Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I cannot find a dog grate for the floor in the size
I need. You know, a grate for the poop and pee to fall
through. Does anyone have any ideas on what I could
use or how to make one? Thanks.

>>Hi,
>>
>>I cannot find a dog grate for the floor in the size
>>I need. You know, a grate for the poop and pee to fall
>>through. Does anyone have any ideas on what I could
>>use or how to make one? Thanks.

>>>>>>>>>>>

Dogs need to be removed from their crates often and given the opportunity to eliminate elsewhere. A grate in the floor and the dog kept in the crate with the smell of the mess and the residue on the grating is not good for the dog.

If you have a sick dog and your veterinarian wants you to do this to the dog, Dri-Dek tiles will serve this function without
putting the dog on grating that is painful and harmful to the feet.

If the dog is not holding urine and/or feces in the crate, get the dog out of the crate and into a different confinement area that allows the dog to restore instincts to keep the bedding area clean, by getting away from the mess. A portable exercise pen or baby gates (stack one above the other if needed for height) across the doorway of a small room are two options.

Be careful not to confine a dog to a crate excessively. It isn't humane.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

Thank you for your response. My dogs are out of the pens. My pen is 30" X 60" Hardly the size of a crate. I just want to keep them cleaner. What is wrong with wanting to keep them cleaner? I find newspaper stinks and gets ink on them. I haven't found that to be clean. Wee wee pads get torn up. My dogs are ALL indoor dogs in air conditioning. I have a big back yard (fenced) for them. I just want them cleaner inside the house.

Do the dogs not go outside to use the bathroom? Once they learn to go outside instead of inside you won't have to worry about the mess except a 2 or 3 minute cleanup every other day or so. If they're using the bathroom inside, clean the spots with an enzyme cleaner so they don't re-use the same spot, then put a Pee Post (they sell them at PetCo, probably PetSmart too) in the yard where you want them to go. You hammer it into the yard and it has a pheromone on it that makes the dogs want to use that spot. A grate in the floor would keep things a bit cleaner, but would be very hard on the feet and uncomfortable to lie on. House training would be a much easier option for everyone involved.
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Kadee Sedtal
home of old lady Lucy (boxer/lab/garbage disposal), and the lovely new addition, Fancy the Wonder Beagle!