We get a lot of questions about Mr. B's tepee. People are always curious where we bought it, how the dogs like it, and if there are any problems with them destroying it.
Originally, Mr. B had a big, blocky crate, and it looked like this:
We later realized he had crate anxiety where he would use his head as a battering ram just to escape. We kept the crate around just so he could have a place to den, but having 2 huge dog crates in our living room also made me feel like I was living in an aisle of Petsmart. I wanted to find a more attractive alternative, and I kept seeing
photos of these tepees. So I thought it was worth a try to turn our former eyesore, into this:
We originally bought our tepee
at this shop. Though if you google "6 ft Great Plains Tepee" you can find it at a variety of online stores for a bit over $100. I was originally concerned it would be too big for our space, but the base does not have to extend the full length. I also liked how it added height and interest in our living room, and how it was so sleek and white to blend in.
Originally the dogs were a bit wary of it, and it wasn't their favorite place to go. Even now, they would still rather barricade themselves in Miss M's crate.
I think they like having the crate walls to lean on. Despite their original hesitation, since it was something new, Miss M decided to take it over.
pushing Mr. B out of his own tepee.
The biggest problem is that bottom of the tepee will still move around and collapse into itself. We added some
Flor Tiles to make it more secure. Though Mr. B has a tendency to run into his tepee, like he's sliding into home plate, and we have come home to this. Our favorite part is that he just lays on his bed like there's nothing wrong.
Though we did have an incident where Miss M thought the sticks of the tepee were a toy and she chewed on one of them.We would be interested to hear if anyone does end up trading out their dog crate for a tepee. Or if anyone has other creative solutions for making dog crates more attractive.
36 comments:
I've seen combination end table/dog crates that were beautiful but pretty pricey and I've seen crates made from wicker that looked quite nice too. I love the way both dogs manage to squoosh themselves into Miss M's crate.
I agree about living on an isle in Petsmart. We have 2 36in and 1 42 in crate in our living room. It's a bit much. I LOVE the pic with both of them in the crate. Our sheppies play sooooo rough- like bears- that I know a teepee would be trashed quickly. Very creative though!
Mamma Heartbeat
The teepee is very cute, I'm thinking about making one for Bender since his like for denning when I got Barbie's crate and he looked like he was going to take t over...
I love the picture of both of the dogs in Miss M's crate. It reminds me of the pictures my parents have of my sisters and I all squished into one bed, giggling uncontrollably.
My boys would never share one crate, but they are currently cozied up to one another on the couch.
I love his teepee! And, it wasn't nearly as big as I thought it was giong to be. I think it looks great in your living room and I'm glad the big guy likes it! I'm just not sure how they both fit in Miss M's crate. Good thing they are snuggly!
We just love he tepee! Thanks for the 411!
I just love their teepee.
We have tried to make Leroy's crate more inviting, but it seems like all he wants is a plain old cage with no accessories:)
I love Mr. B's teepee! But I think it would scare me... I have two crates in the house, and they're both HUGE. One is in the spare bedroom -that's MY crate, I stay there during the day when mom and dad are gone... my other crate is in their bedroom -that's where a foster sister says when we have one. When we don't, I often sleep in there.
-Corbin
I'm glad Mr. B likes his teepee! I had a foster dog who had severe crate anxiety in a wire crate, but did just fine a plastic "airline" crate.
No matter what kind of crate I use, I always try to desensitize the dog to the crate if they've never been in one before, by feeding all meals in their crate, and giving them yummy treats like stuffed Kongs and bully sticks ONLY in their crate, so they associate getting those yummy treats with the crate.
I think the teepee is beautiful.
I love the picture of it collapsed too - very funny.
How lovely to see them cuddled up together in the one crate though. They must love each other very much
xxx
We love your teepee idea. But moms tried everything. Beds, crates/jail, we still prefer her bed. Mr B you need to train us
Benny & Lily
Thanks for the information. Don't know if we could trade it out just yet as Levi gets a bit destructive if we go out and don't crate him but we certainly want to get one to start working it in :)
It's a great idea!!
Levi's mom.
we know the battering ram head issue very well at our house :) The pop up crate we have is awesome.
Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com/
In that last photo Mr. B looks like he's like, "Yo. Whassup?" :)
It's hard to make a GIANT crate attractive. I've seen a lot of DIY doggy bed/caves but they are only good for tiny dogs.
I love the picture of Mr B laying on his bed with the knocked over teepee!
