Plastic vs. Wire Crate

I've heard horror stories of dogs getting part of the wire tabs loose (the bar that goes into the hole to shut the door - I don't know what to call it), and getting their head stuck in between the door and the cage.
 
How would she do if she was placed inside a gated area - like an x-pen?  She's large enough to jump out, so would she attempt that and hurt herself?
 
Do you have a small unused room you could convert and dedicate to be her room?
 
You know, wrong or not, I became convinced that my boy had claustrophobia issues whenever I put him into his crate.  At first (puppyhood), I didn't feel this way.  But, the older he got, the more he would just freak out with overwhelming excitement when I was home to let him out of the crate.  Maybe that was his normal reaction, but I felt it became severe enough that I started thinking that he had developed claustrophobia. 

Thanks for the reply -

I've heard about dogs killing themselves in wire crates as well - was that just the wal-mart ones? Or ALL wire crates?

I've considered an x-pen, but yes, she can clear a 4 ft fence from a standstill and I'm sure she could clear a 5 or 6 ft if she wanted to. She wouldn't stay in it [&:]

I don't have a room that I can clear out either - I'm in a 1 bedroom main floor suite.

I don't think she really minds being in her crate, except that she's learned that it means I'm leaving. Like I said, I'd like to "graduate" her to no crate at all.

Thanks again for the response []

I first heard about the dangers of wire crates a couple of years ago, and from what I read, it was not just Wally world crates, but that any wire crate increases the danger possiblitity.
 
I know what you mean about the destroying stuff.  When I decided no more crate, then I partitioned off the living room, and made sure there wasn't anything to destroy in there.   Hmmph.  They managed to destroy a low windowsill!  Geee, it was, after all, right at mouth level when laying down.  How perfect a chew toy was that?
 
Fortuantly, age has helped a whole lot!

I think for plastic v wire it totally varies per individual dog. Russell was flown to us in a plastic crate and I guess the journey was traumatic for him because once he came out of that crate he never wanted to go back in. We tried to get him in there to sleep once we brought him home, and just being in there for one second made him scream like he was being murdered. [] We went out the next day and bought a wire crate and never had another problem with crating.

All of my dogs stay in wire crates ...and in honesty, I wouldn't have a plastic one.  (and they can force the doors on those and get in trouble too if it's not a crate in good shape).
 
Mostly it's the Wal-Mart crates that are the biggest problem -- they fit together with tension -- you 'spring' the top of the crate enough so the front and back slide under 'the tab' -- but it's that very 'ease' with which they go together that make them dangerous because if a dog (particularly a dog breed really strong in the shoulders or a dog completely freaked out) presses against the sides to try to slip the crate apart then they can wrench it sufficiently to get part of their body/head out of it.
 
Wire crates come in many different weights and strengths -- for a dog with separation anxiety that is a STRONG dog you definitely want a heavy gauge wire crate.  That means you're going to spend more on the crate.  In fact, just this week we went thru this -- I had an old Wal-Mart crate Luna was using -- she doesn't have separation anxiety, but she did freak out when someone delivered a parcel to the door outside the bedroom (looks onto my driveway -- nothing 'horrible' happened) and she literally pulled some of the wires free with her nails. 
 
So we went crate shopping -- I nearly bought one online, but honestly I wasn't positive any were strong enough so we went to P-Sm*rt and literally picked their heaviest crate -- the wires are more than twice the size of other crates, and the thing I LOVED about it is that the door swings in as well as out so I can put it against any wall (and it actually has three doors in it which is super!).
 
All the doors double lock (you want that for sure) but trust me -- NOTHING could easily destroy that crate.
 
My problem with the plastic crates is they are hot and there is little circulation (remember I live in Florida and I don't always run my air).  yes, dogs are den animals but if I have a dog that needs the more 'snug' feeling of a totally covered crate I just put a blanket or rug over it..  A wire crate also won't take on odor like a plastic one will.
 
The fact that they can see out of it all the way around, and get smells from all the way around can often help.  They feel 'safe' but not cut off.
 
Given that Luna had a bad experience in the Wal-mart crate she wasn't thrilled to go in this new one.  So we left the door open at first, made sure she had breakfast in there, got water from in there, etc. -- you literally have to train them TO the crate -- particularly if you have to desensitize. 
 
Take a whole weekend  -- just toss something yummy in there, leave the door open and ignore the dog.  You want the dog to get the idea that not every time the dog goes IN the crate that they're going to be stuck there and scared.  Feeding in the crate is a good idea.  Keep the time short at first.

If I had a dog who was liable to freak out in a crate, I'd go for plastic. Many less pointy things to get cut on.
 
Conrad utterly destroyed a very good quality wire crate in the space of three days. Very dangerous.

Thanks again!

I think I may go check out some wire crates.

