Keno's never been crated before (we got her at 15 months of age). I was wondering for those who do agility, what do you use at the shows? Advantages/disavantages of crate vs kennel?

We do have a large size veri-kennel now, but I'm thinking it will be too awkard to use and maybe the collapsable crates would be better. If I get a crate, how do you introduce it to an adult dog?

And also what size do I get? BTW she's never been in the veri-kennel either.

I usually use a soft-sided crate that I can set up in the trial building or under a tent for outdoor trials. I always have a wire crate set up in my car for traveling to trials, so if it's not too hot or cold, and the car is parked relatively close to the trial area, I leave her in there. I don't think I've ever seen a Vari-Kennel at an agility trial, probably because like you say they are awkward to carry around. Everyone seems to use wire crates or soft crates. I'd say I use the soft crate more often because I feel funny leaving her in the car alone, I'd rather she was with me in the trial area. But quite a few agility people leave their dogs in the car -- I probably just need to get over it. :)

My wire crate is a 42" crate and honestly I wish I had the next size down (36") -- Jill is not a large lab (21-3/4" high, about 65 lbs). I have to remove the rear seat from my minivan to make the 42" crate fit, and it just barely fits. How big is Keno?

Soft-sided crates are nice and portable, but I would crate train Keno in a wire crate or the Vari-Kennel. I wouldn't use a soft-sided crate until she gets accustomed to being crated. If she was to panic in a soft crate, she might be able to rip it up and maybe escape, or tip it over which could be scary for her.

All my dogs have been crate trained as pups, but I think if I was to crate train an older dog I'd start by setting the crate up in the kitchen with the door open and feed the dog in it (with the door open too). Sometimes I'd throw treats in there to teach him that the crate is a good thing. Maybe the Training section has more ideas about crate training an older dog.

Great advice, Deb! I agree....you might want to train Keno in the veri-kennel before trying the soft sided crates at a trial.

Tanner and Duncan both LOVE their soft-sided crates. I don't like leaving my boys in the car either, so I highly recommend crate training.

Thanks - Keno's about the size of Jill (21 1/2 inches and between 60-63 lbs right now). I'll invest in a wire crate in the fall and start introducing her to it as you suggest.

And cause you think the smaller one would be ok, I'll go with the 36" one. Will check next Foster/Smith catalog for their size crates. I'm assuming the wire ones do collapse down for storing/carrying and you just set them up at the show.

Good luck to you. One of the hardest obstacles I have with getting Bailey into obiedence trials is that I cannot get him to go happily into a crate. At two years old, he DOES not want to hear it- he will pass up raw bloody bones, any treat... anything if it means going into a crate.

I'm assuming the wire ones do collapse down for storing/carrying and you just set them up at the show.
Make sure it's a folding suitcase-style crate; those are easy to fold up and carry. Fosters&Smith (and others) also sell wire crates with corner pins -- they're usually cheaper BUT they don't seem to be meant for easy transport. This is what I have (I think):

http://www.midwesthomes4pets.com/ProductPages/LS-1600.asp

I also like this crate because it has 2 latches on the door; with the 2 latches, a strong dog is less likely to be able to push the bottom of the door open with her nose -- which is a potential disaster if she got her head stuck trying to get out that way!

Good luck with the crate training -- I'm sure Keno will do fine!

The Noz2Noz canvas crates are wonderful. I have one that I bring with me when I take Maddy places. I should have gone with a size smaller, but will probably get one of those now that we have Grace too. We also have a ex-pen, and it seems that many people I see at shows set them up. They fold down rather small, but when set up, you have a nice square pen. I finally found the plastic woven mat that most people have to set the pen up on and just got a sun screen to clip over it for shade.

We are going to a fun day tomorrow, so I am going to try setting everything up with Grace and Maddy and see how it works. Starting November, I will be lugging them both around with all their stuff as I plan on showing Grace and entering Maddy in obedience.

Keno's never been crated before (we got her at 15 months of age). I was wondering for those who do agility, what do you use at the shows? Advantages/disavantages of crate vs kennel?

We do have a large size veri-kennel now, but I'm thinking it will be too awkard to use and maybe the collapsable crates would be better. If I get a crate, how do you introduce it to an adult dog?

And also what size do I get? BTW she's never been in the veri-kennel either.
If you have never crated her before then I would say no to the vari-kennel because they don't have much visibility or ventilation.

I use soft sided crates ring-side but my boys are very used to them and know how to act in them. Soft sided crates tip over very easily and I have seen labs chew right through them. Until she is older and crate trained I would definately say no to a soft sided crate too.

My vote is for a wire crate. You can pretty much get them anywhere. When introducing the crate make sure it's a positive thing. Don't beg her or force her into the crate. Just gently praise her as she explores/enters the crate. Feed her in there for a while with the door open and close the door when she's comfortable.

Don't make a very big deal of it and she won't either. I know she's 15 months old. She should take to the crate pretty quickly as long as she doesn't start out with negative associations.

Good luck

I finally found the plastic woven mat that most people have to set the pen up on and just got a sun screen to clip over it for shade.
Jen, where'd you find that mat? I want one and I haven't seen them around here anywhere.

Keno's 2 1/2 yrs now (we got her at 15 months). Hope positive training will help. I'll be checking out for the wire crates.

A great place to buy a crate (and the mats and stuff) is at dog shows. I find that stuff like that is WAY cheaper.

My 2 year old was never crate trained but my pup is being crate trained. McBain had never seen a crate before, but he goes in Loki's and lies down! I don't know what he'd think if we closed the door, but he loves to sleep in there. :)

Depending on weather and what type of show/tral/hunt test we're at, I have soft crates (from www.doggonegood.com), ex-pens or they just stay in wire crates in the car.

You can get ground cover at a lot of the pet supply places online, I got mine at cleanrun http://www.cleanrun.com/category.cfm?Category=284&CFID=215139&CFTOKEN=98285871