Finding Soft Dog Crates- Croft Crate Review

To crate or not to crate?

This is the question facing many dog owners. The need to crate came about for us when our dog became reactive in the car on short journeys. Luckily, they traveled happily on longer journeys using a seat-belt clip and harness. We wanted something more comfortable than a traditional metal crate so looked into types of soft crate.

Dogs and Stress:

Did you know that stress hormones stay in a dog’s body for many hours? We realised that this meant that, as we went out in the car daily, our dog was in a constant state of stress. Constantly pumped full of cortisol and adrenaline- how awful for him! Stress is harmful for dogs just as it is for humans -for more information about the effects of stress on a dog click here.  

The Benefits of a Crate:

Crating has many benefits:

• The dog feels safe and secure in their private den.
• Crate use is one of the recommended travel methods. For more about car safety with dogs click here for PDSA Recommendations. Please note that most products of this type are not tested for collision safety. This is not a safety review.
• You can ensure that they are not going to damage anything, most importantly themselves, when left unattended and limit the mess of dirty paws!

Finding the best soft dog crates:

Using the recommendations on Petz, we decided to try a Croft Soft Dog Crate.

If your dog is a chewer or aggressive, soft crates are made from fabric so may not be suitable for you. For dogs that are happy in a crate this is luxury! Made from metal tube structure, with fabric and mesh sides and a fleece floor, soft crates come in a choice of colours so look great as well as being practical.

Dimensions of each brand of soft crate can be found at Petz so you can order a crate of a comfortable size for your dog(s) and car. The crate we went for has 3 openings (doors) and conveniently folds flat (into its carry bag)  for when it is not needed. It is sturdy and well-made. I can tell that we will be using it for many purposes for a many years.

Peaceful Car Journeys!

We have now had many years of use from our soft crate. It was been on countless holidays with us for those easy to pop up uses, and has had years of daily use for short car journeys too. It is soft and comfortable, and vision can be restricted as you wish using the mesh windows and Velcro window panels. Perfect for a reactive friend!

I can tell that our dogs feel calm and safe in here. They curl up together for a snooze when travelling rather than standing on guard at the window. They are noticeably calmer in everyday life too. We put this partly down to the car crating and their reduced stress hormones.  

Summer Travels:

For the summer months we have adapted the crate with a cool mat and plenty of gusts of air conditioning on those short journeys. They should stay calm, cool and comfortable on those short journeys.  For longer journeys we choose a car seat belt and harness. if you are needing advice about seat belts click here. Travelling in rental cars with dogs here.

Top-tip: Measure carefully! We initially ordered a crate too wide to fit the car and had to pay returns and delivery again- oops! 

Our other dog product recommendations here.