Dangerous Space for your Puppy on a Wire Crate!

Dear Puppy Owner, 

I want to bring your attention to a dangerous area on the standard wire crates that are sold for puppies....

   


The crate has several openings where puppies can get their lower jaws stuck.   (see the arrow below)

This half inch tall opening is just big enough for an 8 week old puppy to get his little jaws stuck....and stuck good!

I experienced this problem first hand when one of my puppies got his lower jaw stuck yesterday.  He was chewing on the bars like puppies do and his jaw got stuck.  His lower canines prevented him from pulling his jaw back out.  He couldn't close his mouth and he Started yelping loudly.  I heard the yelping from the upper floor and knew immediately that something was very wrong.   I ran down to the pen to see the poor little guy stuck helpless..   And what was worse, is that I didn't know how to free him!  I tried a few different times, but he seemed to be stuck in there good.    After what seemed like an eternity...but was probably not more than a minute or two, I was able to change the direction of his body and head and somehow that gave his little jaw the right angle for escape.

When he was free he went about happily playing and chewing on his toys.  He didn't seem to be traumatized....but I surely was!

All I could think about was how awful it would be if this happened to a puppy and no one was home to help him!   

So what should you do?   Well, don't throw away the crate.   It is too important a tool for raising a puppy.   When I mentioned this experience to one of my customers today, he had a great solution....Duct Tape!  He suggested I wrap up the holes with Duct tape.  Genius!  .   And when the puppy jaws have grown so big that this tiny space is no longer a problem.... you can remove the tape.   Problem solved! 

So YES!  Please get yourself a roll of black duct tape and wrap up those little half inch tall rectangular holes near the corners of your wire crate.  Do that, and give yourself peace of mind that your little puppy won't get himself stuck like mine did!  Thank you Derek for the great advise!  


How I use Crates with my litters of Puppies:   I like to attach wire crates to our Midwest wire pens, during week 6 to 8.  The door of the pen is always kept open and attached in an open position with a snap clip to the end of the wire pen. (So in a sense it is just an extension of their pen)   The puppies love to sleep in the pen, and get use to it as a place of security.  By the time they go home, the wire crate is a familiar place.   I will also put a hard shelled Airline approved travel crate in their living space.   That way, the puppies are familiar with sleeping in a plastic crate as well before they travel home by car or plane.   I feel this is one important way to make our puppies transition to his new home just a little bit easier.