I'm not afraid that Sierra will hurt herself trying to get out. She has never done that, and I don't suspect that she will. It's just that she gets really stressed out in the plastic one, and I think it will be easier to desensitize with a wire one.
Her SA symptoms are mild: barking & panting. Thats it.
She's never eliminated in it, hurt herself in it, or tried to get out (thankfully).

Thanks again for the help - I'll stay away from the Petmate ones, and inspect the crate before I purchase.

If anyone else wants to offer help or suggestions, I'm all ears (or eyes) []

IF you look online be aware that a lot of wire crates ONLINE aren't heavy duty enough unless you are searching specifically for a particular gauge of wire.  The ones PetS... had online were NOT as heavy duty as what they had IN the store. 
 
Also -- the one we got DID fold down like a suitcase but it has a clip that goes over the front and it is VERY heavy duty so it is plenty safe for Luna.  However, you'll find the ones that have the four 'posts' at the corners - which are far less 'convenient' to put up and take down may be safer for a dog anyone feels may spring even a heavy duty crate.
 
There's always a trade-off for convenience I fear -- but expect to pay about double for a heavy-duty crate what the cheap  or "bargain" crates cost.

If you pick out a model in the story (say, oen of the midwest crates), you *can* find it online cheaper, frequently- just make sure it's the same model # and all. I recommend PetEdge- a big crate will be over the order minimum, and while they don't have free shipping, their return policy is GREAT and their sales people are VERY good about knowing everything there is to know about the products.  

Also look on jbpet.com - they don't charge extra shipping for large/heavy things - but as others said, you may not be sure of the heaviness of the crate by ordering online. You may want to get one locally just for easier return - if you use it a bit and you don't notice a difference, then maybe you don't want to keep it.  returning a crate online might be expensive if you pay return shipping. 
 
I think each dog is different - Sammy had such a bad time in a wire one that his plastic one worked wonders.  But, it could easily work the other way.  Another option if you can is to move her crate (which it tough since crates are bulky, but it might work) as a new location sometimes gets rid of habits associated with the old one.  (I did see you only had a 1br place, so maybe that's out of the question)
 
you may find, since her SA isn't bad, that you can tackle it rather quickly.  McConnell lists about 5-10 common things that happen with SA dogs, and Sierra doesn't have any really bad ones.  I myself was surprised in a way at how badly it can be.  Perhaps you might realize it's not really SA per se but something like claustrophobia or just plain boredom.  I truly think Sammy is bored to death in his crate, but he wont eat anything or play with anything no matter what I give him (and I've tried at least 10-15 different "favorites" of his).  But, leaving him out of the crate allows him access to things to get in to and jumping on DH's stereo to look out the window, so we opt to keep him crated. 

Sometimes dogs prefer one over the other.  My old papillon got very stressed in an airline crate but was perfectly happy in a wire crate.  My border collie boy HATES wire crates but adores his very large airline crate....go figure!
 
Laura

I agree with the above poster.  I have tried wire crates.  My dogs hated them.  The openness of them I think doesn't make them feel safe.  I tried Dash in a wire crate and he kept getting in Scruffy's crate which is just a little too small for him.  But I couldn't get him to come out.  I finally found a plastic crate his size and he loves it!  My guess is that since they are den animals, it would make sense that they would prefer something more cavernous.

Max is now on his third crate. We started with a wire suitcase fold style. When Millie was around, she used to bark when she heard him going to get in his crate, so he started barking back. In doing this, he bounced around in the crate a bit, and managed to collapse it on itself. I really did like the plastic crate better, but he chewed on it (not while in it) and destroyed it. His crate now is a drop pin style one that I bought in petsmart. I like it much better than the suitcase fold because it definitely won't collapse on him. He still barks when he goes in, I think because the habit is so ingrained in him now , but he usually quiets down after a few minutes as long as he doesn't hear someone who he thinks might get him out.
Of all three crates, I really do like the plastic ones the best, and that's the style Georgie got, although we only paid $15 for hers from the SPCA, and it's a very nice one. The airline label says the dog that came in it was flown from France. Apparently they get so many there that they end up throwing some out, so they were glad to get rid of one to us, and i'm sure they were also glad to get some money for it. I was glad to get it for that price too because for a crate that size I would have expected to pay 5 times that much or more.

It IS entirely personal and individual I think -- however, for me I think I've found the wire ones more "adaptable" -- meaning if a dog likes it open it can be 'open' but if the dog NEEDS the safer/darker feeling you can cover it with a rug, etc.  Plus for ME *grin* I just put a piece of wood on top of it and it becomes FURNITURE.  Voila ... one more bookshelf for the bedroom!!! (don't think I'm kidding folks that's exactly what they are in our bedroom -- shelf-space!! LOL) cos you can't put a 'top' on a plastic crate easily cos the danged things are 'rounded'.