Choosing the best type of crate for your dog depends on the purpose for which you are going to use it. When I first brought my German Shepherd Sasha home to live with me as a 10-week-old puppy, I started with a wire dog crate. I had three main goals at the time: first, I wanted to potty train him as simply as possible; second, I wanted to keep him safe and out of harm’s way during times when I couldn’t give him my full attention; and third, I wanted to prevent him from damaging or destroying furniture, rugs, drapes, shoes, and other belongings in our house.

The box that best accommodated all of these needs in one package was made of wire and came with a divider panel. The divider panel allowed me to purchase a box large enough to accommodate Sasha as an adult, but also gave me the ability to reduce the space in the box that would be available to him while he was little. The divider panel also gave me the ability to slowly expand the space available to him as he grew, giving him just enough room to move around, but not enough room to go potty inside the box.

Dogs are intrinsically very clean animals. By nature, they do not like to get dirty and will do almost anything to prevent that from happening. If you put a small puppy inside a large crate, you have the option of pottying in a corner of the crate and avoid contaminating the results. Having a wire crate with an adjustable divider panel was the perfect solution to help me teach Sasha to relieve herself outdoors. If a puppy doesn’t have enough crate space to go potty and stay clean, he’s much less likely to have a crate accident.

This arrangement will encourage your pup to let you know when he needs to go potty, so you can take him outside. It will also reduce the number of masses you have to clean up. This method and approach worked brilliantly with Sasha. She never relieved herself in her cage. When she had to go to the bathroom, she let me know, in no uncertain terms, that she needed to get out. But she had to keep him in her cage, whenever she couldn’t watch him like a hawk. A puppy’s bladder is extremely small and cannot hold much urine. Sasha had to urinate every 45 minutes, like clockwork, for the first few weeks I had him.

As she got older and her bladder got stronger, Sasha could go longer and longer periods before needing to relieve herself. But if she couldn’t keep a close eye on him, she had to keep him in her cage or there was a high chance she’d find a puddle somewhere or other. After playing for a while, she Sasha would also have to go to the bathroom. So even when she was looking at him, she had to be alert and ready to snap him out at the first indication that she needed to pee.

This wire dog crate worked just as well to keep Sasha safe and out of trouble. Puppies will chew on just about anything they can chew, from your couch to the electrical cords that run your computer. Nothing is immune to a puppy’s curiosity and natural propensity to explore the world through his mouth. If you want to keep your home intact and prevent your pup from getting hurt, a crate is an absolute essential in my experience. It’s truly amazing how much damage a pup can do in an incredibly short amount of time.

I remember one day I was cooking in the kitchen while babysitting Sasha’s younger brother, Blitz, who was then about 6 months old. He was keeping an eye on him, but it turned out that he wasn’t watching him closely enough. I had my back to him for about 2 minutes. In that time, he managed to drag a 1-gallon plastic container of canola oil, which he was using to hold the pantry door open, into my living room, chew on the lid, and allow the contents to drain just right. in the middle of the rug weave. I honestly couldn’t believe he would do that, but by the time I caught him it was too late and I couldn’t do anything but laugh at the absurdity of it all. So much for that rug! A very expensive lesson learned.

So, in summary, wire crates are probably the best dog crates to choose when you have a new pup that needs to go potty. It also serves to protect your home from your pup’s strong propensity to chew on anything in sight, while at the same time preventing accidental damage when left unattended. For example, if your pup decides to chew on the electrical cords of her entertainment center, she could easily be electrocuted in the process. There’s also a high chance that your pup could swallow something dangerous when you’re not looking, which could turn into a very expensive vet bill or even a life-threatening event.

The other cool aspect of wire dog crates is that they fold up compactly and take up very little storage space when not in use. They can also be easily stowed in a trunk or roof rack during a road trip, then snap open once you reach your desired destination. Depending on the size of your pup and the size of your vehicle, this type of crate can also be used to contain your furry friend in your vehicle while traveling.

However, while many people use wire dog crates to contain their dogs while traveling in a vehicle, I personally prefer using a plastic dog crate for this purpose with Sasha. In part 2 of this article, I’ll explore the unique advantages of plastic dog crates and why I think they’re a superior choice when you’re traveling with your dog.