Dogs in Crates

[artie]

How many of you crate your dog. It seems like alot of people living in the city do. I was talking to a young lady at the dog park who had a young lab. I asked her what she did with the dog while she was at work. Oh she said we put it in a crate. I then asked her how her dog acted at night. No problem she said we put him in his crate. I figure that the dog is locked in a small crate for about 18 hours out of 24 hours. To me this seems cruel to the animal.:angry3: I can see with genetics we will have dogs with little legs because they spent their life in a crate. This is my rant for the month lets get rid of these so called crates. I then talked with a young lady who grew up on a farm but is now living in the city. She lets her dog have the run of the house while at work and while sleeping, to me this seems more sensible.

[Beerfish]

It all depends on the dog and it's behavior. In many cases crate training is the thing to do until the dog becomes a bit more mature and can handle being alone in the house and not getting into trouble. I'd wager that the majority of the time a dog is alone in a house whether in crate or out it is snoozing.

A real key important thing in a situation like this is what happens once the person gets home. Giving the dog the maximum amount of time when you are home is as important as being crate or not.

I think most people after house training would like for their dogs to no be in a crate but as I say in some cases it is beneficial to the dog.

[burblecut]

I crated my dogs for the first couple of months during work because they would pee all over the house. Now they don't pee and have realm of the house while at work.

I don't have an issue crating puppies, but once they are trained, no need for a crate. It isn't fair to the dog to be locked up 10 hrs a day for the rest of it's life.
:snapoutofit:

[duffy4]

From what I have heard, it is good for the dog to be in it's safe haven (it's cave) the crate, when it is a pup and "young dog". I have seen dogs that were quite happy to go into their crate to lay down and sleep or chew on a dog toy.

At some point the dog will no longer benefit from being in the crate a lot. It will be mature and can roam the house (if that is what you wish) without getting into trouble.

Some people want their dogs to travel in it's crate always. So the dog has to be used to being happy in there.

Two responses while I was typing this one!!!

[Albertadiver]

When Duke was a pup, we were very careful about crate training. He sees it as a safe place to hang out. For the first few months he would be in his crate at night in our bedroom. Then we would leave his bed in there with the door open at night after that. Now he just sleeps in his bed on the floor and we usually don't keep the crate in the bedroom as it takes too much space.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/albertadiver/Duke/pup.jpg

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/albertadiver/Duke/duck.jpg

My wife works from home, so when she's home he does whatever he wants. When she was away from the house, for the first 6 months or so, he would be in his crate for up to maybe 5 hours. This wasn't an every day thing, but we gradually trusted him not to destroy stuff and we leave him in the main part of the house and shut the other doors. Now he knows what he can and can't chew and is generally very well behaved. If he misses a walk though, we usually find the toilet paper off the roll and all over the floor.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/albertadiver/Duke/treat.jpg

Duke gets an hour walk in the AM, and another hour to hour and a half when I'm home from work in the PM. So as long as he's had excercise and toys to play with, he just sleeps when he's in his crate.

If my wife didn't work from home, then we would look at a mid-day walking service as well since I don't think that's fair to the dog at all.

As long as he's well-exercised, he spends most of his day lazing around like this. My wife says he gets more active right around the time I usually come home.

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr214/albertadiver/Duke/nap.jpg

[densa44]

At home we have an outdoor kennel. She just sleeps in there when we have to go out and can't take her.

Bear in mind that she gets a walk in the country every day unless the weather is too bad. She has been here 18 months and the weather hasn't been too bad yet! I walk 3.5 miles and I'll she goes 20.

[reelhooker]

I used to feel the same way. Then we got a new puppy with a kennel for traveling. Well Both the pup and our older lab became posesive of the kennel and would fight over who would have it.(Like a bone) We ended up geting a second kennel, they are only closed when the dogs are in the back of the truck but they spend a ton of time in them by their own choice. It gives them an area they feel is their's and it is their comfort zone. When they get scared(thunderstorms) they both are in their kennels. When they have done wrong they go to their kennels, when they are tired they go to their kennels.
the young one goes to her kennel whenever we leave the house and I dont think she leaves it till we get home. Unless of course the doorbell rings.
RH

[S-in-Cochrane]

Our lab is 1 year old now. He sleeps in a crate at night, which is his choice actually. We tried to get him to sleep on some blankets in the bedroom, but he prefers his crate. It is large however 48"L x 36"W x 36"H.

During the morning when the girlfriend is at work, he stays out in the garage in a large kennel. 6' L x 4' W x 5' H. She takes him for an hour or so walk when she gets home around lunch.

The rest of the time he has the run of the house.

He doesn't seem to be suffering any from this treatment.

__
S

[FishingMOM]

The office dog, which I had tried to give away before. Has been crated at some point before it was dumped off here.

