed. Nikki slept in there at night until she was potty trained. The other crate was 24x 18, and set up in the living/family room. We used it for daytime potty training. Nikki loved her larger crate. We just folded it up and put it away recently. (Nikki is 2 1/2.)

The potty training worked out well with 2 crates. If/when I get another puppy. I will do it the same way.