Keeping Your Dog Safe and Giving Him His Space

There are several methods for keeping your dog contained for safety reasons, transporting, training purposes or to just giving him his very own space. Cages, Crates and Kennels are often used for these reasons. Through these methods, dogs can be house trained and taught to retreat there when they need "down time."

Many people keep their dogs in some type of enclosure while they are at work or school and this prevents the dog from getting into trouble by having free roam over the house, keeps him safe so that he does not get into things that can harm him and relieve his stress by giving him his own private space.

Cages

Dog cages, or pens, are enclosures that are outside and keep the dog in a particular area. When housing your dog outside, it is vital to make sure that he has adequate shelter from the weather (rain or sun and heat), food, water, toys and chews, and a type of flooring that does not become muddy. It is best if the flooring of the cage or pen is on a concrete foundation or has its own hard flooring.

This keeps the dog from wallowing in his own waste or in the mud which can cause significant health problems for the dog as well as attract mosquitoes which carry West Nile Virus and can infect dogs as well as humans.

Crates

Crates are usually all wire and can be collapsible. The dog can see in all directions and it does not offer much privacy for the dog unless it is place in a private area. Some people use crates for transportation or for training purposes. Crates are usually somewhat larger than a carrier and give the dog a little more room. Crates can be used to keep the dog while the owner is at work or school and can not watch over the dog. If the dog is left in a crate for long amounts of time, he should have a chew, toy and water.

Carriers and Kennels

Carriers and kennels are designed for transporting your dog. They have handles and come in either hard or soft sides. You will see more soft sided carriers for small or toy breeds than for the larger breeds. This is because the smaller dogs will most likely be in the owner's lap or with the owner during transport, whereas the larger breeds will be in an area where there is little supervision and a hard sided carrier can prevent injury should an accident occur or if something falls on the carrier.

The front of the carrier is usually an open wire door so that the dog can see our, but some doors are solid. There are sometimes wire openings along the upper edge of the sides or vents so that the dog can get adequate ventilation and does not become overheated. There are also "cabin" type carriers which open from the top and are hard all the way around with ventilation slits. These are typically designed for smaller breeds and many are approved for carry on with airlines and fit under the airplane seat so that the dog can ride with his owner instead of riding in the luggage compartment.

Always select the right type of housing when transporting your dog to ensure they are at their most comfortable self. Like human being dogs don't like to pack in undersized cages, carriers or kennels.