Crates can you advise

Ive been advised a crate would be v helpful whilst pups is little, ive bought a wire one but its very heavy so i may buy a travel one for car etc is this a good idea? my other dog had a harness and seatbelt clip.

Personally I have never used a crate for either of my two Shih Tzu's. I never liked the idea of them been cooped in one. I do however now see the merit for one.When a puppy is in one they will rarely use it as a toilet. You will always know they are safe, especially if there is more than one dog in the household.
I have not had a crate for the car ,preferring mine to have a Harness and seat belt. Again I wouldn't like a travel/ soft crate as I believe they should find a journey in a car a pleasure and be able to see where they are going. So if you were going down the crate idea a wire one is a much better idea. I have to say even the harness and seat belt system is not entirely safe. A few weeks ago I was going on a fairly long journey with only one of mine who  I put in the front on a nice soft bed next to me, in her harness and seat belt when she decided she wanted to be in the back, while I was driving on a busy  A road she tried to leap into the back still attached, the only thing I could do was un-clip the harness with one hand. Fortunately she settled down in the back. So even though you try to keep them safe it doesn't always work. I think in that instance she is used to being in the back and that is where she wanted to be.
So to absolutely safe I would say a wire crate is best. Our main car isn't suitable for a crate, the seat drops down at the back and has leather seats. Don't forget that in this -I know usually - hot weather a soft crate could get very warm inside. In fact ours don't go out in the car in this hot weather and we don't travel far either.

When do you get your puppy?

I used to think crates were cruel years ago as I felt they were like a prison for a dog.  However when we got Daisy our shih tzu we did get a crate as we already had a big older dog and thought it would be easier if we got a crate this time around and I have to say it's been great.  We have a wire one but can't really say it's that heavy.  We got the small one from Pets@Home that is about £65 and we keep it under the stairs and Daisy eats and sleeps in there and we put her in there if we have to pop out just so that she doesn't get up to any mischief in the house.  

We don't use the crate in the car, in fact when we do take Daisy out I usually sit with her on my lap.  I know that's probably not the safest way to travel with a dog but we never go anywhere that is further than about 20mins with her.  I do keep meaning to get one of those harness things or something that is safer for Daisy but also something easy to use, just not sure what.

Lyn

For travelling I would only ever recommend using a WIRE crate or the ones designed for air travel.  I had a serious car crash in 1995 and the only thing that saved my 6 shih tzu were the crates they were in.

I use a 24 inch one in the car which is smaller than one I would use at home but they can still stand up sit up and turn around in it and it is not that heavy.  there are many on the market these days and some can be quite cheap but they do need to be quite sturdy.

Personally I would NOT use a harness - mainly for the reason referred to by Sands62 as they can come to grief while clipped on them and also in an accident I feel they can be quite seriously injured.  I know from my own crash what damage a seat/lapbelt did to me even though it saved my life.  If they get thrown around in a cage they will be battered and bruised but I don't think it can be as severe as being swung round in a harness.

I get him in two weeks. Im just a little apprehensive re a harness in the initial stages when he is small and wriggly. I,really what it as a den for the office as im able ro take him to work. I have a wire one in the house but its heavy to lift around. To be honest when hes bigger ill offer a,normal snuggly bed and he can take his pick

Hello JML i would definately not consider a Harness until he is much older. A wire crate is much the best idea especially if he is going to be in the office with you. Which is lovely btw. No doggy sitting problems. There must be some lighterweight ones on the internet. As you say once he is older, a nice snuggly bed will be nice for him.

Hi there are many lightweight crates on the market. Do you live in the UK? you could try amazon. We crate trained out little Zhu and when you get over the feeling of it being a "prison" it actually works really well, it gives him his own quiet space. He is one year now and runs in it sometimes when he sees me putting my coat on, even though he now has the run of the kitchen (where the crate is). I would always give him a kong to chomp on when I put him in his crate and he hasnt forgot! We dont use a crate in the car, we use belt and harness. I find that a crate in the car restricts anyone else getting in the car which for us isn't practical. Also he creates and "tells" me he prefers a harness.

I think ill consider a harness when he is "grown up" hes currently 7 weeks I get him at 9 wee ks v exciting

Cant wait to see the pics.

I have some already but cldnt seem to upload

something like this one is useful as it is lightweight and has a plastic tray which is not as heavy as a metal tray.

When I took Josh to work I had one in the car and one at work too so I wasn't lifting it in and out

http://www.muddypaws.co.uk/dog-crates-cages/dog-crates-cages/lightweight-economy-e-coat-dog-crate

http://www.doghealth.co.uk/products/lightweight-3-door-dog-crate

JML have you decided on a name for your new puppy? If you are having problems with uploading photo's let us know. There are some help topics if you go to the home page that may help.

Jml wrote:I have some already but cldnt seem to upload

 
http://www.shihtzuwhispers.org.uk/t1173-how-to-change-your-profile-settings-to-allow-for-photo-hosting


http://www.shihtzuwhispers.org.uk/t1002-how-to-post-your-pictures-using-the-local-host-wwwservimgcom