to crate or not to crate

[Luvlylady]

No crates in my house .I dont agree with coping a dog up in a crate , my rabbits gets more room and still they go in there run most of the time . Id rather properly train a dog, yes it might be the hard way , but i think you end up with a very well trained dog . I agree with a run but not a crate.
As for being a safe place , i think most dogs find there beds a safe haven                    

[Laura]

Thumbs up for a crate here as well - Brogan and Bailey have a  42" crate that is divided down the centre - they have a side each. When we go visiting people - taking the crate with us is like taking their bedroom on holiday as well!!  It is a safe secure place that is familiar to them - so no upsets in a strange environment.

In the day I shut the door when Bailey falls asleep - he can then alert me to his waking so that he can go straight outside to toilet. I also feed Bailey in his crate - to stop Brogan pinching his food!  

My friend has just bought a crate for her 6 year old dog after she had one for her new puppy - the adult dog was desparate to use the crate - and that is after having the run of the house all her life!!  She will now only sleep in her crate and that is with freedom of choice!

I try to avoid daytime crating as much as possible and will not leave them in it longer than 4 hours (1 1/2 hours for pup at the moment) at any given time.  It is nice coming home from shopping or a school run knowing pup couldn't have chewed a wire while you were out - toilet mess wouldn't bother me - a dead puppy would :cry:  When Brogan has been left the run of the kitchen the only place you will find him if you return and sneak up - is in his crate :wink:

My dogs will not sleep in the dog bed in the living room - but prefer to sleep in a nook behind the chair - which is closed in - much the same as the crate in the kitchen - which is covered over and cosy                    

[PennyB]

Thumbs up for a crate here as well - Brogan and Bailey have a  42\" crate that is divided down the centre - they have a side each. When we go visiting people - taking the crate with us is like taking their bedroom on holiday as well!!  It is a safe secure place that is familiar to them - so no upsets in a strange environment.  

In the day I shut the door when Bailey falls asleep - he can then alert me to his waking so that he can go straight outside to toilet. I also feed Bailey in his crate - to stop Brogan pinching his food!  

My friend has just bought a crate for her 6 year old dog after she had one for her new puppy - the adult dog was desparate to use the crate - and that is after having the run of the house all her life!!  She will now only sleep in her crate and that is with freedom of choice!  

I try to avoid daytime crating as much as possible and will not leave them in it longer than 4 hours (1 1/2 hours for pup at the moment) at any given time.  It is nice coming home from shopping or a school run knowing pup couldn't have chewed a wire while you were out - toilet mess wouldn't bother me - a dead puppy would :cry:  When Brogan has been left the run of the kitchen the only place you will find him if you return and sneak up - is in his crate :wink:  

My dogs will not sleep in the dog bed in the living room - but prefer to sleep in a nook behind the chair - which is closed in - much the same as the crate in the kitchen - which is covered over and cosy

I agree as I think some people think we love imprisoning our dogs yet mine think of them as a secure den (and a great place to hide when mummy gets the ear cleaner out and then usually you find both of them in there).

Re puppyhood I also found them useful for when I went out Ruby didn't accidentally hurt Wilf (she was quite rough with him even though it was all in the name of play) and this way he could still be around her but safe from her rather than me having to shut one or the other out of the room.

I never shut it anymore (unless they're in their for vet reasons) and Ruby would miss it as her bed even though she uses her other one as well she prefers the crate.                    

[Laura]

[Re puppyhood I also found them useful for when I went out Ruby didn't accidentally hurt Wilf (she was quite rough with him even though it was all in the name of play) and this way he could still be around her but safe from her rather than me having to shut one or the other out of the room

As I also own 2 male dogs - I would hate in the future to come back to one of them hurt after a fight - whether play or not.  Bailey is a pup now but he won't always be.  With only a 9 1/2 month age gap I would not leave them together unsupervised.  Using the crate with a divider means they still have each other for company better than being in separate rooms. Fingers crossed they never fight - prevention is better than cure.  I have therefore started as I mean to go on.                    

[Luvlylady]

when we have pups in the house we shut them in the kitchen .wires when were out are taken out of the sockets.
its nice they can strech there legs have a play . what do they do in the crates for those 4 hours? sleep i should imagen .I love the typical cocker greet waggy stub and all
when your cockers are older will you still use them?                    

