Cages w/removable doors?

[Brennan Hill]

Hi,

I'm looking for a wire cage for my upcoming Boxer puppy with a removable front door. Our living room is on the small side, and it would be convenient for us to have the door off when he is older and resting in there and we do not want him locked in, instead of swung open.

Also, his father is 78 pounds, so I would expect something similar from him when he grows up. I bought a Precision Pet cage/crate (which I will likely take back) that measures 42"L 28"W 31.5"H that is for dogs to 90 lbs. It's a bit overwhelming, and I'm wondering if the next size down could work. The smaller size (says for Boxers to 70 lbs)measures 36"L 23"W 26"H. At the store it looked big enough to me for my previous dog, a 80 lb lab, to turn around in. Would this be workable?

Thanks

 

[JulieM]

The Boxer size crate is probably fine, a friend has her 80-lb boy in there and he has enough room. (I have the next-size larger crates for mine, but had we known when we got our first Boxer that we'd end up with 5 I would have gotten the smaller size )

I don't know of any of the wire crates that have removable doors. You can take the door out of most of the airline crates.

 

[uno]

I can't help with the crate w/removable door, but I disagree with Linda and that crate manufacturer. While there is no height/weight standard for our breed male Boxers "typically" are 24-25 inches at the whithers (the shoulders). IMO a crate that is only 26 inches in height is not high enough for a "typical" male to be able to stand up in, which they should be able to do.

 

[JulieM]

I can't help with the crate w/removable door, but I disagree with Linda and that crate manufacturer.

Did you mean Julie?

While there is no height/weight standard for our breed male Boxers "typically" are 24-25 inches at the whithers (the shoulders). IMO a crate that is only 26 inches in height is not high enough for a "typical" male to be able to stand up in, which they should be able to do.

Actually, there is a height standard, males should be 22 1/2 to 25 inches, females 21 to 23 1/2 inches. You are correct that there is no weight standard.

If your argument is that, because a Boxer is 25 inches at the withers a 26 inch crate would not be large enough (I'm guessing because he would not be able to hold up his head all the way) - neither would a 31.5 inch crate. My 23 inch high boy can't lift his head all the way up in the 31.5 inch crate (especially with cropped ears, although in a wire crate they just poke through the top )

Granted, if the dog can't stand up in the crate it's too small...but I think *most* Boxers will be able to stand up in a 26 inch crate. As I said, I don't have the smaller crates so I can't say for sure, but I know many many people who do and their dogs don't have problems with them. Certainly if they were to be standing for hours in the crates I'd reconsider the size - but almost all of the time my guys are in crates they're laying down (except when they're waiting to be fed), and I'd imagine that's true for the majority of dogs.

While I would love to have the Great Dane size crates for my crew, there are practical considerations (the primary one being that I don't live in a 12000 square foot home!).

 

[wildchild]

We were looking for the same thing, the closest thing we came up with was this: we purchaced a Midwest cage, size 24(which was the size up from the one suitable for boxers, it was a good decision.) We didn't put the door on, instead we just put the poles in the slots to keep it upright and sturdy. Good luck!

 

[wildchild]

The measurments for the crate are:42'long,26'wide and 28 inches tall. This was the one suitable for great danes and akitas,they must come in contact with some midget dogs. My advice is to pay attention to the measurments, not the breed recomendations.

 

[BXR MOM]

How about a crate with a side door. That way, when the door is open it won't stick out, but rather lay flat against the side of the crate. I have one with both a front and side door, but you can also get them with just a side door.

 

[Brennan Hill]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I took the large crate back, and got the next smaller size. They only had a floor model left, so I got that at a nice discount. If worse comes to worse and Luke grows too large, I'll just have to get a larger one. Couldn't find any with a removable door, but we managed to work out a solution.