# Open or closed puppy crate?



## harrym (Nov 13, 2010)

We are getting a new puppy. We will need a crate for training. Which is recommended for home use -- an open wire crate or an enclosed plastic crate? Our adult dog has never needed a crate; she sleeps beside my bed.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

I prefer closed plastic crates for puppies...less risk of puppy limbs & jaws getting caught.
A worry wart perhaps....
I do have wirecrates for the bigger dogs (the flat tops make better end tables ;-) )...but when the plastic crates get put out ALL of the dogs line up to sleep in it.
I have a lab pup in house right now and the adult Golden girls take turns every day napping in the puppy's plastic crate even though they have access to a much roomier crate.


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## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

I have a wire crate for Tess, always have had it. I put a blanket on three sides and the top, to create a den-like feel and Tess still sleeps in it. I always felt a plastic closed crate could be very warm, it depends on where you live, I guess. But I've never had a problem with the wire crate and she still is happy to go to sleep in it.


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## Rainheart (Nov 28, 2010)

I like the closed plastic crates; those are what we've always had.


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## Sterling Archer (Feb 8, 2011)

The critters closed plastic crate has been working fine for him.


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## kateann1201 (Jan 9, 2011)

I bought a wire crate so when she first started to whine at night I could stick my fingers in her crate from my bedside and touch her till she calmed. Congrats on the new pup!


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## tobymason83 (Feb 6, 2011)

My puppy is rubbing his nose against the crate. He's got a spot on his nose, he rub the skin off. It's a wire crate not sure what to do he hates it.


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## sadiegold (Nov 3, 2010)

We got the plastic kind, thinking of when we travel it would make a nice safe place for Sadie in the SUV, also being a bit of a neat freak I can clean it and wipe it down easier. Only concern came up this week as it got a bit warm in the house one night so we just brought in a standing fan and had it oscillate nearby .


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

My puppy growing up had an open crate; when I got Tesia, I had a closed plastic crate.

I prefer the closed plastic ones for the added security (they're not going to somehow get out over the top). Also, the close ones give the den feeling, which is something I know my dog liked. 

The open top one allowed my childhood puppy to eventually be able to stand on his hind legs and peer over the top and whine. It also allowed small children, myself included, to bother him and poke at him and easily take him in and out constantly. I think puppies need a place to go and be quiet and safe and secure and get their much-needed sleep. But that is entirely my own personal opinion. I had a great experience with my closed crate (she came with a very small cat carrier, and when she outgrew that, she moved into her extra-large crate, which was her home for the next nine months. She loved it - it was never a punishment place - and she went into it voluntarily even after she had full run of the house when she was particularly over-stimulated or feeling sick.


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## Muddypaws (Apr 20, 2009)

I had a hard plastic (enclosed) crate for Sunny that we were going to use for Darby, he could never get comfortable in that crate. Got him an open wire crate and he was fine. It really depends on the dog, they are all different.


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## harrym (Nov 13, 2010)

When I picked this pup [still unnamed] up, the owner had her in a plastic carrier. So that's what I got for her. If I leave the door open, she is in and out for short naps or to nibble some kibble i dropped in it. BTW, we hear about the benefits of positive training, but Lucy [our adult dog] is definitely using negative methods to teach the pup her place in our home. The pup is such a ball of energy, constantly jumping on Lucy or biting her tail, I'm expecting a growl or a nip anytime.


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## NewlyGolden (Jan 19, 2011)

We have a wire crate for our Jersey and she is doing wonderfully in it. We cover it up with a blanket so it feels like a den and she doesn't cry or whine at all when she's in there all covered up.

Good Luck with whatever you choose.


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