Seeking for advise regarding new puppy!

[arentspowell]

No breeder advice since neither of my dogs came from a breeder, however, I can comment on crates.

I think it really comes down to personal preference. We used a plastic Vari kennel. I'm not sure what doubledip means when she says your dog will be able to chew through it. It's made of very hard plastic and has nothing inside of them to grab onto. I've actually seen a little puppy at the vets office scream in pain when he got his jaw stuck in between the wires of a wire crate. In fairness, I think the crate was much too large and that's why it happened. We used a wire crate when we got Lily.

Each has its own pros and cons. Plastic crates create a more "den-like" space. They are hard and durable. Doesn't have many metal parts that can rust but they aren't as easy to break down and transport. On the other had wire crates are easy to break down so they are good for travel. You can see your dog from all angles. You can cover it with a sheet but you have to be careful that your dog doesn't pull it through and chew it. They can also be a little more noisy because of the plastic pan on the bottom.

Whichever you choose I would recommend getting one big enough to fit your dog full-grown. Otherwise you will have to buy a few crates as your dog gets bigger.

[zd262]

My main issue with my metal crate is that it is LOUD. Every time my now large dog moves the whole thing rattles. He likes to sort of smash himself against the side and then slide down into a curled up position randomly in the middle of the night...

[doubledip1]

I think it really comes down to personal preference. We used a plastic Vari kennel. I'm not sure what doubledip means when she says your dog will be able to chew through it. It's made of very hard plastic and has nothing inside of them to grab onto.

Comet ate through his. He literally ate through the plastic. The same crate as yours :-(

[Tanya]

Comet ate through his. He literally ate through the plastic. The same crate as yours :-(

LOL! starting to see why you recommend alcohol

[arentspowell]

Comet ate through his. He literally ate through the plastic. The same crate as yours :-(

Oh Comet, always keeping you on your toes! I guess we've been lucky Daisy has never been a power chewer. She did eat a hole in our mattress once though when we left her out during a 20 minute errand.

[shellbell]

I have a friend who has had a few dogs that chew through the plastic crates. I've seen the damage, they literally just chew through the plastic.

[Abulafia]

Hoku has a plastic Vari-Kennel. She's mainly in it during the day part time when she's on jobs w/ my husband, and then at night. Has never chewed it... but she can get noisy shifting around. Still, for us, much better than a metal one, which we tried for all of two nights. It was like trying to sleep with a velociraptor in the room.

[dxboon]

I use double door (one side and one front opening) metal wire crates for my dogs inside the house. I like the ventilation, and I cut down on noise inside the crate by using a Primo Pad. The pads are durable, provide a cool surface, and some cushioning for elbows, etc. Primo Pads

[sparky]

We use a metal kennel Mocha is a tall boy so we have the 48"X33".

[Annette47]

We’ve always used metal crates in the house and haven’t really noticed a noise problem. My concern with the plastic ones is as Daos says, ventilation - it can get pretty hot in those. That plus they don’t fold away as nicely as the metal ones.

All of mine except for Mulder have been smaller (no more than 22inch) females, and a 36 inch crate has been fine. None of mine are crated much by the time they are 6 months to a year anyway, so a bigger crate hasn’t been necessary here.