Kenneled or inside?

[Cob-Web]

ummmmmmmmm because he might chew things when your not there unfortunatly you cant take your dog everywhere with you and dogs bein dogs will chew and be naughty sometimes

i would leave a DOG for longer and as both me and my oh have to work it works for us i dont think its cruel at all as long as your dog is happy out there and doesnt whine and cry cant see the problem

I'm sorry, I must be being really thick, but I don't understand - you say you use a kennel to prevent them "chewing and being naughty" but then say you would only use a kennel while you are out for adult dogs....when (presumably) they have been taught not to chew ?    Why not allow them to stay indoors?

[Tasha]

going to the supermarket??  Online shopping is the answer to that one and they deliver 

[charlie_jim_gem]

well teaching my dog not to chew is very very hard i can see why he does it he gets bored whilst we are away i dont punish him for this as i know this is the only reason why he does this he doesnt chew when we are not there and he likes the kennel whats the problem with that???

[Cob-Web]

well teaching my dog not to chew is very very hard i can see why he does it he gets bored whilst we are away i dont punish him for this as i know this is the only reason why he does this he doesnt chew when we are not there and he likes the kennel whats the problem with that???

Well, if he chews because he is bored, then surely it is better to find ways to alleviate his boredom, rather than shut him in a kennel, where he is still bored, but doesn't have anything to chew    In the long term, if his need for stimulation is not being met, then he may begin to chew his paws, tail or ears instead, as an outlet for his boredom    Kennelling him doesn't take the problem away, it just confines the dog to prevent him doing something you dislike,  it doesn't alter the underlying stress that the dog is experiencing

I don't understand why anyone chooses to kennel a pet dog for noise or destruction, changes should be made to accommodate their needs - after all, they are a member of the family too, aren't they?

[Jan/Billy]

I don't understand why anyone chooses to kennel a pet dog for noise or destruction, changes should be made to accommodate their needs - after all, they are a member of the family too, aren't they?

I agree 

[Rhona W]

I don't understand why anyone chooses to kennel a pet dog for noise or destruction, changes should be made to accommodate their needs - after all, they are a member of the family too, aren't they?

I agree 

But I leave my boys in a crate when I go out for the same reasons. Is that unacceptable too? 

[Cob-Web]

I don't understand why anyone chooses to kennel a pet dog for noise or destruction, changes should be made to accommodate their needs - after all, they are a member of the family too, aren't they?

I agree 

But I leave my boys in a crate when I go out for the same reasons. Is that unacceptable too? 

IMO, not if it is being used as a training aid - with the long term intention of removing it 

I am disagreeing with Charlie-jim-gems opinion that a kennel can be used for longer than a crate 

[Rhona W]

But I leave my boys in a crate when I go out for the same reasons. Is that unacceptable too? 

IMO, not if it is being used as a training aid - with the long term intention of removing it 

Don't know if you'd call it a training aid exactly.  We have tried leaving them out, but they chewed up the remote control.  Hopefully, one day we'll be able to leave them out.  But it is probably a very long term intention. 

I am disagreeing with Charlie-jim-gems opinion that a kennel can be used for longer than a crate 

Oh right. Don't know how long he uses a kennel for. Personally I wouldn't leave my dogs outside at all. 

[cazza]

But I leave my boys in a crate when I go out for the same reasons. Is that unacceptable too? 

IMO, not if it is being used as a training aid - with the long term intention of removing it 

I use a crate too, and have kept it up as wanted Fern crated away from Jock when I went out, especially when she was in season (and in seperate rooms) and also at the mo that she has stitches, altho they are back in the same room.

[*jean*]

rolo has a crate which is gi-nockerous.. big enough for a german shepherd. the door is open all the time. its his bed he loves it ( its under the stairs..) he hides all sorts in there. the girls sometimes pop in and out tho they have a large bed in another room.
rolo sometimes goes in there.
 I have no wish to offend anyone but please can I disagree with rolos bed being "just" a training area. Its not Its his space to do with as he wishes.. If he wants out he can get out.  the door isnt shut, he has chosen to sleep there. when I was decorating I put it away. he kept going back under the stairs and whining and point blank refused to settle. he reused to sleep in with the girls for the whole night and paced and panted and woke me a dozen times ( i thought first it was to let him out ..most unusual ..but it was his old bed/crate he wanted.. now its back Ive got a happy chappie again. no point in buying a designer bed for his roloship, he wouldnt use it.. he prefers the crate!
 AND ive a relation whos dog wouldnt sleep in anything but a cardboard box.with the end torn off.. It must be a worker thing!

[Rhona W]

I have no wish to offend anyone but please can I disagree with rolos bed being "just" a training area. Its not Its his space to do with as he wishes..

Totally agree Jean. 
My boys have a 42" crate to sleep in. It is in the dining room and left open all day for them to wander in and out of as they please. We do shut the door at night time and when we go out, but I never thought of it as a training aid.  I've always looked at it as somewhere where I know they will be safe and settled when I can't keep an eye on them. 

[Cob-Web]

I have no wish to offend anyone but please can I disagree with rolos bed being "just" a training area. Its not Its his space to do with as he wishes.. If he wants out he can get out.  the door isnt shut, he has chosen to sleep there.

Which, imo, is how it should be - he has decided the crate is the place he wants to be, but you don't "shut him in" to stop chewing, or other unwanted behaviour 

I am a huge fan of crates when used correctly - shutting a dog in a crate for short periods can be a very successful element of a training programme for puppies, young or re-homed dogs who are learning what is expected of them
This to me is very different to a situation (like the one that was described) when a crate or kennel is viewed as a way to prevent a dog expressing itself through unwanted behaviour - with no attempt made to address or alleviate what is causing the problem in the first place  If a dog chews things in the house because he is bored, then shutting him a kennel or crate doesn't take away the boredom 

[*jean*]

mind you I did shut them all in it when I did the gloss paint on the skirting boards as I didnt want them to add the cocker personal touch!!! but i did put chewies in with them

[Colin]

This seems to be going round in circles now, so time to put it to bed I think.

[Michele]

Or in a crate/kennel