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Indoor Playpen? XXL Dog Crate??? Please Help

Basenji Training
  • Trying to determine the best playpen, or bigger crate to keep Jaxx in while away at work, the metal ones get great reviews and are cheap, but Ive see the negative reviews and horror stories and I dont want to subject him to those possibilities.

    Plastic ones will be more ideal, but the hard part is finding one taller than 3 Feet and one that Jaxx one be able to escape from.

    Desperately trying to find him something with more room.

    Thanks sooo much.

  • Do not skimp on price.... as for wire (which is what I use) I get the best one I can find, especially when it comes to wire gage and wire spacing

  • We got the samoyed this one, make it 4 sided, 2 panels overlapped for the top, and bought a crate pan. So it is 48 x 24 and 42 high. It is strong, very secure, and big.

    You can also buy it with a top separate, but doing it the way I did, I didn't need it.

    Can be deployed in any shape, such as 4ft x 4ft square, or 4ft 5in x 4ft 5in octagon<<
    https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B005OCWML4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

  • My current idea which I might try to execute today is to get two of these toppaw playpens and find away to secure them on top of each other and if needed also add a cover problem is they are 26 inches high so 2 would make it around 4ft 3 inches... Ive read too many death and injury stories with the metal ones...

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  • @JaxxnBeer - climbing up 4ft is child's play for a Basenji..... and if plastic, be prepared for easy chew through (in my opinion and experience)

  • I have used wire for about 40 years. A good quality wire is safe. Obviously if you have a strong dog who is determined to break out, you may need to go to the uber expensive crates that are almost solid metal. Few dogs need those. As Pat said, no top means no dog. They laugh at 6 feet, much less 40 inches. They can jump or climb easily. Plastic ones are more easily chewed unless the solid ones... which block view and air.

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    All good suggestions so far for you to try. Here's my suggestions based on my experiences. 1. When mine first came to my home I would arrange a bit of vacation time so that the first day I was with them totally, then the next day I would disappear out the door for 15 minutes and then for longer times, then the third day I disappeared for an hour or more, etc., until I could go to work for half a day then eventually for my full regular work day. This took me about a week to train the dog to be home alone. 2. The second basenji that came into my life had been broken of his crate training by an ignorant owner so I never could get him back into it. Instead I blocked off a corner of the kitchen for him with a bed and toys for him to stay in for the first several days. Gradually I allowed him more wandering room until he was trustworthy enough to have access to the whole house. This took about a month. 3. Be sure to give your dog a variety of toys and especially the kind that you can put kibble or other food in (such as "Kong" toys). Basenjis need mental stimulation or they get bored (=destructive). My current basenji gets frozen raw marrow bones when I go to work and sometimes she'll still be nawing on it when I get home. I also save old bones and fill the hole with kibble and yogurt or pumpkin and then freeze and give this to her sometimes. 4. Someone mentioned rawhide but I've never had luck with that - it's not digestable and has caused problems with my dogs (one time a piece got stuck in the digestive tract and he screamed "bloody murder" with every movement). Never give your dog a treat unsupervised until you know she can handle it or doesn't have an allergic reaction to it. Once you know its safe then okay - but even then I never give the stick type treats to mine unless I'm home to supervise. Hope this helps.
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    When you have a new puppy, there is an adjustment period… first, I keep their crates in my bedroom so that if a pup needs to go out, I am able to hear them and get them up and out... Also, did you make sure that he pottied first? Had he ever been in a crate?... They don't just take to coming into a new home and then being locked in a crate without some "crate training"....