[Parachute Adams]

Hello and thanks for reading; hope you can provide me with some assistance.

I started crate training my 7 week old female chocolate lab and she has taken too it very well over the course of several days.

I bought the XL Petmate Vari-Kennel (plastic), which will be conducive when she becomes older.

Any ideas to decrease the interior to scale for her size?
How can I fill part of it to make it fit for her current size?
Put a cardboard box in the back if it? Rubbermaid box? Though both those she would chew and possibly swallow, correct?

Please, any ideas will help.

Thank you

 

[Hambonez]

I think wire crates are better for size adjustments. Ours came with a divider you could put in to change the size of the crate. I would be wary of putting anything inside because she certainly could gnaw apart cardboard or plastic boxes. You can always check craigslist for dog crates - people are selling them all the time.

 

[hanksimon]

I agree cardboard won't work with a Lab. Rubbermaid might work, you'll find out the hard way. I recommend a piece of wood or plywood, cut to fit, maybe with a small base in back that you can 'brace' with a brick in back. The convenient thing about this approach is that you can incrementally open up the crate by simply sliding the wood back. I believe you might even get Home Depot to cut the wood for you, but you might have to screw in the 'base' yourself.

I'll be in Chas. in the Spring, [I know it's 70s, now] and come help

Got Pix?