The great crate debate

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Carbon has a folding soft-side crate that he's used since he came home from the shelter in Spain. He loves it, but he no longer NEEDS it. Tomorrow I'm carting my belongings that will stay in Germany over to my friend's storage room. For the first time, I'm planning on leaving Carbon's crate behind and travelling without it. Now I'm second-guessing myself. Any opinions?

Pluses of taking it with us: he does really like it and will go in there and hang out on his bed. I never close it anymore and leave the top open too, but it's still his safe spot. There may be occasions when he would be safer with it closed, but admittedly few and far between.

Pluses of leaving the crate in Germany: more space in the car and less frustration loading and unloading. It's a real bear to get that thing in the car and make sure it's comfortable for Carbon to lay on top of. There is space for it in our first house in Cornwall, but not the much smaller cottage where we'll be for the last 6 weeks. That means some awkward storage in a place with nearly no storage space.

I'll still take his bed, which lives in his crate when we're not actually in the car. That means that his set up will still be the same (a safe spot) but no crate around him.

He's also on the sofa 95% of the time and he's (knock on wood) extremely trustworthy about not messing with stuff that isn't his. Brogan never even traveled with a crate, so I'm not sure why I'm second guessing leaving Carbon's crate behind!

 

[Atemas]

I’d leave it behind

 

[kateincornwall]

I’d leave it behind

So would I x

 

[Candy]

I’d leave it behind

Me too. Joy loved her crate and I worried about taking her safe place away from her but she immediately adapted to lying between our two armchairs instead so we just put the bed that had been in her crate there and that's been her downstairs bed ever since.

 

[Stacia]

I would leave it behind. If by chance it doesn't work, you can always buy another one! However, I am sure it wouldn't come to that.

 

[Jacqui-S]

Worth trying without.
We don't take a crate on hols and didn't even when Lilly still used it.

 

[edzbird]

I'm interested to see how it goes, never having had any sort of crate.

 

[Beanwood]

I wouldn't worry. You have a long time in the car, make it as comfortable as possible. Anyhow, Amazon can get you one sorted in a jiffy, or I may have a spare one here in an emergency.

 

[Oberon]

Ditch the crate.

 

[Natalie]

I'd leave it behind too. Again I've got a spare one which Bear has never taken too, in fact he spent more time on top of it than in it . Monty also loved his crate, but as we trusted him more and more, and his options to flake out widened, he used it less and less. One day we realised he probably hadn't been in it in the last three months, (unless we asked him to go in there) so it got dismantled and put in the garage. If you never close it, then it's basically a four poster bed for him .

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

If you never close it, then it's basically a four poster bed for him .

True!

 

[snowbunny]

Willow absolutely adores a crate and will squeeze into even a cocker-spaniel sized one given the chance. I kinda feel bad that we don't have one up for her to use permanently, but they're big and ugly and NO. If you don't need it, don't take it and, as the others have said, there are always options to get a replacement should it come to that.

 

[Emily]

We still take Ella's crate everywhere but she needs her safe space from the kids.

In your situation, I'd probably leave the crate behind.

 

[Loraseal]

Leave it behind. We had the same issue with Hunter. He did not miss it at all. It also leaves more space too so you can now take extra sausages for Carbon. X

 

[MrChew]

We ditched the crate once Chewie was trustworthy in the house at night. He didn't miss it, but then his safe space became MY HEAD.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Thanks for the sanity check, everyone!

The crate, along with my summer clothes, Very Important Papers and my meagre Christmas decorations, are all now safely ensconced in Helga's store room. She didn't bat an eye at the addition (especially since I subtracted a hefty duffel bag) and it looked quite small in her big storeroom. Which is pretty funny, as it looks quite big in my apartment!

I folded up the crate last night instead of the usual waiting until just before it goes into the car for a trip. Carbon tried to get into it while folding, then grabbed his new Batty and lay down on the folded crate in a bit of a huff. But then I lay down his bed, his blanket and Monkey on the floor and he promptly lay on THAT, seemingly satisfied with the arrangement.

Therefore I'd say so far zero trauma from crate deprivation.

Tomorrow morning I'll be loading up the car and very much looking forward to NOT wrestling the crate for the first time in nearly three years.

By the way, Carbon's mud vomiting episode(s) yesterday ended in a massive poo before bed and then - apparently -all was right in the world once again. Geez, that dog has a cast iron stomach.