When a Metal Dog Crate is the Right Choice
A metal dog crate could be your best choice if you are buying it for housebreaking your dog. Size the crate right, and your Weimaraner will grow into it and be able to use the crate as an adult.
Of course there are a number of cute and novel dog crates, but if you are housetraining a dog, you need to be practical.
Plastic dog crates are the least expensive, metal dog crates are mid-range and dog crate furniture is top of the line. Your choice of crate will depend on how you intend to use the crate.
After your dog is house trained, you might consider the more elegant dog crate furniture or an indoor dog house for when your Weimaraner is at home.
In this article, we’ll explore:
- The uses for a metal dog crate
- Features to consider
- What size you should purchase for a Weimaraner puppy
- Crates I recommend for Weimaraners
How is a Metal Dog Crate Used?
If you have a new Weimaraner puppy, your primary use at this stage of the game is potty training.
Your new puppy needs a safe and comfortable place to hang out. And you need to have him confined to an area where he is safe from harm, cannot get into trouble and a place that he won’t use as his toilet area.
Metal dog crates give both you and your puppy a good view of the other. In addition, metal crates have great ventilation, keeping your dog comfortable in hot weather. In cold weather, you can use a crate cover to keep your dog’s body heat inside.
A metal crate with a removable plastic pan is perfect for housebreaking your dog. You can easily wipe it down with a damp cloth to clean it if your puppy or dog has an accident in his pen.
While he is still in the potty training stage, your dog can spend time in his crate while being close to his Pack, your family.
He’ll be able to see everything that is happening, but he won’t have free run of your home.
Later, when your puppy is housetrained, the crate will still be useful…
Most Common Uses
Traveling
If you plan to take your dog with you on vacation or to visit friends and family, a collapsible metal crate provides a good way to keep your Weimaraner comfortable and under control. your friends and family will appreciate it, and many motels and hotels require a crate.
Hunting
If your metal dog crate can be used outdoors, you can use it to transport your dog when transporting your dog to the field. Use it in the back of your pick up or car. An un-crated dog can distract the driver, causing an accident or it can be hurt when tossed around. Crating your dog also keeps drooling and mud outside the cab or interior of your vehicle.
Room to room
With a handle, the crate can be moved from room to room, so your dog can be close to the family.
Home with you
When your dog is housetrained, you can remove the divider in the crate. As an adult, he will no longer need to be locked in his crate when you are home. An open door gives your dog free access to his safe haven.
Alone time
When you do need to leave the house, your Weimaraner can be locked in his crate so that he is safe and secure while you are gone. Especially if your dog is prone to separation anxiety, this is a good choice.
Separation from guests
I know this is hard to believe, but some people just don’t like dogs. If your company is not a dog lover (or doesn’t love your dog), it might be best to confine your dog to his pen for the duration of their visit.
How to Choose a Metal Dog Crate
When you start to look for dog crates, you can easily become overwhelmed. There are so many choices and they all look the same!
Better dog crates have many of these features:
Removable pan
This is critical for puppy housebreaking, but a sick dog can vomit or have diarrhea and an older dog can become incontinent. Dogs of any age can have an accident in the crate.
The pan may be plastic or metal, and it serves as the floor under the dog. If it is removable, you can clean it easily and then replace it. If not removable, cleaning is a bit more difficult!
Divider
A divider is removable and its main purpose is to make your puppy’s crate area smaller, so your dog doesn’t use one end of it as a bathroom. Dogs instinctively keep their living area clean.
But if your puppy is in a large crate, he may decide that there is enough room to have a poop and pee area, away from his clean living space.
The divider keeps your dog’s living space smaller, and your dog will naturally keep it clean. If your puppy needs to go outside, she will find a way to tell you. She will bark, whine, pace or scratch to let you know that she needs to go.
A dog crate with a divider is primarily used for a puppy in the training stages. The divider is temporary. When your dog is potty trained, you can remove the divider.
Doors
Some metal dog crates have two doors and some have one. Why would you care? Well, the second door is simply for your convenience. If you move the crate from room to room or use it to transport your hunting dog, you may prefer to access it from either the side or the front.
Gauge of the wire
You’ll want to have a strong, thick wire gauge for your strong and energetic Weimaraner.
Foldable
If your dog’s crate can be folded, it will be more portable. Great for traveling in the car, storage in a small space, or simply for moving it from place to place. A handle makes a folded crate very easy to carry and move.
If you will be keeping the crate in one place, this feature is not important.
Floor protection
Some crates have rubber feet that will protect your hardwood or vinyl floors. If not, you can simply use a towel or small blanket under the crate for protection.
Wheels
You might find a metal dog crate with wheels. That’s fine if you will be moving the crate from room to room. But if you are taking your dog hunting or for a run, and he will be riding in the back of your pick up, the crate will move.
Remove the wheels when transporting your dog, to keep him safe.
What Size Crate?
Don’t make the mistake of buying a crate sized for your eight week old puppy. Purchase your dog crate so that an adult Weimaraner can sit erect, stand and can stretch his forelegs out, while lying down.
Your Weimaraner dog should be comfortable in a dog crate that measures 30″ x 48″.
This gives your dog lots of room to move around. If you plan ahead and get the right size, the crate will be just the right size for your adult Weimaraner.
Dog Crates I Recommend
Several metal dog crates stand out from the others. These crates are well constructed and most people who have purchased them are very happy with them. I’ll point out some of their better features.
Midwest Homes Ultima Pro Dog Crate
The Midwest Homes Ultima Pro metal dog cage is an extra strong metal dog crate. The cage is made with a professional gauge steel construction.
Since Weimaraners are large, strong dogs, a strong crate is important. A rowdy or excited dog can easily destroy a crate with shoddy construction. And it only takes a few minutes!
To facilitate cleaning up any accidents or problems, the crate has a plastic removable pan or tray.
If you’ll be using this crate on wood floors, the rubber roller feet will protect your flooring when used in the house.
iCrate Double Door Pet Pen
Midwest Homes also makes the iCrate Double Door Pet Pen seen in this photo.
This crate folds quite compactly, making it a nice choice if you are traveling and need to stuff it into a corner of the trunk of your car. You can also pack it away in a closet or garage when you are not using it.
Easy to carry, it has plastic handles that are quickly attached. I’d just leave them in place, so I wouldn’t lose them.
Two doors, front and side, make this crate flexible if you’re going to move it around from place to place, or transport your dog in your truck.
Rust and stain resistant, it’s great for transporting dogs in your truck in all kinds of weather. And all levels of muddiness!
The crate measures 33″ x 48″.
ProSelect Empire Dog Cage
This is the metal dog crate to buy if your dog has extreme separation anxiety, he has destroyed much of your home or you have had to buy several metal crates because your dog can bend them, destroy them or escape from them.
This is not a cheap dog crate, but it has advantages that do make it well worth a larger investment. If it fits your needs, you will not be sorry that you bought this crate.
The ProSelect dog crate is made of 20 gauge steel, and it is virtually indestructible. Even the most voracious chewer won’t be able to bend or take a chunk out of the metal bars.
Flooring is also made of metal bars, and there is a removable pan underneath, just in case your dog has an accident.
This is not the dog cage that you would use for traveling. It is quite heavy, about 75 pounds, and it does not fold down for storage or packing in the car for vacation. The cage is screwed and bolted together.
If you purchase this dog crate, I’d plan on leaving it in place. It does have wheels and is fairly easy to move, but it is difficult to squeeze it through standard size door openings. If you prefer, you can leave the wheels off the assembly.
This metal dog crate measures about 41″ x 28″ and you can purchase it at Amazon.
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