Fasb's Owner
Forums Enthusiast
Travel Crate?
We're thinking of buying Fasb a travel crate for the car. He has a largish wire crate that we use in the house when we have company or workers over, but he's never had a travel crate.
Basically, Fasb was never crate trained. His first owner, my sister-in-law, never crated him. When he was a puppy, they confined him to the bathroom when it was time to sleep, and things just evolved from there. When we got him, we were apprehensive about crating him since he had never been "crate trained", but reasoned he was fine at the vet and groomer when they crated him, so we bought him a crate. He's fine in it, but we use it somewhat sparingly. The wife is a big proponent of crating. I grudgingly admit it has value, but I'm not really sold on the idea that a 10-year old dog wants confined to a small cell. So we use it when we really need to, and keep him in the crate for as short a period as possible,
Anyway, Fasb's never traveled in a crate. The sis-in-law taught him to behave (mostly) in the car and let him ride loose. We've kept that pattern, with few problems. Usually, Fasb just sits on the passenger seat with his leash on. We've taken him on longer trips, and he mostly sits in my wife's lap, or she holds the leash and he jumps in the back seat. Most of his trips out are short - to the vet, the groomer, the park, etc., and he's well behaved enough that I can handle him.
When we take him with us, we usually take my old jeep. The jeep finally died at age 17 last month and was replaced by a new midsize car. Since the car is new (and expensive), we kinda want to keep in clean for awhile. This means not letting the dog shed in it, claw up the dash, put a rip in the fabric of the seat (accident), etc. - all things that happened over the years in the jeep. Also, I kinda don't want Fasb bouncing around as much now that he's older and a little more fragile (arthritic). Fasb never got hurt, but he does bounce around occasionally - front paws sliding off the dash, falling into the footspace if I had to brake suddenly, etc.
What's the best way to transport Fasb around town? Travel crate? Is there any better way? He has a grooming appt and a vet appt for his yearly shots in about 10 days, so I'm thinking of buying a travel crate.
My main concern is that I'll have to pick up the crate and put him in the car, and I'm afraid I might hurt him somehow picking the crate up. I won't know until I try, but I suspect he won't jump into the car and get into the crate. I'm guessing that, at least for awhile, I'll have to get him into the crate then lift it into the car.
Thoughts. I hate to crate him on trips - he likes to look out the window and bark at new things - but my wife is adamant the car stay nice for awhile and I have to agree it makes some sense. I'm hoping to buy another jeep before long, and he can go back to riding on the seat in that, if his health is ok, but for now, we probably need to make a change.
Thanks. Any thoughts?
We're thinking of buying Fasb a travel crate for the car. He has a largish wire crate that we use in the house when we have company or workers over, but he's never had a travel crate.
Basically, Fasb was never crate trained. His first owner, my sister-in-law, never crated him. When he was a puppy, they confined him to the bathroom when it was time to sleep, and things just evolved from there. When we got him, we were apprehensive about crating him since he had never been "crate trained", but reasoned he was fine at the vet and groomer when they crated him, so we bought him a crate. He's fine in it, but we use it somewhat sparingly. The wife is a big proponent of crating. I grudgingly admit it has value, but I'm not really sold on the idea that a 10-year old dog wants confined to a small cell. So we use it when we really need to, and keep him in the crate for as short a period as possible,
Anyway, Fasb's never traveled in a crate. The sis-in-law taught him to behave (mostly) in the car and let him ride loose. We've kept that pattern, with few problems. Usually, Fasb just sits on the passenger seat with his leash on. We've taken him on longer trips, and he mostly sits in my wife's lap, or she holds the leash and he jumps in the back seat. Most of his trips out are short - to the vet, the groomer, the park, etc., and he's well behaved enough that I can handle him.
When we take him with us, we usually take my old jeep. The jeep finally died at age 17 last month and was replaced by a new midsize car. Since the car is new (and expensive), we kinda want to keep in clean for awhile. This means not letting the dog shed in it, claw up the dash, put a rip in the fabric of the seat (accident), etc. - all things that happened over the years in the jeep. Also, I kinda don't want Fasb bouncing around as much now that he's older and a little more fragile (arthritic). Fasb never got hurt, but he does bounce around occasionally - front paws sliding off the dash, falling into the footspace if I had to brake suddenly, etc.
What's the best way to transport Fasb around town? Travel crate? Is there any better way? He has a grooming appt and a vet appt for his yearly shots in about 10 days, so I'm thinking of buying a travel crate.
My main concern is that I'll have to pick up the crate and put him in the car, and I'm afraid I might hurt him somehow picking the crate up. I won't know until I try, but I suspect he won't jump into the car and get into the crate. I'm guessing that, at least for awhile, I'll have to get him into the crate then lift it into the car.
Thoughts. I hate to crate him on trips - he likes to look out the window and bark at new things - but my wife is adamant the car stay nice for awhile and I have to agree it makes some sense. I'm hoping to buy another jeep before long, and he can go back to riding on the seat in that, if his health is ok, but for now, we probably need to make a change.
Thanks. Any thoughts?
