SF Good Questions: Bow Haus Alternatives?

4-15-bow haus.jpg AT:SF, I found this old post on the Bow Haus. I'm in love with it but i was wondering if readers had seen anything more affordable out on the market or had any creative DIY instructions for something similar...

...The maker's website is down and i'm not sure if they're discontinuing the line.

My dog is crate trained and he loves his little cave, but his current plastic and metal combo is both ugly and slowly falling apart. I'm looking for a crate decor solution, it needs to have a door that closes to prohibit night time roaming and it needs to be mostly enclosed to make him feel cozy. I had a thought to buy an all- metal crate, paint it a funky hue, and weave something between the bars to enclose it... but i'm worried about durability. Thanks,

-Candice

Anyone?

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Comments (18)

www.gwlittle.com offers a lot of crates at reasonable prices. They are not as cute as the one above but they are an option.

I only see a couple options there, still have the enclosing problem.

I'm open to building something too!

I also love this option, but it's no help as far as the price...(It has a cover, if you don't always want it open)
http://www.gopetdesign.com/eiCrate_black.html

There are these crate covers:

http://www.petdreams.com/cratewear_landing_page.shtml

That aside, I think your idea of painting a metal crate and then weaving something through the slots is inspired. You could use strips of wallpaper, strips of grasscloth, fabric, ribbon...just about anything.

Your dog may act as if he loves it, but dogs live to please us. Nobody wants to be locked up.

Saw this on IKEA Hacker: http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/2008/01/tasteful-dog-crate-you-dont-have-to.html

There's a little controversy about whether the holes are big enough for air circulation, but a neat idea nonetheless.

Ha, I was just going to suggest what jlom said!

Rick, crate training is a valid and healthy way to train your dog. Dogs like small safe places where they can be alone, crate training uses that instinct as positive reinforcement.

Rick, dogs like dens - and a crate is a den to them. Mine go in their crate just to hang out - it gives them a space of their own and provides a feeling of security. You have to remember that dogs are dogs, not humans.

Frontgate has a rattan dog crate that is fairly decent looking. It's a little traditional for my taste but it might be better than another plastic airline carrier. The only issue I can think of is whether your little one will chew on the rattan - I know mine would.

http://www.frontgate.com/jump.jsp?sort=-1&itemID=1817&itemType=PRODUCT&AS=1&keyword=dog&page=1

So, you guys think ribbon would work? I could sew it on....

"Your dog may act as if he loves it, but dogs live to please us. Nobody wants to be locked up."

*sheesh*

I believe Bow Haus went out of business. Of course, right when I wanted to buy the crate. I googled for a month until I found a pet store that had some and were selling them at a discount. You could try that or ebay which occasionally has them.

If your dog is a chewer (or a scratcher), I'd worry that he'd rip or fray the fabric. At the least, it would look ratty in no time; at the worst, he could ingest some and get sick. I think you're on a good track with the weaving, but I'm worried that it's not substantial enough. (It wouldn't be for my dog, anyway.)

An option I've seen is the use of an end table over a standard metal crate or a crate inside a hacked end table cabinet. (much like the kitty litter box furniture but with larger holes) Then maybe you could hang fabric from the table top to hang down over the metal cage.

Rick: I have to have a crate time-out room to put my dachshund in when someone comes to the door or when someone outside of the immediate family comes in the house. The fierce defender of family and home would be attacking the company, if I didn't. He has to have a place where he can calm down and then I can let him out and he's fine.

There can be perfectly good reasons for crating a dog, especially when the dog might end up on medication or being euthanised, if that wasn't available. Not every dog responds the way you would like to behavioral training and needs a form of restraint for his own protection.

My dog is a rescue dachshund from a family who couldn't deal with his need to defend his family and home. Since I adopted him, he has improved considerably. He still needs his time-outs to calm down when company comes. Other than that, we are living happily ever after.

And BTW, dogs don't live to please us... They are innocently selfish creatures who can be trained to align their preferences with ours, but otherwise, left to his own devices, most dogs certainly don't do things wondering if they will make you happy or not. Sheesh indeed.