We talked about crate training your puppy, but which is the best crate to buy? Here we will highlight the best-selling crates for you and your puppy.
1. Midwest Black E-Coat Exercise Pen
Most Helpful Review: We have a young, 15 lb. Doxie/Jackie mix who has a LOT of energy. We bought this pen primarily so we could use it as a barrier between rooms, and it works great for that. We use one of the end sections as a “door” for us (and him) that we set against the wall when we want to close off the room; we stretch three of the adjoining sections in short “V”s for the length of the room opening; and then we “fold” the remaining partitions together and set them against the opposite wall. It is completely free standing this way, which means it doesn’t rub against the walls (unless our dog jumps against it, which he has been known to do–but it doesn’t fall over when does this because of how it’s propped against the wall, and that’s important). We’ve also used it as a pen, and it worked great for that too. We wondered if our little guy would be able to knock it over when it was in its pen shape, but if he tried, it didn’t come down. We left him in it while we ran errands for a couple of hours, and when we came back, it was exactly as we’d left it. He’s pretty well potty trained at this point, but we also wondered if we left him in the pen (rather than his kennel) while we were gone if he’d break protocol and do his business in there since he has a lot more room in the pen than he does in his kennel. But he didn’t make any messes at all; so I would recommend it for dogs who are at or near the end of their potty training but still need to be confined while their owners are gone for a short period of time. A final word (no, really, I swear): We really like the black coating. Some friends of ours have a gold pen they offered to loan us, but we don’t like the way the gold one looks. The black is more “stylish” (which, let’s face it, does matter to some of us), and if the pen winds up rubbing against a wall, the black rubs off a little bit (which is quickly and easily cleaned off) but doesn’t harm the wall. (Our friends’ gold pen rubbed against one of their walls and left scratches on it.)
Sizes:
24″W x 30″H
30″ H (Small)
36″ H (Medium)
42″ H (Large)
48″ H (X-Large)
24″W x 24″H
24″W x 30″H
24″W x 36″H
24″W x 42″H
24″W x 48″H
Features
Durable Black E-Coat Finish – Provides Long Lasting Protection
Easy to Set-up (No Tools Needed)
Folds Fla for tConvenient Storage
Can Be Used For a Variety of Pets
Includes Ground Anchors
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2. Midwest Life Stages Double-Door Folding Metal Dog Crate
Most Helpful Review: If you have a medium sized doggie and are looking for a crate because you live in an apartment, this particular model is a good choice. Crate training is amazingly simple (just don’t use it for punishment–make it a happy experience when your puppy go into his crate). We have been using this for two months, and he takes to it easily.
1. Easy to put together and fold away. Solid black e-coat steel wire, conjoined with small metal plates with welded corners facing out. It comes with a slightly smaller divider that you can hook to the insides of the crate. As our puppy got bigger, we moved the divider and eventually removed it.
2. The two doors (one on the long end is off-centered) are not removable and opens only one way so it’s not omni-directional when you place it in tight spaces. You may want to check out some crates with three doors if so.
3. The bottom tray is made of black-composite plastic material, easy to wipe clean and slide out from under the short end of the door.
4. I like the double latch, but some people may find it a little more work to open and close day-to-day.
5. If you buy a crate cover, check out Cratewear Pet Dreams 3-Piece (which fits this model well, but only work with the door on the short end).
6. For this price, it’s a good crate to highly consider because your goal is to have a sanctuary for your puppy (for time out and quiet-time) and to housebreak your dog and/or temperate from negative behavior (such as chewing furniture, etc.)
I hope this review is helpful for you.
Sizes:
36″L x 24″W x 27″H
22″L x 13″W x 16″H
24″L x 18″W x 21″H
30″L x 21″W x 24″H
36″L x 24″W x 27″H
42″L x 28″W x 31″H
48″L x 30″W x 33″H
Features:
Exceptionally versatile metal dog crate with adjustable divider panel
Double doors for side and front access; slide-bolt latches; rounded corners
Easily sets up and folds down to portable size; 2 plastic handles for carrying
Durable satin-black electro-coat finish; ABS-plastic pan included
Measures 36 by 24 by 27 inches; 1-year limited warranty
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3. Midwest iCrate Single-Door Home Training and Travel Series
It sure is a good thing I checked amazon.com for dog creates before spending almost twice as much at a major pet store! This crate is perfect in every way. It’s very well made and the price can’t be beat. The bottom plastic tray can be easily removed for cleaning and the crate collapses very easily. It’s pretty easy to open and close with the double sliding locking mechanism, and it comes with a partition so it can grow with your puppy. I can’t imagine housetraining our now-five-month-old puppy without it! We love this create, and so does our puppy.
Update 1/2011: This crate is still standing strong and has proven itself to hold up against a strong dog, us bumping up against it, moving it, collapsing it, and cleaning it. It’s perfect!
Update 10/2012: This crate is still holding up after several moves and a few dogs! It shows no signs of wear and still works perfectly. I’m pregnant and it’s still very easy to use and move.
Sizes:
24″L x 18″W x 19″H
18″L x 12″W x 14″H
24″L x 18″W x 19″H
30″L x 19″W x 21″H
36″L x 23″W x 25″H
42″L x 28″W x 30″H
48″L x 30″W x 33″H
Features:
Single Door
Fold and Carry Configuration
Divider Panel
Composite plastic Pan
Safe and secure slide bolt latch
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