Dog Crates are essentials when traveling with your dog or puppy, for crate training your puppy, and offers a quiet place for your puppy or dog. Dog crates used to come in only two designs; wire and plastic. That was then and this is now, because choices in dog crate colors and assorted materials are limitless! Each model is different in regards to it's advantages and disadvantages. One such crate is the soft-sided dog crate.

Soft Sided Dog Carriers

One very popular type of dog crate is called the soft sided carrier. Soft sided dog carriers are easy to move around and extremely lightweight. Most models can fold up like a small suitcase whenever it is not in use. There is plenty of ventilation due to the mesh panels that are on the sides and front of the carrier. The floor is typically padded and the doors are shut securely by a zipper.

You can easily find a soft dog crates

These type of crates have only one downfall and that is if you are not constantly around your dog while they are in their carrier, dogs tend to scratch or chew their way out of their carriers.

What Size Should You Get?

Soft sided crates are no different than any other type of dog crate when it comes to choosing the correct size. Just make sure that it is large enough so your dog can stand up on all fours without hitting its head. He must be able to turn around, stretch, and lie down.

These soft-sided crates have the same sizing guidelines as other crates. You want to make sure that it is large enough that when your dog stands up they can do so on all four paws without bumping it's head, it should be able to turn around completely, stretch, and lie down completely. The carrier shouldn't be any larger than that especially if you are house training your puppy, if they have alot of room they will get the urge to use the bathroom in the backside of the crate and they won't even mind the mess!

These soft-sided crates have the same sizing guidelines as other crates. You want to make sure that it is large enough that when your dog stands up they can do so on all four paws without bumping it's head, it should be able to turn around completely, stretch, and lie down completely. The carrier shouldn't be any larger than that especially if you are house training your puppy, if they have alot of room they will get the urge to use the bathroom in the backside of the crate and they won't even mind the mess!Remember that the point of crate training as used to housebreak a puppy is to give him no choice but to wait to be released from the crate in order to use the bathroom in the proper location.

If your dog does claw or chew at the crate, you may want to consider getting another type of crate such as a plastic one. Should you desire a larger crate than what you normally would need, keep in mind that you will have to adjust the space inside for maximum effectiveness and to keep your dog safe. Some crates come with divider panels to accomidate different sizes of dogs.

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