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Hey y'all so here is question number 1 ok today I was having a Dog dish dilema and was wondering what everyone else uses?? Taff is 26" at the shoulder and when he eats he lays down (he has some back problems but is going to the chiropractor) so im wondering is it better for him to lay down (so get a dish that is on the floor) or is it better for him to stand up to eat?? (get a set of dishes on a stand??) I went out and got a stand set of dishes and he uses them (hasnt eaten out of them yet as its not dinner time yet) Soi guess the question is what kind of dishes does your dog use and for a dog with back issues is it better for him to eat standing??

Here is question number 2 what (if any) kind of crates does everyone use?? Rowdie uses a plastic crate and we just got Taff a soft sided crate so just wondering what kind everyone else uses??

I use a 42' wire crate for Guardian.

So your dog goes to a Chiropractor~ wha? So what do they recommend? If you are paying for a professional, than use that professional for his professional advise! I would think you made the right choice with the stand up model. As for crates, I bought a large wire adjustable with a solid bottom. As he grew I gave him more room. I threw a colorful afghan over the top to give him a sense of comfort, and I put the cloth down on one side when he needs some shade for a nap. That's just me.

We use elevated dishes also.Seems to be easier on big dogs not having to hunch over so much?As for crates Dino has a wire crate that has a German Shepherd Blanket over top for some private space. When we travel we have a canvess folding crate! We dont ever close the doors on the crate but he loves both of his dens! Cuda my old Elkhound has never used a crate. But sometimes he will go sleep in Dinos! Dino doesn't mind at all. Both my dogs are equal no alpha in either of them.

Well mustangsalad he doesnt have another appointment till thursday so i was waiting to asxk until then. yes he goes to the chiropractor he tried to jump into my pick up truck (inside) and he banged his back on the door and fell to the ground and has not been able to walk properly since then so off to the chiro we went and it is working

I bought the stand dishes HOWEVER Mr. Taff wasnt liking them so much he ate a few bites standing up then sat down on his rug and stared at me so i went over and put the dish on the floor and yup you guessed it he at it ALL so he told me what he wanted so i went back and returned the dishes and just bought some regular stainless steel ones I guess he likes laying down to eat LOL!! Whatever works hmmmm so lots of people use the wire crates eh?? good to know

Keymo just has stainless bowls that fit into a kind of stainless wire looking holder.
He seems fine with those. They only sit a few inches off the floor.
Although he DOES seem to prefer drinking from the cat's water machine! It is powered and the water circulates and flows down a "slide". Cats prefer to drink from a moving water source. I never saw Frisby drink from her water bowl, but ever since we got the "fountain" I see her drinking all the time !
I guess Keymo just wants to make sure hers isn't better than his !
The only problem is he can drink it dry in a few minutes

They DO make a larger version actually for dogs

He slept in a wire crate until about 1.5 months ago. We finally took in down and I got my living room back !
He prefers to sleep in a couple of places where I guess he feels cooler. He was never the type of dog who "just went" to his crate for a place to sleep - he'd just use it at night because that's where we "told" him to go. With the option of where to sleep, he prefers the ceramic tiled floor.
We bought him a Cool Bed, but he still hasn't used it except for the occaisional 15 minute break.
I'll put it outside in his pen the next really hot day while we're at work to see what he does.

I use the wire crate, metal bowls, on the ground. I heard that elevating the dish is a myth. But, who knows. I go by how they would eat in the wild. Food on the ground. I worry less about bloat and distortion since she's on Raw. (I still take the same precautions thow.)

Oh yeah - he eats most of his food while laying down.
Who doesn't like to be comfy while eating.

I have all steel bowls and they eat on the ground... All plastic crates cause my guys seem to get air travel and need the solid crates.. Heard to many horror stories about dogs strangling themselves getting hooked up on the wire trying to escape..

Hey TracyandRowdie:

I use a wire crate for Jessie - she still sleeps in there at night with the door closed (tried leaving her out a couple weeks ago, and woke up to major poop all over the place lol). It's the Life Stages crate with the adjustable panel - http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753745.

For bowls, we use these heavy, stoneware ones - http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2751848 - since she tends to dig in her water dish and move them all over the place lol.. I wouldn't use an elevated feeder since she'd probably knock it over, unless it was made of a heavy ceramic or stoneware..