Crate mat or no mat for hot summer weather?

Koko never wanted a mat his whole crated life according to the breeder--always dug them up and laid on the crate floor, indeed he never lays on a dog bed here either. Maybe if Willow is changing her sleeping spots to cooler spots uncrated like tile or laminate instead of bedding that could be a clue to pull them. Or get a gel cooling mat? Although I've heard those don't really work...

 

I've used the cooling mats, Especially at a show where it tends to get hot in the afternoon but what I do is freeze them first (I'll have 2 going) and then put them in the crate (they soften up pretty fast. Of course you could teach her to lay in front of or on top of register (for AC)...my guys have THE BEST sleep (of course then I'm hot but oh well lol).

 

Can’t use a mats for Liam as he would destroy them. If I did I would use cotton also!

 

Well, in my experience, there are two kinds of shelties. Scrunchers and layers. Lay-ers go into their crates and lay on whatever is in there. My shelties are scrunchers. What is a scruncher you ask? Let me explain. No that is too long, let me sum up. A Scruncher will take an endless amount of time to scrunch around and arrange their bed so that it is comfortable to them. Since my shelties are Scrunchers , I just toss a used bed sheet or two in their crate and let them arrange their bed like they want it. Clarabelle will scrunch everything into a ball that she puts her head on. (she takes the longest to be satisfied). Tara needs some bedding under her body and some as a pillow. Cooper wants all of the bedding under him, and could care less if his head is on something. Rocket varies what he wants. Cassie is still learning.

 

I wondered about the heat too and took out the Sherpa pad, but I found the crate really noisy. lol I put an old cotton pillow slip over it in hopes that would help. He is now only in the crate when we go out or when we need a wee bit of down time as Cooper has graduated to sleeping on the big bed with Mom & Dad !

 

Scrunchers-- I like that. I was calling them diggers. I have those reversible kinda quilted looking loveseat and couch covers they sell cheap to protect the furniture, and I can hear them every night trying to scrunch those things up. Fil tries it on the bed too, but the sheets don't move LOL

 

Hah, I've yet to meet the kind of crate bedding Elijah Ray cannot destroy. I mean everything from a gel kitchen floor type pad, to a thick cotton bathmat, a flat padded mat, and finally some old carpet samples that were bound around the edges - thought that might stop him but no. So, he has to sleep on hard plastic, which I feel bad about. Luckily he leaves the day beds/mats in the house alone!