jfaircloth Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 Our 5-year-old BC, Gomer, has developed moderate separation anxiety over the last year and a half. He is usually fine when we crate him (which we do whenever we leave the house), but occasionally something will set him off and we'll come home to find his bedding destroyed. We've gotten to the point where he doesn't have any bedding right now (just the plastic crate pan), but I hate to not give him any cushioning at all. I've found a couple of products online - Dura-Crate pads and Primo Pads - that claim to be indestructible, but they don't have perfectly stellar reviews. Has anyone out there tried either of these products, or do you have any other suggestions for making a destructive dog more comfortable in his/her crate? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 Some folks buy a horse stall mat and cut a piece to fit the crate pan. It's a thick, heavy (!) black mat that provides some cushioning and quiet compared to the crate pan. Hope you find something that works for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jexa Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 Does he have a kong/bone/toy to occupy him while you're gone? Keeping him busy will definitely help. I know you want to give him cushioning, but a hard floor is better than choking on a piece of his bedding, or ending up with an impaction. My two demonstrated they can't be trusted with bedding of any sort, so I put a mat under the plastic crate tray to create give and muffle noise. They make some very tough rubber mats for horse stalls like Sue mentioned that might work if Gomer isn't a super destructive chewer. Try your local feed store or TSC, you should be able to pick up a 5x5ish mat for around $30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfaircloth Posted November 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 Does he have a kong/bone/toy to occupy him while you're gone? Keeping him busy will definitely help. I know you want to give him cushioning, but a hard floor is better than choking on a piece of his bedding, or ending up with an impaction. My two demonstrated they can't be trusted with bedding of any sort, so I put a mat under the plastic crate tray to create give and muffle noise. They make some very tough rubber mats for horse stalls like Sue mentioned that might work if Gomer isn't a super destructive chewer. Try your local feed store or TSC, you should be able to pick up a 5x5ish mat for around $30. Yes, he has a bone but he completely ignores it (trust me, we've tried just about every toy on the planet to make him happy while he's in there). Thanks to both of you for the advice on the horse mat. That sounds like a good option. I also like the idea of putting some sort of cushioning under the tray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 Stall mats at Southern States and Tractor Supply and similar places are usually 4' by 6' (six fit a 12' x 12' stall), and run about $40. I don't know if you can find something similar in a smaller size. (They are pretty heavy so have help to load/unload.) You can use the excess under a spigot to reduce mud and give you a good place to stand when using the hose to rinse a dog or rinse boots, etc., so you can find a good use for the remaining part after you cut off what you need for inside (or under) the crate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Nichols Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 I have a super destructive border collie & the Primo Pad has now survived over 4 years in her crate. I cannot say enough good things about them. For her the key is that the pad is in a wire crate. They had me remove the pan that came with the crate and the primo pad came with zip ties to tie it down to the bottom of the crate. This made it really difficult for her to get a corner to chew on it. It's been wonderful for this dog because she cannot have any other kind of crate pad. In her kennel run I have heavy duty horse stall mats and I still have to replace those every year because she can destroy those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfaircloth Posted November 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 Dana, that is quite a ringing endorsement. I did see the tie-down option on their website...very smart! I'm glad to know it's working for you. I may just give it a try since I'm not sure I want to lug a heavy stall mat up our stairs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 If she's only chewing it when you leave, take the mat out while your gone. The horse mats weigh about 100lbs each, definitely too heavy for stairs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Nichols Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 I have permanent black marks on the walls of my basement stairs from when I brought stall mats downstairs for that dog's indoor expen. They were too heavy & I gave up and let it fall down the stairs. I still can't get the marks off the walls from where it hit. One of these days I'm going to have to give up and paint the stairwell. As for the Primo Pads, I was super skeptical. The guy had a booth at our flyball nationals a few years ago. He was telling us, oh yes, they are indestructible, we'll guarantee it. So, I was like, well, sure, I'll go try it out and be back when she destroys it in an hour - especially since she was crated indoors near racing. He was totally right. And if this dog can't destroy it, I'd really hate to see the dog that could. I tried using a good quality linoleum for the floor of her inside pen (as you can imagine, she can't be left loose when I'm gone). I had it set up so she wouldn't have access to any edges or corners. By the time I got home from work it was completely destroyed, in about 100 pieces. She takes her destruction pretty seriously. : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 Sounds like the Primo Pad might well do the trick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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