Travel Crate Services
Getting the correct crate size is crucial to the safety and comfort of your pet, and it also helps you avoid paying excess air freight fees. If you haven’t gotten a crate for your pet before, come visit us and we’ll help you find the right fit. If you aren’t able to attend a crate sizing at our Auckland Airport location but you still live in Auckland, we can pop on over to yours and record the measurements in your own home. If you don’t live in this region, you’ll need to measure your pet yourself.
Once your pet is measured and we’ve paired them with the correct IATA approved transport crate, you can collect it from Auckland Airport, or we can send it to your nearest regional airport. Please enquire about our free Auckland Metro Courier service, or our free regional airport dispatch.
Once your pet is measured and we’ve paired them with the correct IATA approved transport crate, you can collect it from Auckland Airport, or we can send it to your nearest regional airport. Please enquire about our free Auckland Metro Courier service, or our free regional airport dispatch.
Measuring Your Pet for a Travel Crate
Not sure how to measure your pet? We know dogs and cats can wriggle and run, but follow these steps and you should be able to secure some numbers. If you’re measuring a dog for a crate, asking a friend for help can make it easier, but if you’re measuring a cat they’re usually more docile so you should be fine by yourself.
- Back your pet into the corner of a room with one of their sides running down one wall (treat that as a side of their cage) and their bottom just touching the rear wall (treat that as the rear of their cage).
- The person with whom they are most relaxed should hold their muzzle to prevent them from moving around too much.
LengthPut a finger mark on the wall where the tip of their nose comes to. Ignore their tail – that’s meant to tuck under. The rear to nose finger mark on the wall is the pet’s length.
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Leg HeightFrom the ground to the top of the leg (shoulder joint) where it joins the torso is the leg height.
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WidthLooking down on the pet from above, measure directly across from one outside shoulder edge to the other. This is their width.
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HeightPut a finger mark on the wall where the top of the head comes to. Ignore their ears – they are meant to fold down. The floor to head finger mark on the wall is the pet’s height.
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Travel Crate Training
Once you have the crate, you need to train your pet so they become accustomed to this new environment. We can help you with this, or you can do it yourself at home. Your goal is to make your pet’s travel crate their special place – a spot they actively seek out to play or rest. Start by placing it in the living room and incorporating their travel crate into playtime. Let them discover and get comfortable with it in their own time.
When the departure date is closer, you can add your pet’s favourite blanket, cushion or pillow inside if they’re used to sleeping on a bed. Dirty socks and unwashed t-shirts and pyjamas are actually perfect for creating a concoction of comforting smells inside the crate, and gradually you want to start closing the crate door while they’re inside. Don’t be afraid to use treats if your pet is feeling shy or is being obstinate! We always keep a stash of treats on hand here too, for any stubborn customers or pre-flight peckishness.
Eventually your pet’s travel crate should replace their current kennel or bed, and ideally, it’ll become their preferred place to sleep at night. If not, you should encourage them to sleep there for at least one or two nights before the flight. This will go a long way to reduce any travel anxiety your pet might feel during their separation from you.
If you feel your pet requires something more than crate training, or you’re having difficulties training them, please speak to us. We can recommend some tried and trusted, safe and natural homeopathic solutions that can help.
When the departure date is closer, you can add your pet’s favourite blanket, cushion or pillow inside if they’re used to sleeping on a bed. Dirty socks and unwashed t-shirts and pyjamas are actually perfect for creating a concoction of comforting smells inside the crate, and gradually you want to start closing the crate door while they’re inside. Don’t be afraid to use treats if your pet is feeling shy or is being obstinate! We always keep a stash of treats on hand here too, for any stubborn customers or pre-flight peckishness.
Eventually your pet’s travel crate should replace their current kennel or bed, and ideally, it’ll become their preferred place to sleep at night. If not, you should encourage them to sleep there for at least one or two nights before the flight. This will go a long way to reduce any travel anxiety your pet might feel during their separation from you.
If you feel your pet requires something more than crate training, or you’re having difficulties training them, please speak to us. We can recommend some tried and trusted, safe and natural homeopathic solutions that can help.
