MidWest Exercise Pen Review
The MidWest Exercise Pen is a gated playpen area you can set up for your pets to roam around in. One pen creates a 16 sq. ft. area, and the pen comes in multiple height options – ranging from 24 inches to 48 inches – depending on the size of the pet. It comes with ground anchors for outdoor use and corner stabilizers to keep the pen sturdy and upright. The pen folds flat to make it easy to store and portable for multiple uses, whether indoors or outdoors. It comes in two color options – black and gold zinc.
Construction
This is a well-constructed pen that’s sturdy and easy to use in multiple areas. At a 16 sq. ft. area, it creates a significant amount of space for your dog or other pets to play and roam around in, and the option to choose your height makes it easy to find one that will work for most types of animals.
Size
You can also change the size of the pen depending on the need and size of your pet. Making the area smaller and putting a blanket underneath creates one of the best dog beds for your pup while you’re not home or at the office – it gives them plenty of room to sleep and play in throughout the day. If you do need something larger than 16 sq. ft., it’s easy to purchase multiple pens and link them together to create a larger space to fit your pet’s needs.
Sturdiness
It comes with ground anchors for outdoor use so you can keep your pet contained in the yard or at the beach. It also folds flat, so it’s not cumbersome to carry around wherever you take your dogs, but it’s definitely not flimsy like some of the other pens out on the market. For indoor use, they provide ground staples to keep the pen sturdy overall so pets can’t knock it over easily.
Security
The double latch is really secure so you can rest assured your pup isn’t going anywhere without you opening the door for it. Based on the configuration of how you set this up, you can also attach a crate to the pen so you can give direct access to your dog from the pen to its crate.
For being one of the best dog play pens out there, it’s priced very reasonably and even priced lower than many other options. The material doesn’t wear or rust very easily, even when you leave it outdoors, so it keeps its look for a long time.
Height
If your pet is an active climber, like some cats and dogs, they may be able to use the wire configuration to climb up and scale the sides of the pen to jump out from the top. Keep an eye out on your dog to ensure this isn’t, or this doesn’t, become an issue as it learns how to work with the pen.
This climbing issue may also cause your dog’s paws to get caught in the wire frames, so while it’s not the fault of the pen, it’s something you’ll want to keep an eye out on.
If you have a very active dog, you may want to create some kind of barrier between the spaces of the pen, as some dogs have gotten their paws stuck and hurt while trying to “dig” out from underneath, as dogs do. If your dog is a digger, be careful!
Be careful on where the pen touches your walls. If the pet is very active and rubs the pen material across the walls, it does leave a mark and can scratch up the walls.
Best used on grass!
You’ll also want to test out the clips and ground anchors in the main areas you’ll be utilizing the pen. Depending on what outdoor areas you plan to use this pen, the ground anchors may not hold down the pen as well as something sturdier like a grassy area. Test out the stability of the pen in the area first in case your dog figures out a way to get out.
Also, some pets have been able to move the pen around significantly enough to pop out the corner clips that keep the pen upright and sturdy, especially on wood or tile floors that are smoother. Make sure the corner clips are attached securely so the dogs can’t move the pen around.
Potential Sharp Edges
Some pieces of the top of the cage can be a little rough. Some people needed to sand it down to make it useable and safe for their pets and for themselves. It’s easy to get your shirt snagged on the wires and pets can get hurt if not careful.
Reminder…
Keep in mind, the 30H-Inch version of the pen does not come with a walk-through door, so if you’re not tall enough to reach in from the top, you’ll have to hook and unhook the sides of the pen. It gets the job done, but can be annoying if you’re doing this often, and it gives your pet a chance to run for it if it’s looking to get out of the pen.
Conclusion
The MidWest Exercise Pen is easy to use, portable, and sturdy at a great price – all great qualities for a pet play pen. It provides a lot of configurability, from indoor and outdoor use to size and functionality that make it a good choice to those looking to keep their pets in an enclosed area for extended periods.
However, highly active dogs can cause some issues with this product, so owners should purchase based on their pets’ activity levels. Dogs that can climb or jump very well can figure out ways to get out of this crate, and depending on the composition of the ground, can make it easy for them to do so. It’s important to be aware of the dog’s movement within the pen to ensure it doesn’t get hurt.
Overall, a great deal on a study, useable product if the pet is willing to participate and stay safely within the boundaries of the pen.
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