How to Keep Your Pet Warm in a Crate
When the winter season arrives every pet owner will be required to take care of their pets in every aspect and ensure that they stay warm against the cold and chilly weather. Just like human beings, your pet will also need defense against the cold and chilly weather conditions. Furthermore, if you want to succeed in crate training your pet, you should do your best to protect him against bad weather conditions the same way you protect your kids. While the market offers readily available sweaters and jackets for pets, not all pets will love to have clothes on them. While such sweaters give your dog a cute and adorable look, some of them might start to gnaw at them. The best way to protect your pet from bad weather conditions is by making their crate warm and snug. Today’s post explores some of the ways of how to keep your pet warm in a crate.
8 Best Ways of How to Keep Your Pet Warm in a Crate?
Pet crates are described as the second home for pets. In most cases, pet crates are made of metal, wire, plastic, or fabric. Pet crates provide your pet with a comfortable and secure space of his own where they often go and rest for a few hours each day. Since every pet owner knows that their pet spends quality time on his crate, here are some of the best methods one can use to ensure that their pet stays warm and snug during bad weather conditions.
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Insulating at the Bottom of the Crate
Just like human beings, dogs and cats generate their own heat body. One major thing that can cause your pet to freeze is if he sleeps on a cold floor surface. To keep your pet warm, you will be supposed to insulate the bottom of your pet’s crate completely. Heat can escape from the crate bottom if the tray at the bottom isn’t well insulated. Insulating the crate at the bottom will not only preserve the warmth but also help cover droppings and messes. For the insulation process, you can either use a thick bundle of newspapers. Placing the newspaper sheets at the bottom helps preserve the heat generated by your pet. Make sure that you regularly change the newspapers so that you provide your dog with a healthy and clean environment.
Read: Best Washable Dog Beds
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Introduce a Heat Source
To ensure that your pet stays warm and snug inside his crate during bad weather conditions, introduce a heat source in the room or area close to the crate. The market is flooded with multiple mini-indoor heaters that are readily available to use for your pet. If you don’t want to use a heater indoors because of safety issues, you can opt for a heating lamp that is ideal for indoor use. It will give you the desired room temperature and you won’t have to raise the temperatures of the whole room.
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Using Blankets and Towels
The other thing you can do to keep your pet warm during cold weather seasons is by insulating your pet’s crate using blankets and towels. After you have placed a layer of newspaper sheets at the bottom of the crate, lie some thick towels and blankets on the bottom tray to add on your pet’s warmth. Always make sure that use clean and dry towels. To provide your dog with a safe and clean environment for your pet, always change the towels and blankets regularly. Blankets and towels are undoubtedly a sure way of how to keep your pet warm in a crate.
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Use Heated Pads/Mats
If you reside in an area that experiences extremely low temperatures when the winter season arrives, heated pads/mats will play a major role in keeping your pet warm. With heating pads/mats being readily available on the market today, you will be able to keep him warm and snug inside his crate. Furthermore, if you have a pet that’s too young or an old pet that’s suffering from arthritis, you will need some extra care for them because they might feel colder than you think they do. The good thing about heated mats/pads is that some of them come with in-built thermostats that adjust to your pet’s body temperature. You can therefore leave them running throughout the night and rest assured that no accidents will happen. Pads and mats are therefore a great option of how to keep your pet warm in a crate.
Related Post: Best Heated Dog Pad
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Elevate the Crate from the Ground
How to keep your pet warm in a crate should be an easy endeavor. One way is to elevate the pet crate. Floors are usually colder than any other part of the house be it winter or summer. If you have your pets’ crate directly placed on the floor surface, your crate can absorb cold from the floor then transmit it to your pet. This means that your pet will still feel cold even with the blankets and towels included. The good thing to do is to elevate your pets’ crate just a little bit and ensure that it has no direct contact with the floor surface. By doing so, there will be a space between the two which acts as a buffer zone.
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Cover the Top and Any Openings of the Crate
Covering any openings that allow draughts is another way of how to keep your pet warm in a crate. Pet crates made of wires are less covered compared to those made of plastic. If your pet’s crate is made of open metal wires or it has a lot of openings both at the top and sides, then you should plate a cover on all the openings. Placing a cover on those openings will not only help your cat stay warm but also provide him with a sense of security.
Read: Best Side Door Plastic Dog Crates
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Keep the Crate Inside the House
The surest way of how to keep your pet warm in a crate is by putting it indoors. Even if your pet loves to spend most of his time outdoors, try as much as possible to keep the crate inside the house. You can opt to keep it in your bedroom if the laundry or garage is drafty during winter.
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Keep the Crate Clean and Dry
Another simple way of how to keep your pet warm in a crate is ensuring the crate is dry throughout. A clean and dry crate will provide your pet with better comfort and warmth compared to a wet and messy one. This means that you should always take care of the crate and ensure that it is always clean and dry especially during chilly winter days. For your convenience when it comes to keeping your pet’s crate clean, designate the different areas for eating, sleeping and excretion.
Related Post: Best Indoor Dog Houses for Large Dogs
Precautions to Take when Keeping Your Pet in a Crate
Now that you know of the different measures you can incorporate to keep your pet warm inside his crate, here are some of the precautions one is supposed to exercise when keeping a pet inside the crate during cold weather seasons.
- Get a crate that is capable of preventing the wind from getting inside.
- Check on the temperature of the heating pad/mat if they aren’t thermostatically controlled. Too much heating may be uncomfortable for the pet and can even cause his fur to burn.
- Set the temperature of the area near the crate to optimum. Temperatures that are too high can cause your dog to be uncomfortable.
- Regularly check on the bedding on the bottom tray of the crate to ensure it is not wet. Wet bedding can be the worst thing for your pet during the winter season.
- Make sure that you place the crate in an elevated position to prevent direct contact with the floor. By doing so, you will make it even more comfortable than a blanket or a mat.
Related Post: Best Dog Houses for Winter
How to Keep Your Pet Warm in Crate FAQs
Q: Can I put my pet’s crate outside during winter?
A: You can put a kennel outside the house, but not a crate. Even if your pet loves to spend most of his time outdoors, try as much as possible to keep the crate inside the house. You can opt to keep it in your bedroom if the laundry or garage is drafty during winter.
Q: How do I keep my dog warm inside his crate?
A: During cold weather conditions, you can keep your dog warm inside his crate by placing warm beddings at the bottom of the crate. The bedding that you use should be strong, durable and able to retain your dog’s body heat. Make sure that the bedding used is also clean and dry.
Q: What should I put in a crate with a puppy during the winter season?
A: Other than placing warm beddings at the bottom of the crate to keep your puppy warm, you can also place your puppy’s favorite toy, bedding, snacks and water to make them feel at ease inside the crate.
Q: Are crates cruel to use during cold weather conditions?
A: If you are going to leave your pet inside the crate for long hours during the day, that is cruel. However, it is not cruel to put a dog in a crate during winter. You should therefore let him move in and out of the crate whenever he pleases. As long as you provide him with ample warmth and comfort, your pet will stay inside the crate for as long as he wants when it is cold outside.
Conclusion
When you choose a spot to place your pet’s crate, make sure that the place isn’t draughty. Place it away from direct sunlight and avoid placing it in areas with extreme cold as well. You can opt to keep it in your bedroom if the laundry or garage is drafty during winter. Just make sure that you provide your pet with the warmth and comfort that he deserves during winter. It is also crucial that you keep your pet full and well hydrated and by doing so, you get to effectively keep them warmer and more comfortable