Now even at 5 yrs of age he sleeps in the closet or under my desk.
Just like he was in a crate.
Has a run of the place. Is spoiled rotten, gets lots of treats and outside time. If your on the couch watching tv, he will curl up next to you.
Right this minute he is curled up under my desk on my feet......

[Sporty]

I crate trained my dog to house train and to ensure while I was at work when he was a puppy, he wasn't getting himself into trouble. Now that he's older, I don't crate him while I'm at work but that is his place of preference to sleep when I'm home or out and when we travel we take it with us. If we have to leave him alone he's less stressed out if he's crated and it is his home away from home. We take his crate everywhere with us, camping, visiting relatives out of town etc. There has been many benefits with the crate training, especially for my dog, I fully support crate training, so long as it isn't used as a punishment.

[ACKLEY ABE]

Crate training is very important. From the time my dogs are brought home, they are crated at night. This is their den. They are let out every morning and remain out all day. At night...crate. After six months, they are allowed to sleep, where else, in the bed.

Crates are the safest way to transport in a vehicle. I see a dog in the seat with its head out the window, or even worse in the back of a pickup, I just cringe.

Crate training a puppy also allows you to house train very quicky. Out of the crate...outside.

Anyone that puts a dog in a crate all day long while they are at work should not have a dog.

My girl will go and get in her crate occasionally just to get away from things and the crate is her den. She is never disiplined in her crate and the crate is never used as punnishment. It is her place. She won't even ride in the vehicle unless she is allowed to get in her crate. So much the better. Her safety is important to me. I would no sooner let her ride in the seat than I would allow a child to ride without a seat belt on.

[Albertadiver]

When we were crate training / house training duke, soon as we let him out we'd take him to the door, say 'bathroom' and then tap his nose with a bell we hung at the door.

Took him maybe 2 days to learn that if he rang the bell, he could go outside to pee. Then he figured out if he rang the bell he could go outside to play whenever he wanted.

Since we have an exterior door in our bedroom, and we keep him in the bedroom at night, he would ring the bell in the morning and then go stand at the other door (to the kitchen) because he wanted to be fed.

Some days he rings that thing like it's a speed bag at a boxing gym, but it's better than him barking or scratching on the doors.

If you do the training up front, the dog knows and understands your expectations and less stress for the dog and for the owners.

[DarkAisling]

We use a crate, and we wouldn't have it any other way. It works very well for us and our canine companion.

[TheClash]

I have two large dogs and they are both crate trained. They do not sleep in there anymore..unless they want to. we use it for when people come to the house that may not be ok with big dogs etc. or if they need some time by themselves....family gatherings etc they get a bit claustrophobic so they will often go to their crates by them self and just hand out and relax and calm down. it is their own little space that is a safe haven for them.

[Doodle30]

Crate training is very important. From the time my dogs are brought home, they are crated at night. This is their den. They are let out every morning and remain out all day. At night...crate. After six months, they are allowed to sleep, where else, in the bed.

Crates are the safest way to transport in a vehicle. I see a dog in the seat with its head out the window, or even worse in the back of a pickup, I just cringe.

Crate training a puppy also allows you to house train very quicky. Out of the crate...outside.

Anyone that puts a dog in a crate all day long while they are at work should not have a dog.

My girl will go and get in her crate occasionally just to get away from things and the crate is her den. She is never disiplined in her crate and the crate is never used as punnishment. It is her place. She won't even ride in the vehicle unless she is allowed to get in her crate. So much the better. Her safety is important to me. I would no sooner let her ride in the seat than I would allow a child to ride without a seat belt on.


Who is to say that a dog left at home outside it's crate is any happier than one in his crate. Our next door neighbors leave their dog in the back yard all summer long and sometimes during the winter. That should be the happiest dog around right. Well that dog is miserible. Nonstop whining.

We have a lab that is in her kennel 3 days a week. The other two days she goes to doggie daycare. She sleeps outside of her kennel. She gets walked every day and gets lots of extra exercise on the week-ends. By 8pm at night she is out for the rest of the night. On daycare days she is out from the time she gets in the truck.

I agree, we would love to get to a point where we can trust that our dog is safe from herself during those boring times in the day. We currently are not there but until then we have no issue with leaving her in the kennel.

What is your response to someone that tells you that leaving a dog at home outside a kennel for 8-10 hours by itself is wrong? Dogs should be reserved for families that have someone home all the time. It's all relative.

I understand where you are coming from but for me this judgement is a bit harsh. I would have a bigger issue with a owner that never exercises or plays with a dog than I do with a dog that is kenneled during the day but once out is a very active member of the family.

I agree that a line is drawn somewhere but to me this is not it.

