New Crate

Red got a new crate today - a soft-sided one for shows. After waiting around at the last Rally trial for over 3 hours, I figured it might be a good idea to get a travel crate. This way I can put Red in there for a break with a bone or something, so I can do walkthroughs or go to the bathroom or whatever. And I would rather not put him in the car unattended, especially if the parking lot is far away.

He already has a 40" Vari-Kennel hard-sided crate, but it is so big and bulky. In order to get it into my PT Cruiser, it needs to be disassembled and I have to lay the back seats down. Which means Red has to perch on the hard backs of the folded down seats, which is both uncomfortable and unsafe since I can't use his seatbelt harness. I'd probably need a cart to get it into any facility considering its size, even while disassembled and didn't want to have to deal with that.

After consideration, I ended up buying the N2N Port-a-crate P2 in the 36" size. There is one size bigger - the 42", but I figured the 36" would be sufficient for the relatively short amounts of time he will be in it. Plus some places have limited room to set up chairs and crates, so the more compact, the better. It is well-made with thick durable nylon sides and mesh screen. I like that the screen on the sides doesn't go all the way down to the floor, giving the crate more security and privacy from passing dogs. The screens on the door, back, and both sides roll up and secure easily for more breathability. It sets up quickly and breaks down into a very light and mangable form. It comes with a cushy foam mat for the bottom, but I will be putting a plush crate mat in there as well.

If the crate works as it should, it should be a place that Red can go to calm down and relax while we are waiting to trial. I will be putting a sheet over it for added privacy as most people do at trials. I'm hoping he won't be too anxious in it knowing all the sights, smells and sounds that is going on around him, but he's just going to have to get used to it. If I know him well, I'm pretty sure he will come excitedly out of it and be ready to work.

He is crate trained to his hard crate at home, though we haven't been crating him at all for about 4 months now. But after discussing the issue on DT, I decided to crate him periodically to keep him in the habit of using it. I put him in it yesterday while I ran errands for a few hours and it was just like old times - I said "Bedtime!" and he zoomed into it, turned around and waited for his cookie as usual. So now I will just have to get him used to being crated in the soft crate. I set it up tonight, and after kicking the cats out of it, I tossed treats into it, which he gladly retrieved. Then I said "Bedtime!" and pointed to it and he went in, turned around and waited for the treat. Then I'd say "ok" and he could come out. I put him in there a few times and had him lay down, to gauge the size, and he probably could use the 42" but I think it will be fine. He can still lay down and turn around and everything without a problem. I even crawled into it and he came in with me, laid down and let me rub his ears for awhile. We both fit in there - so I'm sure he won't have a problem being comfortable in it by himself.

It has a weird "new" smell to it right now, so I have all the windows open and set up in our computer room to let it air out. I'm going to disassemble and store his hard crate and move the soft one into the spare room to replace it. I'm thinking I'll just put him in it when I'm only going to be gone for shorter periods - i.e. not a full working day. Just so he gets used to being crated in it like his other one. I'm also considering bringing it with us to next week's training class and putting him in it so he can get used to being in it in different/exciting places, but I'm not sure if I'm over-thinking it or not. I don't want him to get a negative association with it either. I dunno.. we'll see.

Anyway, I'm happy with my purchase and will be using it for our next trial in January. =)