Impact Dog Crates (Collapsible, 450 Model, X-Large, Tan in Color

Well, we have quite similar stories to many here. We had brought home Rusty a 10 month old Standard poodle (almost 50 pounds now and will probably end up being between 63-70 pounds full grown). We have owned dogs before and crate trained before, but Rusty...well let's say he was a regular Houdini with a cheap (50 bucks) traditional wire crate we had purchased initially. The first few times we crated him for an extended amount of time (because you know....we have a life and need to leave our home and leave the dog home and don't want a puppy in a new home destroying our furniture) he was not thrilled and we came home to find the crate moved, the tray completely kicked out and some wires bent. I also found some blodd from him trying to chew his way out. It was bad. I can see he was trying to escape. Well.....came home one night and low and behold he had a jailbreak LOL. Fortunately all he destroyed was our entrance rug (a cheap Target brand for 40 bucks). We then got a couple of small pad locks and of course it worked.....but he knew he could get out and kept trying and our main fear was he would severely injure himself in doing so.Enter the Impact Collapsible Dog Crate (XL 450 size). We did a ton of research. We wanted our next crate for Rusty to be an inviting, safe and secure place. We bit the bullet and laid out the cash, but I can already tell you that after 2 weeks.....it was the best investment we could make. We left the door open and of course eventually he made his way in. And within a few days of having this true crate he made himself quite comfortable. So he thinks it is a safe place. But the real test came when we went out to dinner and truly crated him (closing the self locking door) for 2 hours. Yes...he was not thrilled we left the house (he has only been with us 5 weeks and he will need time to get comfortable and of course mature as well) and his normal barking ensued. We came home.....he was laying down and when we let him out we saw some mild scratching on the floor panel but nothing bad. There is no way this dog will attempt to get out.....he now nows it is futile. He cant fit his face between the front bars on the door. So the biting and potential teeth breaking is out the window (our biggest concern is Rusty injuring himself).The crate itself is a breeze to set up. It took us less than 2 minutes out of the box. It is clearly high quality and we are thrilled with it. We can easily see this being a permanent "den" for Rusty. If you have a dog that tries to escape this is the crate to own bar none. Save yourself the aggravation of break outs, multiple crate purchases and just get this one. It is worth every penny. The piece of mind we have leaving Rusty home and crated while we live our livers is priceless. Once you trust your dog won't be destructive in your home, obviously you don't have to crate him with the door closed. But while you have a puppy or a new dog that you know has that "destructive" potential. This is the best solution. Once our buddy Rusty matures , get's truly acclimated and can be trusted home alone, we won't have to "crate him" while we are not home. But until then, this is an amazing crate to secure your dog properly and believe me....they will love it. He loves to go in throughout the day and nap inside it. Dogs have that pack mentality and "den" mentality. This crate feeds that need. I understand the price is shocking......but the ends will truly justify the means in this case. Think about how much your Lazy Boy leather sectional cost you (that's us) and think about the thought of coming home and finding it destroyed because your dog has separation anxiety, is a puppy, or just plain destructive and won't grow out of it. We love Rusty very much......that is why we got this crate. So he won't hurt himself and so we can have our minds at ease while we are out.

Buyers Beware: This collapsible kennel is NOT approved for air travel. The airlines will not accept any "collapsible" kennels. Additionally, because of the multiple hinges, and very thin metal sides, the kennel is extremely noisy and will most certainly create noise anxiety in your dog. I had to return the one I bought because after one trip, I could not get my dog to enter the kennel even after using treats. I eventually bought the Zinger Winger kennel which is built much stronger, is not noisy, and is approved by the airlines.

Bought for dog that kept breaking out of/destroying collapsible wire crates. These are built well. Dog has yet to escape from this crate, although she has chewed into the aluminum around the door and has almost gnawed through in spots. We put a carabiner through the hole in the door/door frame to add extra security. Our dog generally likes this crate and appears comfortable in it. The crate does fold up, although it is not as compact as other collapsible crates. Our came with one of the rivets missing (production error) so I put a small bolt/nut through the missing rivet hole for additional security. We wipe ours out weekly with a disinfectant wipe and vacuum as needed. Door size/design doesn't allow for easy cleaning but it can be done without too much difficulty. This is the most expensive crate we have ever purchased. It has kept our escape artist dog safe and secure. If anything, I would reinforce the door frame with a harder material to impede dogs from gnawing through as ours has almost done. Our friends and family refer to it as the dogs "cell."UPDATE: Unfortunately I have to reduce my review of the Impact Collapsible Crate as our dog was able to destroy it last evening. There is a piece of aluminum that covers the joint where the reap panel meets the top of the crate. This piece is held on by, what appears to be, three rivets. Our dog was able t get that piece off, which gave her access to the top corners of the rear panel. She then bent the corners bank inward and was fairly close to an escape when we arrived home. If this piece had been steel instead of aluminum, or held by more rivets, this may not have happened. Our dog has separation/kennel anxiety. Had hoped this was the answer to our prayers, but we continue on with our search!

Nice. Expensive. I would have given it 5 stars if the durability/ price point was a little better. My 50 lb lab mix has escaped everything prior to this one. We only crate when we are not home. This was my last ditch effort to contain her, she has severe separation anxiety. We had to take her to the ER because she escaped a plastic crate and had twelve stitches in her knee and it opened up twice. She has also lost three teeth (canines) chewing through the bars on on other wire crates . This crate has produced no injuries (yet). She has bent the door out from the bottom 1/4", but other than that I think she has not succeeded in escaping. I compacts tight enough we can put it in the truck and take on vacation. The aluminum construction is nice, it is a bit cooler for the dog, all the sharp edges are broken.

I justified the price for this kennel because my malamute has eaten his way out of 3 kennels and given the reviews, I had high hopes. Needless to say I'm a bit disappointed :(He has scratched the inside of the door so much that he's turned it into a sharp metal shard, has somehow unscrewed the bottom of the lock several times no matter how much it's tightened, bent the bars on the front into the center, and has managed to start bending the bottom corner of the door out. I give it another week, maybe 2, before he's out and he's in it about 6 hours a week spread out.I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 because it has held him for 2 months, which is 2 months longer than any kennel so far. He has also only suffered small scratches to his nose and what looks like metal caps on his teeth, again, which is less than any other kennel so far.I just can't justify $500 for a kennel every few months. Back to what seems like an endless search.