We have to crates in a room we don't really use. But the huskies have free reign of the house while we're gone now so they rarely get used. When we used to put Saber in the crate he didn't like it at all and would throw himself against the side of the crate like a madman. He does like to den though and I wish I could get him a tepee but there is just not enough space.
We have to crates in a room we don't really use. But the huskies have free reign of the house while we're gone now so they rarely get used. When we used to put Saber in the crate he didn't like it at all and would throw himself against the side of the crate like a madman. He does like to den though and I wish I could get him a tepee but there is just not enough space.
i would love to do something like this for Chick, but i think he would still prefer just laying on the couch in the den (where he is allowed).
lollie, on the other hand, does the head-ramming-against-top-of-crate thing and has developed a near-bald spot in the last couple of weeks. she may need a different solution, but she needs to be more contained than a teepee (for now) while she is still learning what kind of sticks are for eating and what kind of sticks are holding up the furniture.
I'll have to look for it, but we'd seen a lady who made crate covers that made the crates look really posh! I've been meaning to look for them again anyway and now you've got me motivated!
I really like the teepee. If we got one, I have a funny feeling my little sister might take it over and put her dolls inside.
Your pal, Pip
P.S: Hope you are enjoying the nice weather. If you know anyone looking for a two flat (near the lake, in very dog friendly neighborhood), we are putting our place on the market in two weeks.
I do love your tepee! I keep waiting for Miss M and Mr B to bust out cowboy and Indian costumes to go with. I know they like their dress-up!
I bought a crate and never used it. Tommy gets barricaded in the kitchen instead, which is a little sad for him, but I had to give the kitties free rein of the rest of the house. I'm moving into a bigger house soon and just might go for that teepee. It looks great in your space, especially with Miss M all curled up in there.
Kirby destroyed his crate shortly after I got him, so I don't have a crate anywhere in my house. I have always liked your teepee and wondered how Kirby would like something like that. I may have to think about that.
Kirby's Mom
I THINK THEY ARE BOTH VERY GOOD, WE WOULD DESTROY TEEPEE. PIP HASE DESTROYED HIS SOFT CRATE SO NOW WE DONT HAVE ONE.
The tepee is a great idea for de-petstoring a living room. I use the inside/under my desk as Kona's "Koney Cave." It's perfect crate size and (other than the "door") is solid wood, so it's a perfect safe spot for her if something scary goes by on the street. I just threw a soft blanket in there and she knew where to go!
The tepee is really beautiful, sleek and eye-catching. The problem for us would be that both girls need confining when we're gone. This wouldn't do the trick, but if we didn't need the security, I'd get one in a heartbeat!
That's a great idea! My dog's crate just doesn't fit into the room, no matter where/how we place it.
I still want one of these SOOO bad! Mom says I will either chew on it or knock it over. I am still trying to convince her I need this!!
Mr. B and Miss M are such characters! Teepee toppling and all :) Too funny :D
It certainly is more aesthetically pleasing than a crate. I still have mine and it's where I like to receive my bed time kong :)
It's nice to have a place that is ALL MINE. My pawrents share everthing neener neener ;)
Waggin at ya,
Roo
i've seen some fancy furniture pieces that double as crates -- end tables and such -- but my dogs would probably wind up scratching the wood.
i've always loved mr. b's teepee. my husband and i are in the process of redoing our bedroom, and i think a teepee would look great in there. :)
the booker man and asa's mama
p.s. -- do you know if that couple who took shy home for a night wound up adopting her?
Your condo is so bright and pretty! Love the pictures of Mr. B and Ms. M on the wall.
We're always amazed to see you guys in the teepee in its upright position. There is no way we are graceful enough to get in there with demolishing the whole thing. And then, yeah, it would become an awesome chew toy for us :)
The Road Dogs
Love the teepee! Blackie wouldn't do well with that becuase he really needs to be confined when I am away from home or I come home to what looks like the site of a major explosion.
My solution does little for design, but has made Blackie much happier. I upped his crate to one much much bigger than he needed and I find that he likes it better than his old "right sized" one.
What size is Miss M's kennel? We have a 42inch monster for Molly, and we would love to downgrade so our guests have space in the guest room.
Do you think this teepee would work well over a small/medium crate? I have a Shih Tzu, so he doesn't need a huge crate, but I would like to disguise it somehow to make it more attractive. :)
Hi Katie_Bug-- The bottom of the tepee stretches out, so it would definitely fit over the crate. We were also looking for attractive crate options, and this is how we came up with it. If you do end up doing this, we'd love to hear how it turns out and see some photos. Let us know!
Post a Comment