I have a 45 lb dog I need to keep from wandering when we are at shows or camping. It will only be for a few hours at a time and we will be nearby. Tying with a leash isn’t an option… too many people.
I’ve been thinking of a portable collapsible kennel but maybe an exercise pen is better. She doesn’t challenge fencing. Does anyone have a favorite brand or source to purchase something from?
You can order them from most of the catalogs, maybe do a search on Amazon to find the best price. I recommend the 48" high one, and get a wire top, which will prevent people from reaching in, as well as making it more stable. You would have a 4 x 4 foot space, in 8 panels. I would get one with a door, and put a lock on it if you are leaving him unattended. You can get a shade cover you can attach with snaps or clips. You can clip a water bucket inside, with a bed and a stuffed Kong, and Bob’s your uncle!
You can also get fabric ones which are much more lightweight, but less sturdy. Some of these have covers on floors that zip on. I have one, but only use it when the dog can be supervised (actually I would worry more about interfering people if leaving dog unsupervised.).
This one isn’t the cheapest but is probably the best quality: http://www.dog.com/item/precision-pet-courtyard-dog-kennel-38in-silver/492329/?srccode=GPDOG&gclid=CJvxyOHtk7kCFYie4AodOF4AAw
Much sturdier than the usual and looks really sharp.
I like the cheapos from Pet Edge because they are lightweight. Craigslist is your friend!
I was thinking of this type:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12404259&f=PAD%2FpsNotAvailInUS%2FNo
Similar ones are made by Precision and Kennel Aire and others, they are all similar, I’d get whatever is on sale. The best were the old Kennel Aires, I have one that is thirty years old that I still use.
…or, if your local kennel club has a mailing list, ask on that, someone may practically give it away if they aren’t using it.
If you get anything heavier than the one I posted, you might want to bring a dolly to transport it, they are “portable” only in the broadest sense. Also think about where in or on your vehicle it will fit. Some people put them on the roof, but they are a pain to get up and down. Of course if you have the horse trailer it can go in there. They make x-pen carriers that bolt onto the front of your car too.
Also depends on your dog. Quiet little thing, fine, but if it might jump on the fence or rush it when being annoyed by some other campers’ dog or kid, then go with the sturdy one. I know my dog could so easily knock down my x-pen, even accidentally.
Petmate bought Kennel-Aire, so the wonderful Kennel-Aire crates are long gone, but man, they were the best. I still have 2 that are probably 40 years old. Friend of mine said her husband came home from a yard sale with an old LARGE Kennel-Aire crate that he bought for $25. What a find!
[QUOTE=Anne FS;7141223]
Petmate bought Kennel-Aire, so the wonderful Kennel-Aire crates are long gone, but man, they were the best. I still have 2 that are probably 40 years old. Friend of mine said her husband came home from a yard sale with an old LARGE Kennel-Aire crate that he bought for $25. What a find![/QUOTE]
I know, weren’t those old crates great? No one makes them of that quality anymore, congrats on scoring a “vintage” one!
I would do a crate inside an area where passing dogs cannot bother your dog. Unless you are right there, those little runs are pretty easy to escape from.
I’d go with a collapsible crate over an x-pen…personally I think most x-pens are very rickety and most dogs could knock them over. Even if you have a dog that doesn’t challenge fences, it is nice to know that they are SAFE when you are not there, rather than wonder.
Since you won’t be away from your dog for hours and hours, it will be fine in a crate, and you could also get an x-pen for when you are at the campsite and want to give it a little more freedom (if necessary), but I wouldn’t leave my dog (40lbs) in a portable x-pen without supervision. A crate - definitely. And also know that my dog is happy and sleeping in there because that’s what crates are for.
I got one of the exercise pens that you can fold up and then zipped tied a baby gate to the top. Even though I got a tall one my dog thought climbing out might work. The baby gate stabilized the exercise pen. Another thing you could do is to use some tent stakes to hold the pen in one place.
If you’re going to not be right there then yes, a crate. But I thought the OP meant that they’re camping and want the dog to be able to move around without being tied. Agree that dogs should never be left in x-pens if you’re out of sight, but for hanging out at the camp site or dog show, better an ex-pen than crate confinement. Most xpens are flimsy, which is why I linked to the heavy duty one as an alternative.
Thank you, thank you everyone! Such great suggestions and things I hadn’t thought of. I think I just might get both and on the days when there are numerous dog walkers coming around my area she can stay in the crate, which is in the pen. Also it will slow down the little kids who love to run up to doggy and pat it (and she is fine with this but I always worry one child will take her by surprise and she’ll nip out of fear).
these are nice (lightweight, fold up) they are safer to leave a dog in than a metal x-pen, being harder to escape from:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=22226
be careful when buying one of these soft octagon pens, though-
they come in two brands that look very similar, and one is stupidly constructed with a floor that just velcroes on- your dog can easily push it off and get out. The other one has a floor that is not removable at all, but a zip-off/on top. That’s the one you want. The link above appears to be the good one with the integrated floor. The one with the Velcro floor to be avoided is called Great Paws, I think.
A couple posts mentioned '…when you’re not there…". Every site I’ve camped at has required pets not be left unattended at their sites.
That is how I adopted a pit bull for the entire day, last time I camped. He got the ritz -xpen over ground mat, covered by shade cloth-, while my dogs were tied to trees til the asshat rolled into the grounds many hours later drunk.
My dog is older and does not wander so I got a roll of that orange plastic fencing at Home Depot and some step in T posts and zip ties. I can make her pen any size or shape, go around a tree for shade etc.
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