# Do you prefer a plastic or wire dog crate?



## Jodysmom (Jan 9, 2010)

Do you prefer a wire or plastic (Petmate type) dog crate and why?


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

I know my dogs prefer the plastic crates as they are more enclosed and they have privacy that way. 
My Leo came with a wire crate when I got him at 11 months old, he was so nervous in a crate period that I got rid of it immediately. He is much more comfortable in a plastic crate and they really easy to clean.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Wire crates make so much noise....so annoying. Also hard to clean. BUT there is no hard plastic crate that is large enough for a Dane so I had to go with a wire one.


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

I prefer the plastic ones too. They are just easier to clean and put together. I too had a great dane sized wire crate and that thing was a pain. You practically had to be a magician to put the dang thing together and it started to rust.

So, if you can find a big enough plastic crate, I would go with that. :smile:


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Well, I will be the first.. I prefer the wire ones, and so do my dogs. They aren't loud, you just have to know the tricks! Zailey's huge Dane-sized crate is pretty big, and it was easy to put it together... but did take two people. I put an old towel between the tray and the bottom to eliminate noise.

Annnnd they look better in my apartment. lol


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## Mia (Oct 4, 2010)

Wire ones! They fold down and easy to put on top of the van!!! LOL. Esp when we go to Dock Dogs and they need to rest in between diving periods.


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## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

Like Corgi, I prefer the wire crate - I never thought of it as loud or hard to put together. Mine is a Midwest Crate, and it basically pops up. I prefer it because (1) it is adjustable as a puppy grows, (2) because it has two doors, it's easier to position in my house, and finally (3) Mia prefered the visibility.

Can someone answer this: do you need a plastic crate if competing in agility? I think some trainers and perhaps low level competitions will accept the collapsable travel crates, but otherwise you need a plastic crate.


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## Jodysmom (Jan 9, 2010)

Thanks so much for your input. 

I ended up buying a wire crate because I read that the plastic ones are a little warmer and stuffier in the summer. I'm not sure if that is true or not. Luckily, we keep Jody's crate in our family room/kitchen area and only crate her when we are gone so the noise shouldn't be a problem. 

But....I supposedly bought one that was easy to put up but it was harder than I expected. I am hoping I will get the hang of it. 

Jody is a rescued dog so she does have some fears so I think she would prefer a plastic type crate for privacy but I ended up just covering the wire crate with a blanket. 

I think she likes it because she usually hides out on a bed in our laundry room while we are downstairs but she chose to lay in her new crate in the same room as us. 

I am keeping the receipt just in case I don't like it.


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## Cliffdog (Dec 30, 2010)

Of the two, wire, but I would have an aluminum dog crate if I could afford one. I like them a lot better. But one for a dog Bonnie's size would be $700+.

Also, our dogs' (metal) crates aren't loud at all. With Laine's, the pan was metal. Like CorgiPaws, we used a towel. With Bonnie's, the pan is a hard, tough plastic, and not loud at all. It's made by Remington, and was a little cheaper because of the plastic pan, but I actually like it quite a lot.


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## BoxerMommie (Jun 26, 2008)

I prefer wire crates...MUCH easier to clean, don't pick up that "dog smell", easy to fold and transport if needed. My dogs have seemed to prefer them too. Sold my only plastic crate a few years ago for that very reason.


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

I prefer wire crates but have never actually used plastic crates. Wire ones work well for us - easy to fold up and move when necessary, super easy to clean the plastic insert on the bottom. Just slide it out to hose off if necessary. I also like that my wire crate has an insert to make it the appropriate size for a growing pup. Mine is also MidWest crate and I have never heard a peep from it! I have a West Paw crate pad in it so that may reduce the noise. I did have to put a sheet over the crate when I first brought Millie home so I could help her feel more secure and not have whining fits when I left the room. In this instance a plastic crate would have been helpful. OR one of those covers that you can buy for a wire crate.


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## xxshaelxx (Mar 8, 2010)

Wire, for sure. My dogs would break out of a plastic crate within ten minutes after I leave for work. Amaya already know how to open the smaller of my wire crates, so she gets the big crate, because it's almost impossible to open. She'd totally figure out how to get out of a plastic crate with the ease of having human fingers. She's smart! Ryou would chew his to pieces if he had a plastic crate! Not only that, but when I get home, he usually goes nuts in his crate, whining and yowling and jumping up on the door to the crate. If he didn't chew it to pieces, he'd break the door clean off of a plastic crate.


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## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

Prefer plastic crates for many of the reasons mentioned. However we have both for different reasons. Plastic is nice when at events and the weather is a bit cold, dogs stay warmer and I can add straw bedding for additional warmth. Cleans out nice after use, and the dogs like the straw. lol Wire works nice for us when travelling to warmer weather events. Put them under a nice shade tree and the dogs get more fresh air and a breeze. Or inside building they can be cooler. Have had one sibe I had to keep in platic no matter what the circumstance, she was happier and less stresed. While waiting at a weight pull for example she would go crazy wanting out and wanting to get started, but in plastic she couldn't see as well, and I could always throw a sheet over the front of the crate so she could not see. lol 

So I vote for both, and over the years we have managed to collect both types of crates.


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## wags (Jan 31, 2009)

The only crate I have ever had is wire. It has that tray on the bottom and they only used it when they were puppies. I blocked off my kitchen and took the crate out when they were old enough. I don't really like crates because I was able to use gates to block off the kitchen after they were potty trained. But the dogs loved having a safe little area with their bed and stuffed animals in. then they could sleep and feel safe. But eventually put the bed and all their belongings in a corner of the kitchen and they loved this. Don't use the crate at all anymore! Gee I have an unused crate just sitting in the garage wrapped up hmmmmmmm........:smile:


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

For traveling I like the soft sided fold-ups that have the air mesh sides and front flaps for air ventilation, easy to transport and carry. I have only used them a few times for club activities but so far they definitely have been worth the money.


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## stajbs (Jun 5, 2010)

Forgot to mention earlier that we use plastic crates in our living room because of our grandson. The dogs seem to feel more comfortable, and the little guy can't bother them as easily. It is their den and haven. He is being taught not to mess with the crates, that these are the dogs territory and are off limits to him. He likes to walk over to the dogs crates now that he can walk, and see into the crates but he can't really bother them and they just lounge in them and look at him almost as if too say. "hey little man" this is my turf and you can't get to me. " He just sits down in front of the crates now and makes little cute aye aye noises.


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## mamabev (Jan 13, 2011)

At home it is wire. They have permanent places in the living room. My dogs have access all night long. I lock them in if they are staying indoors when I am gone for anything more than 10-15 minutes because they are rowdy youngsters. They are also secure in their crates when they eat their raw meals. One reason is because it contains any mess, the other reason is that it ensures the safety of my two cats. Both wire crates have covers on them to crate a den like private space for both dogs.

I drive a Ford Ranger and in the truck I use plastic crates. I have a canopy on the truck so they are protected from the weather(rain mostly) but the canopy does not fit my truck right and provides lots of ventilation at the same time. I feel it is safer in case of an accident, and I don't have to move wire crates in and out of the house when I want to take them to training or fun activities. 

So, I have 4 crates for 2 dogs...LOL


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## Devils of York (Jul 28, 2010)

My boys prefer the wire crates. They have a strong aversion to anything plastic. I put a towel over the top of the crate and put a soft bed in the bottom.


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