Genius dog crate fix! (read if yours has a broken tray)

[KPF]

Our doberman broke the plastic tray in his crate, it cracked from his weight and him bopping around in there. Unfortunately he has to be crated when we’re gone because he has separation anxiety and will eat furniture. :eek:

I realized I couldn’t buy a replacement tray locally, I would have to order one and it’d cost about $40. I had a flash of genius today and thought of a stall mat-- available locally and it works PERFECTLY. Just got the smallest one they had and cut it to fit. Works way better than a replacement tray, as it won’t break, is more comfy for Mr. Dog and quieter as well when he moves around in there.

Just had to share my brilliance, though I’m sure this can’t possibly be an original idea!

[bits619]

HMMMMM…
the noise of the claws on crate plastic is just horrible. Right now two dogs are sleeping in crates in our living room next to the bedroom and every time they stretch or adjust themselves it’s SO loud. Wretched sound!
This may be a stupid question, but what would be the easiest/best way to clean those? I assume you couldn’t use paper towels with cleaner- I’d think the rubber would tear the paper towels. Most of our crates are used for fosters and we need to be able to clean them easily and thoroughly (especially between dogs).
Thanks for the suggestion we may have to use them for at least our personal dogs!

[threedogpack]

I did something similar with my crates as each pan broke, but I used the rubber bed liner from TSC. I think the roll was $40 or something and is thinner than stall mats. I can roll it up and carry it outside if a dog messes or vomits. The rubber smell was pretty bad for the first few days but disappeared eventually. What I wish I had done now was keep the pan AND the matting, just lined the pan with the mat for even easier removal when necessary.

Bits, I have used a broom and soapy water to clean mine, or a string mop. Most of the time I just hose it off though, the force of the water will usually dislodge debris from the rubber.

[jadewolf]

Dang, that’s a great suggestion! I hate the sound of dognails on plastic and my new shelter dog has questionable housebreaking, so he’s still getting crated while I’m at work for a while. A rubber mat! Fabulous!

[godiva13]

great idea. My dog is having knee surgery soon and will have to be crated.This will be quieter but also keep him from slippng.

[KPF]

Our guy never messes in his crate, so I wasn’t worried about cleanup. You could definitely take it out and hose it off, but I’d worry about spillage around the edges if they were to pee in there or something. In that case, I’d probably use the lighter rubber on top of the plastic tray. Or just set the whole crate on top of some pee pads or something.

It is soooooo much quieter now when he’s in his crate. He gets super excited when we get home and previously the noise was insane. I think he really likes his new “bed”.

[NRB]

Good idea. But why are people putting their dogs in crates without a a dog bed? I understand the SA dogs would tear theirs up. I dont’ have that problem I guess. I hate the plastic sound, but I keep dog beds in all the crates. And my primary crate is a Central Metals, so wont’ have the tray breakage issue with that one. Secondary crate is plastic airline travel type, no tray there. The cheap plastic tray crate is in the back of the car, but I love the lightweight portability of it b/c I take in in and out of the car all the time.

[Debbie]

I WISH I could put a bed in my great dane’s crate, but he shreds it immediately. I tried a bathmat with rubber on the bottom and he shredded that too. I hate the pan as it is cracked in three places and looks like it could pinch if lay on it just right. I’ll definitely try the rubber from TSC, great idea.

[Rbow]

Mine eventually breaks the tray with a thick dog bed in there. Those trays are pretty flimsy and the extra large ones just get too much torque I think. Great idea OP.

[LuckOfTheIrish91]

I have a weimaraner with the breed classic anxiety. She is on prozac and is much better but like yours still has to be crated- off to tractor supply i go for a new mat! I love your thinking! thanks for the hint!

[rivenoak]

@NRB;6003175

Good idea. But why are people putting their dogs in crates without a a dog bed? I understand the SA dogs would tear theirs up.

Because we have dogs who will chew anything in their crate? Actually, the beagles chewed the liner pan one day.

It was already cracked, so after they chewed off all of the edges, I bought a new pan. It’s been left alone so far.

And no, these are not SA dogs. Just very, very busy young dogs. Who don’t find real chew toys anywhere near as interesting as anything inappropriate.

[Doberpei]

Genius! I have had a new pan on order for months - manufacturer changed sizes - so their new size doesn’t fit (though it was only about $25, which is what was talking me out of buying a new crate, which at my size would set me back about $100.)

When my dog had hock surgery, one of the vet techs recommended a non-skid bathmat in the crate, which worked then, but she runs laps in her crate, so it just gets balled up now, and I’m afraid that she will get her paw pinched in the cracks of the broken tray.

[KPF]

Hubby got the smallest stall mat at TSC, I think it was 3’x4’? Smaller than the standard 4’x6’ mat, but same thickness. It was under $30.

[marta]

great idea! thanks for sharing!

[NRB]

[QUOTE=rivenoak;6004054]
Because we have dogs who will chew anything in their crate? Actually, the beagles chewed the liner pan one day.[/QUOTE]

Gotcha, just super oral dogs. Are they super tired dogs?

I could see the plastic tray breaking easily. And I understand that some dogs just chew up anything. My dog will shred any stuffed bed, the kind stuffed with that egg-crate foam liner. But she leaves the un stuffed ones with the bolster around the edges alone. So that’s what I leave her alone with.

[Simkie]

Another way to reduce noise from the crate pan is to put cardboard under the pan, between the pan and the crate–it really helps, especially with the metal pans!