Before you bring your new dog or puppy home, you really need to purchase a crate. The crate serves a larger purpose than simply providing you with a place to put your dog while you are not home. You are also going to find that your dog treats their crate as a safe place where they can retreat to whenever they feel stressed, tired, or afraid.
When you go to your favorite pet store or online dog supply store, you are going to discover that there are lots of different crates that you can choose from. One of the most popular styles of crate is the aluminum dog crate.
The advantages of aluminum crates
The biggest advantage to the aluminum crate is that it provides your dog with plenty of ventilation. This not only means that your dog is going to remain cool during hot weather, but that the crate stays dry and free of odor. Since excellent ventilation is one of the strongest perks of the aluminum crate, as a dog owner you need to do everything possible to make sure that you do not hamper the ventilation. This means that you should not use the top of the crate as a place to pile laundry and books.
Most aluminum wire crates are designed in such a way that the dog is able to see things happening all around them. This is an excellent way to ensure that dogs continue to feel like they are a part of the family even when they have been crated. Dogs are social creatures and will appreciate being able to see their people at all times.
Another great thing about most aluminum dog crates is that they are light and portable. This means that if you are going on vacation and decide to take your dog along, you can. All you have to do is fold up the crate and make sure that it is packed alongside of your luggage. You will quickly discover that both you and your dog are more relaxed when you have brought the crate with you. You will be able to put your mind at ease and know that even if you are not with your dog that they are safely contained in their crate instead of running loose in an unfamiliar area. Your dog will be more relaxed because they have somewhere that is familiar where they feel safe.
Furthermore, if you spend a lot of your time traveling in the car and want to bring your dog along with you, an aluminum wire dog crate is light weight and makes this easy. Finally, aluminum is very simple to clean.
Purchasing and care
It is up to you to make sure that your dog crate is always safe to use. The first thing you should avoid is purchasing a cheap dog crate. A good quality crate that is well cared should last for your entire lifetime, whereas cheap dog crates are prone to breaking and bending. At regular intervals, take a few minutes examining the crate and making sure that none of the wire bars have become bent of broken. Even if you have a small dog, they can be destructive and should be contained inside of a heavy duty dog crate.
The other thing that you want to check carefully is the door latches. If aluminum dog crates have a weakness, it is in the door latches. Dogs have a habit of pressing against the doors, pushing on it and straining the latches. If you notice that the latch is bent, you are going to want to get it replaced before it breaks completely. In the meantime, wrap something strong that your dog cannot chew through, like a short length of chain, around the door and door frame. This will keep your dog secure until the latch is replaced.
When you are setting up your aluminum dog crate, make sure you place some sort of padding in the bottom so that your dog has some place soft to lie. This padding will need to be washed regularly. If your dog is going to be kept in the crate for an extended period of time, make sure that you have placed a bowl of clean water and anything else your dog might need in the crate.