[ACKLEY ABE]

Who is to say that a dog left at home outside it's crate is any happier than one in his crate. Our next door neighbors leave their dog in the back yard all summer long and sometimes during the winter. That should be the happiest dog around right. Well that dog is miserible. Nonstop whining.

We have a lab that is in her kennel 3 days a week. The other two days she goes to doggie daycare. She sleeps outside of her kennel. She gets walked every day and gets lots of extra exercise on the week-ends. By 8pm at night she is out for the rest of the night. On daycare days she is out from the time she gets in the truck.

I agree, we would love to get to a point where we can trust that our dog is safe from herself during those boring times in the day. We currently are not there but until then we have no issue with leaving her in the kennel.

What is your response to someone that tells you that leaving a dog at home outside a kennel for 8-10 hours by itself is wrong? Dogs should be reserved for families that have someone home all the time. It's all relative.

I understand where you are coming from but for me this judgement is a bit harsh. I would have a bigger issue with a owner that never exercises or plays with a dog than I do with a dog that is kenneled during the day but once out is a very active member of the family.

I agree that a line is drawn somewhere but to me this is not it.

I understand what you are saying. A lot depends on the breed. To crate a Vizsla or GSP every day all day long would be a large mistake...as would leaving any dog locked in a yard all day long. You are correct . The only thing worse is chaining, which is becoming illegal in a lot of states.

By the way, congrats on using a doggie day-care. This is not only great for the dog but a great way of socializing your dog. I have a friend with a doggie day-care/training centre/doggie gym and the only time the dogs are unhappy is when they have to go home.

The person that brought on this thread crated their dog all day and then all night as well. That, to me is not acceptable adn you are correct, the time you spend with your dog is more important than the time you do not.

Sorry to ruffle your feathers but over the years I've seen as many ppl that should not have dogs as those that should.

[Doodle30]

No ruffling of feathers at all. I just think we should be careful not to pass judegment. It can be a slippery slope. Each circumstance is a little different.

Our dog just loves doggy daycare and is generally considered one of the most active dogs there. Everyday we pick her up they tell us that "Suki will sleep good tonight."

Great place downtown. Dog City if anyone is looking for such a service.

I understand what you are saying. A lot depends on the breed. To crate a Vizsla or GSP every day all day long would be a large mistake...as would leaving any dog locked in a yard all day long. You are correct . The only thing worse is chaining, which is becoming illegal in a lot of states.

By the way, congrats on using a doggie day-care. This is not only great for the dog but a great way of socializing your dog. I have a friend with a doggie day-care/training centre/doggie gym and the only time the dogs are unhappy is when they have to go home.

The person that brought on this thread crated their dog all day and then all night as well. That, to me is not acceptable adn you are correct, the time you spend with your dog is more important than the time you do not.

Sorry to ruffle your feathers but over the years I've seen as many ppl that should not have dogs as those that should.

[Okotokian]

How many of you crate your dog. It seems like alot of people living in the city do. I was talking to a young lady at the dog park who had a young lab. I asked her what she did with the dog while she was at work. Oh she said we put it in a crate. I then asked her how her dog acted at night. No problem she said we put him in his crate. I figure that the dog is locked in a small crate for about 18 hours out of 24 hours. .

We suspect a guy of doing this, Dog out maybe 3 hours a day. Makes me sick. We do this to very few criminals, nevermind man's best friend. But you ask the SPCA, as long as the dog is fed and watered, it's all fine.... :snapoutofit:

Now of course there may be temporary situations where you have to use a crate... travel, staying at someone else's, new dog, training, etc. But as a day-in-day-out situation, sick. Can't give a dog a half-decent life, don't get one. Same with kids.

[TheClash]

hey Abe I agree with you, but also don't agree with you....a crate can be used with great success with the two breeds you have mentioned, if their owners also take the time to exercise them properly, and work crate time into the daily schedule and routine for the dog.

Some of the higher strung breeds, like a V dog sometimes do very well with a crate because it is a controlled space...but again this has to go hand in hand with good owners that take exercise and training and a routine seriously.

but for the most part I would agree just shutting a high energy breed dog into a crate all day with no exercise, training or routine can do some serious harm to the doggy.

[ksteed17]

I have a 2.5 year old GSP. She was crated at night from the day we got her, and also was crated for a couple hours a week when we had to leave the house. When she was 2 we started leaving her out for a few hours at a time, and now we can leave her out all the time. She chooses where she sleeps, and when were gone im pretty sure its the couch:sign0161:, cause shes not allowed on it when were there haha. But if thats what it takes to make her happy and calm when were gone im ok with that. She gets alot of exercise and has been trained as best as i know how. But with her high energy breed she was totally fine being crated as long as she knew she could run when we got home.

