[roxy84]

ive researched like crazy in search of a tougher crate. i have one of the midwest brand crates from petsmart. i dont like the locking mechanism as my girl had learned to slide it over. i dont really want to do any rigging with wires and such, and ive never liked the strength of the wires its made of anyway. i dont need a foldable crate as it would stay in one spot. i just want a crate with an outer latch that would be inaccessible to the dog and made of more sturdy metal.

ive seen the ones at leerburg and kustom crates, but $600+ is a little steep for me. does anyone know of anything better than the midwest type typical wire cage but not quite vault like such as the kustom crates. this is the closest thing ive found, but the large one is still $349 plus shipping and im not crazy about the latch on it either. my price range is $200-$400 if anyone knows of any other sources. thanks.

http://homeandkennel.petedge.com/ProSele...bCategoryId=502

 

[LUV_GSDs]

I wonder if you could find a used crate. I have a crate that is over 20 years old and they were built pretty nice back then. My new crate just doesn't compare. The old crate has spring loaded latches...dog never figured those out

 

[roxy84]

yeah, ive been trying every source i can think of to find a used crate. the midwest crate does the job, but i dont want to come home and find her head sticking through an unlatched door or hole she was able to create in the wire. she is so rarely crated now (maybe 2x/month at most) that she has anxiety that she never had when she was a baby and crated more often. im just not quite ready to let her have run of the house when no one is home. destruction of property is one thing, and i could deal with that, but my fear is her chewing on bedding, shoes, whatever and swallowing something that could cause choking/intestinal blockage.

 

[gsdcentral]

When you find a tougher crate please let me know. My crates are being methodically dismantled. I got a fairly sturdy one from jeffers that is an old fashioned type and has springs on the top of the crate to help hold it together better. One GSD unraveled the wire from the spring and another one has pulled the door in enough so the spring latch doesn't overlap the front panel of the crate like it's supposed to. Even my Dalmatian has tore 3 wires out of the top of one of the Midwest crates. I only started crating him again because he was eating anything and everything and has bloated twice so now he wants to mess with the crates. I leave him out when I'm home and over night but he still tries to tear them up for the few minutes inbetween being crated and being fed before he's let back out. bEasties!

 

[roxy84]

ive been searching for 3 days, and the cheapest "indestructable" cage ive found is still the pet edge proselect empire, which i posted above. i found it on ebay for $350 plus $50 shipping for the large size. i cant see any conceivable way that any dog could do any damage to it. im gonna keep looking for a while

 

[BowWowMeow]

What about a Varikennel? I have one that's 13 years old and has survived Chama and lots of foster puppies and foster dogs, including some who were very determined to get out!

 

[BrennasMom]

While you are looking, a quick solution to keeping the door shut is simple snap hooks. (you can get them at walmart near the locks and stuff) Brenna has managed to open the crate door as well as fold the front panel down. So I got a bunch of snap hooks and reinforced the front and back panels and snap hook the door shut as well. It won't keep wires from being bent but if the main problem is the door being open it will help.

 

[doggiedad]

you know that snap on the end of your leash or key rings. get one those and put it through your lock if it fits. they have them in different sizes.

 

[roxy84]

my solution (for now) is that i have turned the cage around so the side door that she has figured out is against a wall. once she is in i slide the cage against a solid closet door so the end door is also immovable. even if she unlatches either door they cannot move at all. if i see no signs that she is working on any other parts of the cage, then i think ill save myself $400.