If I Can Do It …. Believe Me …. You Can Too !!!

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Some people think it is "cruel" to put a dog in a crate for extended periods of time.

The truth is, canines are "den animals".  So generally, they LIKE their crate.  They feel SAFE in there. It is not CRUEL to put your dog in a crate when you are not home....  it is SMART.

Give them some bedding (a towel is fine) and a nylabone, and a treat each time they go in....  and they are happy.  

You would not go off to work and leave your two year old human child loose in the house.  Don't do it with your dog either.  Here are some ideas on how to make the crate more aesthetically and functionally correct for everyone's happiness ~  yours  and  your  baby's.

 

 

Something like 27" x 42" is the normal crate size for an adult English Bulldog.

For Frenchies, it can be something like 24" x 36".  But the bigger, the better, because if they do have a "mistake", they can get away from it.

Frenchies are not heavy enough to break their crate pans quickly, but over time, there's a chance that they will.  So, if you put a small piece of plywood between the plastic pan and the crate bottom, the plastic pan will last a lot longer.

You can take the measurements to Lowes or Home Depot, and ask them to cut a thin piece of the plywood that they sell, and it will be a great addition to the lifetime of your crate.

I might also recommend getting your crate up off the floor, and there are instructions below on how to do that.

If you are home most of the time, you can get your baby on a potty schedule.  

But if you have to leave to go to work and will be gone 10 hours a day, then you should make a safe area for your baby until he/she is old enough to "hold it" for an extended period of time.

This is a drawing of an Exercise Pen (or x-pen) that you can purchase at one of the pet stores (like PetSmart) or on line (like RevivalAnimal.com).  For a Frenchie, the 2 foot high ones are good.  They come in 8 sections, each 2 foot wide.  I use Electrical Ties (you can buy them at Lowes or Home Depot) and I attach the x-pen to the sides of the crate.  I would leave the door of the crate open, and fasten it OPEN with a Tie, so that the baby doesn't mistakenly lock himself out of his house.

You can put food and water dishes in the enclosed area.  You should probably use towels on the floor in case the baby has to pee or poop.  I don't like using wee-wee pads or newspapers because a baby could ingest those.  Then you could have a $2400 bill at the Vet surgically removing that stuff out of the baby's intestines.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

While you are at Home Depot or Lowe's, you're also going to need to buy medium sized "wheels". They make stationary ones, and swivel ones.  You want two stationary ones on the back side of the crate, and two swivel ones on the front side. You also need some 3/4 inch screws and some washers. A box of 40 screws is plenty to finish this project.

Take the board you're going to use for the bottom and sand the edges. In this picture, you can see how to place the wheels. You want them about 3 inches from the front and back, and 2 inches in from the sides.

Now turn the plywood over and put the wheels on the floor. Center the crate over the plywood, making sure that the stationary wheels are in the back, and the swivel wheels are by the crate door. Then secure the crate to the plywood. I use metal electrical strapping that I buy at Home Depot or Lowe's. It is galvanized steel "Hanger Tape".

You need a metal cutting scissors or some other way to cut it to size. I screw the pieces catti-corner, in two places.

 

Here's a picture of that thin piece of plywood you can put in between the plastic crate pan, and the bottom of the crate.  It will protect the crate pan from breaking.

... once you sand and stain that other piece of wood and put it on the top of the crate, you will have a nice looking ~ useable place to put dog related items....  like biscuits or toys...

KEEP  YOUR  BABY  SAFE