Help with kennel sizing
- Thread starter Rocked and Loaded
- Start date
ehh, don’t drive like a Dick. Doin 90 down the 111 ain’t smart.
if you get rear ended, your dog is gonna slam hard regardless.
if you get rear ended, your dog is gonna slam hard regardless.
not to mention, the heat in early season. Don’t you want your pups to be comfortable ??? Ac in the cab is a hell of a lot better then the out side temps in the bed of a truck or in a camper shell.
I see a difference between comfort and safety. When the family is loaded into the truck, someone has to go in the bed and I don’t think the missus is going to let me put the kids back there (though sometimes I may want to
).Since getting Buck I’ve tried to be firm about treating him as a working dog. He sleeps in a crate and isn’t allowed in beds. So long as he is safe and healthy his comfort, while important to me, is not my first priority.
OtH. I’m no expert on dogs and Buck is my first. So I’m always open to advice and opinions.
I see a difference between comfort and safety. When the family is loaded into the truck, someone has to go in the bed and I don’t think the missus is going to let me put the kids back there (though sometimes I may want to
Since getting Buck I’ve tried to be firm about treating him as a working dog. He sleeps in a crate and isn’t allowed in beds. So long as he is safe and healthy his comfort, while important to me, is not my first priority.
OtH. I’m no expert on dogs and Buck is my first. So I’m always open to advice and opinions.
One day my friend the comfort of your dog and the years you have had with it will weigh on you.
After 10 years of hard field time and a cancer diagnosis, comfort is everything.
Never was one for a crate, to each there own. I’m not a hater on crates, kennel or what ever you want to call them, I just Prefer the shotgun method. There have been many times I wish that swamp smellin dog wasn’t up front with me lol but hey, she’s my road dog and a happy one at that.
Here's a pic from 1977 with Jake and our "Crate"...We both survived a head-on collusion that took the life of the other person a few months later...I will continue to use my "Kennels" to keep my dogs safe.
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I love my dogs more than most I guess. I want there life to be comfortable and happy as they give me more joy than most humans, hands down. My dogs live in the house but spend time in an outdoor kennel as well (for their safety and comfort). The dog crate fits in the back seat of my truck when the seats are folded flat and works great when AC is needed etc. The crate is big enough for any waterfowl dog.
Try and give your dogs the best. And ask yourself this:
If you put your dog and your wife/girlfriend in the trunk of your car and go for a 20 minute drive, which one is going to be happy to see you when you pop the trunk back open?
Just saying!
Try and give your dogs the best. And ask yourself this:
If you put your dog and your wife/girlfriend in the trunk of your car and go for a 20 minute drive, which one is going to be happy to see you when you pop the trunk back open?
Just saying!
Not trying to pile on here but dogs live in the heat just fine.
I've got black dogs they hate the sun not the heat. Ice on their bellies and the air conditioner down their mouth full blast cools them off quickly.
I try to keep the mud down in the truck the dust is bad enough without a wet muddy dog walking all over......but on the long drive to the hunt I'm guilty sometimes of having them on my lap or lookout on the center console.
I've got black dogs they hate the sun not the heat. Ice on their bellies and the air conditioner down their mouth full blast cools them off quickly.
I try to keep the mud down in the truck the dust is bad enough without a wet muddy dog walking all over......but on the long drive to the hunt I'm guilty sometimes of having them on my lap or lookout on the center console.
Mark,
With all due respect, your dogs weigh 20 lbs...100 lb labs don't fit all that well on a center console...................
Snake Charmer
Happiness is a warm gut pile
The most important part of this conversation is look out for your dogs well being. They have not much sense of when to quit so that is our job to keep them safe. I have heard too many stories of - My dog collapsed in the heat or exhaustion from working and I tried to help but they died in my hands or on the way to the vet. Please don't be that guy.
Currently building a box for my dogs. I was looking at gunner kennels but too expensive for a college kid with 2 dogs. This will have room for a German Shepard and a Brittany. Still in the early stages of the build. 
Snake Charmer
Happiness is a warm gut pile
You need more ventilation (think small hole saw holes) and put some horse stall rubber pad in the bottom so that they can grip and be insulated. p.m.. me if you have questions. I deal with this every day
Correct. I haven’t gotten to that yet. I’m waiting to borrow some tools from the school.
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Dad always said that a kennel /crate should be big enough for a dog to lay down comfortably, but not tall enough for them to stand. The reasoning behind this was to force the dog to lay down and rest especially after a full day of hunting.
As far as dogs in the front seat; never ! In hot weather I put my dog in the extended cab with a dog seat cover to keep the hair shedding from getting all over the truck. Got a buddy who drives around with his German Shepard in the cab. I swear when he drives with the windows down there is a tornado of hair moving around the cab.
But, what I have found is that dogs who are used to riding in a kennel/crate are not really comfortable just laying on a seat; they tend to stammer and not just lay down and relax.
As far as dogs in the front seat; never ! In hot weather I put my dog in the extended cab with a dog seat cover to keep the hair shedding from getting all over the truck. Got a buddy who drives around with his German Shepard in the cab. I swear when he drives with the windows down there is a tornado of hair moving around the cab.
But, what I have found is that dogs who are used to riding in a kennel/crate are not really comfortable just laying on a seat; they tend to stammer and not just lay down and relax.
Kevin,
And God forbid, if you get into an accident, and a 100 lb lab comes flying in from the back seat......
ps...I have the Ruffland moulded crate...Damn solid.........
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Snake Charmer
Happiness is a warm gut pile
I disagree about crate size. The dog should be able to stand up if you are on extended trips. Think about how you like to have comfort and stretch and reposition when sitting one way or another for awhile. Also strap the kennel in so that if an impact happens they are not launched into another part of the vehicle, a kennel is just like a seat belt when you think about it...
Snake Charmer
Happiness is a warm gut pile
Good choice Steve, Roto molded crates are the way to go these days, buy once cry once (they are not cheap). There are a few brands out there and all of them are good to go IMO at this point. Strap them in the back of your vehicle and you have done everything you can do to keep your dog safe.Kevin,
And God forbid, if you get into an accident, and a 100 lb lab comes flying in from the back seat......
ps...I have the Ruffland moulded crate...Damn solid.........
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My Ruffland was around a $180.00 from Cabela's...I used the Pet-A-Port and others for years......
A little story...So, probably in the early 90's, I was hunting with Cal for pheasant in the IV...We had stopped at a sudan field and gotten a couple...Took a couple pix and took off for the next field...When we got to the field, I go to the back to get Yeager out...WTF!...No Yeager, no crate...Drove back the same way we came, and there he was still in his kennel 100 yds from where the pix were taken...
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Snake Charmer
Happiness is a warm gut pile
Guessin the kennel was not strapped in, Right ?My Ruffland was around a $180.00 from Cabela's...I used the Pet-A-Port and others for years......
A little story...So, probably in the early 90's, I was hunting with Cal for pheasant in the IV...We had stopped at a sudan field and gotten a couple...Took a couple pix and took off for the next field...When we got to the field, I go to the back to get Yeager out...WTF!...No Yeager, no crate...Drove back the same way we came, and there he was still in his kennel 100 yds from where the pix were taken...
.View attachment 53374