Which is better, A wire crate or a plastic one?

When trying to decide between the wire type crates or plastic there a few things you should consider.

The wire crates have some basic features that make them the better choice in most cases.

The best style is a fully collapsible wire crate that folds down like a briefcase. There are others that are in many pieces that have to be put together with long metal pins in each corner. All four sides, the top, and the bottom are all separate panels. This type of crate is much more difficult to put together than the all-in-one folding style. While folded they are very easy to store or travel with. The plastic-style crates come apart in two halves that are more difficult to store or travel with.

The collapsible metal crates have plastic or metal trays that pull out of the bottom so that they clean up very easily when your puppy soils the bottom. The plastic molded style has no tray at all – which makes cleaning puppy accidents quite a chore!

Some manufacturers also include a metal partition with the collapsible metal crates that will divide the crate
into a smaller size for the puppy when you first bring him home. As he grows you can give him more and more room in the crate until he has access to the entire thing. This is a great feature that allows you to purchase only one crate instead of replacing the smaller ones as they grow.

Some puppies do like the “Den Like” feel of the more enclosed plastic style crates… but on the other hand, many puppies love to be able to see what is going on around them with the metal crates.

If you have a puppy who prefers the enclosed crates but you have a wire crate you can cover it with a blanket and have the best of both worlds! (You should take caution that some puppies may pull the blanket through the bars and chew on it!)

In short: the majority of breeders do typically recommend the metal fully collapsible crates with a divider.

Preparing for my new puppy

Before bringing your new puppy home there are a few things you should do to prepare:

1.) Call the veterinarian to set-up an appointment to have the puppy examined.
Your pup should be examined within the first 48 hours if at all possible. This appointment should be scheduled prior to your 
puppy coming home as many vet’s offices schedule appointments far enough in advance that you may not be able to get one in a timely manner.  

Always assume your pup may have worms even if worming medicine has been administered. Take a stool sample into this first appointment with you.

2.) Call to get registered in a puppy obedience or kindergarten class.
We cannot stress enough the benefits of enrolling your new puppy in a puppy kindergarten or obedience class. First of all, 
socialization is vital to the development of your new pet. Getting them out around other children, men, women, other dogs and a variety of environments and situations all help to form a well-adjusted loving adult dog.

If you are going to have this puppy in your home for the next 10-12 years, it is important to invest a few weeks of training in the beginning to ensure success. Most classes only require 1 hour a week for about 6 weeks.

Another benefit is that your puppy will learn to obey and listen to your commands with many exciting distractions going on around them. This is very beneficial in situations later on in life when you may be outdoors – there is a car coming – and your puppy is being tempted to chase the neighbor’s loose dog!

You can call area pet shops and adult continuing education classes at area high schools to find classes. Try to find one specifically for puppies as this instructor will include basic obedience as well as puppy socialization skills.

Some instructors will tell you that you cannot begin classes until the puppy has had the entire set of vaccinations. If you wait until the puppy is 4-6 months of age, you may have already developed bad behaviors that will be hard to break.If you run into this, call someone else. Many, many places have special puppy classes. 
Your puppy should receive his second vaccination before beginning the class. This vaccine is usually given around his 10th 
week.

By going to weekly obedience classes you will have the benefit of teaching your puppy to behave well from the start. It is much easier to train a puppy to behave when they are young, rather than to attempting to break him of bad habits after they have developed.

3.) Purchase necessary items such as:

– FOOD
– ODOR AND STAIN REMOVER
– FOOD AND WATER BOWLS
– CRATE
– COLLAR, LEASH, AND NAME TAG
– BRUSH OR COMB
– NAIL TRIMMERS
– *TOYS
– PUPPY SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER
– PUPPY TRAINING BOOK

* We recommend purchasing about 3 or 4 toys. If you overdo it and buy a large selection – your puppy will have a more difficult time in determining which items in your home belong to him and which are yours!

We recommend a floss toss toy which is made of small strands of rope all twisted together. This is a soft toy that young pups can really sink their teeth into. If they do ingest small pieces it should cause no problem.

A fleece-style toy. These are also known as unreal lambskin toys. They are similar to stuffed animals. Some have squeakers and some do not.

There is a lot of controversy over whether or not you should give your dog’s rawhide chews. If you choose to, only let them have them while being supervised. Some dogs never chew off large pieces that would cause harm, others will.

You can also choose a Nylabone or a Sterilized bone. These are both choices for a chew toy that are hard. Nylabones are made from a nylon type material and sterilized bones are actually bones from cows, neither will splinter while being chewed and are safe alternatives to rawhide chews.