Putting the dog behind bars (Hagen Wire Cage for Dogs)

Member Name: K7AYLOR

Product:	Hagen Wire Cage for Dogs
Date:	11/03/09 (49 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A safe place for the dog to sleep, but also his own territory

Disadvantages: Can be a little expensive and some negative thinking puts people off

When we first got Hamish our 9-month-old border collie the thought of caging a dog abhorred me. But after researching it fully on the Internet and speaking it over with other dog owners we decided that it was a good investment for the sake of the puppy and got out very first dog cage.

As you would expect the cage is a metal frame, and in our case the metal is covered in a black plastic coating with an aluminium base. Not the most comfortable sounding bed, however we lined it with dog blankets and a jumper of my partner's so that the dog would be used to our smell if he felt lonely in the night.

From the first instance we took Hamish home and let him loose in the kitchen he was straight over to the cage and investigating it before wandering inside and settling down for a sleep. So far so good, and dispelling the fears I had about him not liking the cage.

Over time as he's grown we've bought a larger cage for him which again the same as the puppy cage has been decked out with blankets and bedding to make it more comfortable.

Many people think cages are a form of animal cruelty, and I will hold my hand up to having been one of those people until I researched it and got a dog. The fact that our dog was straight into his told us that he liked it. And indeed dogs are known as "den animals", they like to be in a safe and secure place. Hamish knows that if there are probing fingers of little ones he can quickly head off to his cage or "bed" as we call it and he's safe.

Cages are excellent tools for training your dog; they soon learn that this is "their area" and that they can wander in and out of it as they please. Hamish is only ever locked in when we have to go out and at night when it's bedtime. He happily goes for a sleep after his afternoon walk in his cage, and in the evening when you can't find him in the house you will usually find him curled up snoring away in his bed.

One of the great features of these cages is that they come in a variety of sizes. There are cages to suit all dogs, from little Scotties and Spaniels up to Great Danes and Alsatians. If you are in any doubt there is information on a variety of websites to inform you of which cage is the best size for your breed of dog and if in doubt consult your vet. And believe me they do come in some huge sizes, ours is big enough to fit a grown man in, my partner being smart one day decided to climb in and see if he'd fit in.

Putting the cage together is relatively simple, lift the top of the cage and pull out the sides, clipping them onto the top and securing it. The great thing is that there are 2 doors on the cage, one on the side and one on the end. The cage is also easy to fold down and flatten if you should need to transport it.

Whilst these can be expensive to purchase, it's worth having a look on eBay or in your local pet shop. We got ours from a shop on eBay costing under £100 which we were very pleased with. But I would happily pay double that for the simple fact that we have a border collie. When he gets bored he can be destructive and I would hate to think of the destruction he could cause whilst we were out of the house merely because he was bored. It's in his nature and cannot be helped.

In summary, I think these cages are a godsend. They make training a dog less stressful, especially "toilet" training because the dog is loath to soil their bed. Some dogs may put up some resistance to the cage in the first instance, but persevere with it. It's worth the money because you will have a happy, secure and safe dog. This cage is their den, a place of safety to them and also somewhere to safely keep your dog should you need to leave the dog at home without having your furniture destroyed.

Summary: An effective training device with dogs, but also a safe haven