[catnthehat]

Louie gets crated at night when he sleeps at our house, and when my wife goes out , if she doesn't take the dogs.
She also crates him if she goes to get the mail with the spaniel, Jacob.
You cannot leave him in the house alone, otherwise the place will get trashed!
he's quite comfy in his crate however, and often goes in just to sleep.
Cat

[theycallmeNoah]

Louie gets crated at night when he sleeps at our house, and when my wife goes out , if she doesn't take the dogs.
She also crates him if she goes to get the mail with the spaniel, Jacob.
You cannot leave him in the house alone, otherwise the place will get trashed!
he's quite comfy in his crate however, and often goes in just to sleep.
Cat

We usually crate the two younger Britts when we leave the house but thought that we'd give it a try leaving them loose in the house.

Came home to find Maddie sitting on the kitchen table and one very chewed up TV remote.

I guess even at 3 and 5y/o they are not ready for freedom.

[horsetrader]

How many of you crate your dog. It seems like alot of people living in the city do. I was talking to a young lady at the dog park who had a young lab. I asked her what she did with the dog while she was at work. Oh she said we put it in a crate. I then asked her how her dog acted at night. No problem she said we put him in his crate. I figure that the dog is locked in a small crate for about 18 hours out of 24 hours. To me this seems cruel to the animal.:angry3: I can see with genetics we will have dogs with little legs because they spent their life in a crate. This is my rant for the month lets get rid of these so called crates. I then talked with a young lady who grew up on a farm but is now living in the city. She lets her dog have the run of the house while at work and while sleeping, to me this seems more sensible.

!00% true I have had many dogs trained many dogs never had a crate never will. I feel if you don't have the time, the patience ,or the space to train a dog don't get one. Can't believe how many people live in the city in an apt. with no yard work a full time job + and still decide they need a large dog. Could never see why people drive around with their dog in the truck then leave them in the truck to sit for hours. If my dog could not go with me he stayed at home where he could run free not cooped up and a truck. Have never tied my dogs up either if you train them right theres no need too. Only on a leash when they go to the vet for their saftey.

[HunterDave]

We usually crate the two younger Britts when we leave the house but thought that we'd give it a try leaving them loose in the house.

Came home to find Maddie sitting on the kitchen table and one very chewed up TV remote.

I guess even at 3 and 5y/o they are not ready for freedom.

I had a Britt that lived to be 12 years old and he always had to be crated during the day when we weren't home otherwise he'd tear the place to pieces. His crate was his "safe" place and no one was allowed to bug him if he was in there. He was a very happy dog and suffered no ill effects from staying in the kennel during the day. Occasionally we'd leave him loose in the house by himself for short periods of time and when we returned he'd be sleeping in his kennel.

As for our new dog, a 3 year old Yorkie-Jack, he was an evil pup but he doesn't need to be in the kennel during the day anymore. He pretty much has his spot at the end of the couch where he can snooze and look out the window and he doesn't cause any problems.

[ACKLEY ABE]

hey Abe I agree with you, but also don't agree with you....a crate can be used with great success with the two breeds you have mentioned, if their owners also take the time to exercise them properly, and work crate time into the daily schedule and routine for the dog.

Some of the higher strung breeds, like a V dog sometimes do very well with a crate because it is a controlled space...but again this has to go hand in hand with good owners that take exercise and training and a routine seriously.

but for the most part I would agree just shutting a high energy breed dog into a crate all day with no exercise, training or routine can do some serious harm to the doggy.

I don't think you are disageeing with me at all Clash. I think owners taking time with their dogs....training....exercise...etc. is all a natural part of owning a dog, and should'nt be something out of the norm and so I didn't include that in my post and using a crate PROPPERLY is also a soemthing that I would take for granted for anyone using one. In that, I hae to admit I am wrong. People do use them at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons.

How's the pup? You have my email ...send pics. Grey Ghost must be big by now.

[TheClash]

I don't think you are disageeing with me at all Clash. I think owners taking time with their dogs....training....exercise...etc. is all a natural part of owning a dog, and should'nt be something out of the norm and so I didn't include that in my post and using a crate PROPPERLY is also a soemthing that I would take for granted for anyone using one. In that, I hae to admit I am wrong. People do use them at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons.

How's the pup? You have my email ...send pics. Grey Ghost must be big by now.

my little blue pup has grown into a nice looking young dog with a crazy nose on him. he took a bit longer than my friends and nephews GSP to catch on, but he is now fully into it. He has had a great older brother in my Rhodesian to teach him how to behave in the house....he has been a joy to have. Can't wait for this snow to leave to get him out on some birds and some mountain biking.

[Fisherpeak]

I built my 2 monsters(a sherpard/heeler/rottie and a black lab/redbone hound)a 16x80 foot run with a big doghouse and shade.That`s where they live while we are at work.Unless it`s +35 or - 20,then they get the house.I even got a toilet bowl outside that I water them with.They took to that right off :)