[Laura]

when we have pups in the house we shut them in the kitchen .wires when were out are taken out of the sockets.
its nice they can strech there legs have a play . what do they do in the crates for those 4 hours? sleep i should imagen .I love the typical cocker greet waggy stub and all  
when your cockers are older will you still use them?

I still get that greeting - usually after Brogan has sat up, had a good stretch and a yawn and then runs out with bum a wagging!!   If I am armed up with shopping Brogan and Bailey are also out of the way while I put them down - saves getting trodden on :idea:

Brogan can sleep for 4 hours with me here - so can definitely do it with me not here!  I can't leave Bailey that long yet - we are working up to 2 hours now - can only leave him according to the size of his bladder!!  Can't expect any dog to be clean all night and then hold it in all day as well.

As I always give the boys a kong in the crate and usually no other time - Brogan can be quite keen to get me out of the door!!

Crates/dens whatever you call them are wonderful pieces of equipment when used correctly - unfortunatley like most things though - they will get abused by some - now don't even get me started on that one :x   There again I feel sorry for a rabbit that is left alone in a hutch all day everyday because the kids have lost interest  :cry:

I don't know if I will use the crate with 2 adult cockers - but I know I won't leave 2 male dogs together unsupervised however good their friendship.  A stairgate could be an option for later years possibly.  I think if I removed the crate now though - I would have 2 unhappy pups with nowhere to call home :wink:   They have never known any different so to them it would be strange not having their den.  Be a bit like me taking the kids room off them - before they have left home :roll:

A pup should never be put in a crate/den for punishment either - this is their area that is only for good things - a safe retreat.                    

[padfoot]

I disagree that crates are only useful when lively children are around. I would personally use them if I didn't have children.
I don't crate my dogs when I go out, but I always crate small puppies or new fosters if I have to pop out (which is only ever for a very short period)...the alternatives of fights or a puppy getting into danger are unthinkable.
I have a friend who left her puppy in the kitchen...he managed to jump up and turn on the gas   Luckily he was okay, the neighbour let herself in to the house when she smelt gas through the vent. This kind of thing terrifies me.

We actually never shut the door on Toby's crate. he is house trained and has grown out of chewing, but he loves going in there (he's in there as I type   ). He sleeps in there during the evening when the kids are in bed sometimes too...it's not so much a place for him to escape to, as a little den he can curl up in.                    

[TOPAZ BILLY]

We didn't crate Billy but thought that with a new puppy and an adult dog for safety it would be better to crate Abby.  She treats her crate as her den and though usually only locked in of a night she does spend time in there of her own choice, usually to hide things that she shouldn't have (socks, teatowels, bra :shock:) Billy also tries to get in there but only to retrieve what she has pinched so that he can do a circuit of the lawn as well  I like the idea of knowing that she is safe and can't be harmed for the couple of hours a day that she is on her own.

Michelle                    

[Magic Star]

Indie was crated too from a pup  she has always been fine it, I wouldn't say she was "cooped" up in it but she slept in it at night for safety, infact she loved her crate

Now, we don't crate her indoors, we have the crate in my car for travelling   When I get my new boy, I will have no hesitation in crating him, in the same way as Indie was   Crates are perefctly fine, if used properly and responisbly!                    

[PennyB]

when we have pups in the house we shut them in the kitchen .wires when were out are taken out of the sockets.
its nice they can strech there legs have a play . what do they do in the crates for those 4 hours? sleep i should imagen .I love the typical cocker greet waggy stub and all  
when your cockers are older will you still use them?

Can't see why cockers who are crated don't/can't give you a greeting though?

Yes will still use the crates even as adults but the door isn't shut so I can't see why thats cruel (beds cosy inside and there's a blanket draped just on the top so they feel secure in there)—only kept them up anyway as Ruby loves hers as a den.

Also I can't shut mine in the kitchen or anywhere else downstairs as the kitchen and sitting room and dining room are all one and they don't have access to upstairs so I'd have had a problem with keeping pups secure and safe (even doing housework would've been a problem as pup could get hurt so was easy to pop in there for 5 min).

...and the cats like to go in the crate for a snooze every now and then (or use it a platform to launch themselves at the dogs or hide from them) LOL                    

[speedyjaney]

Hi There
Our crate is a godsend. Bth of ours love it....we have a big crate and they share...and they LOVE their den  
We also havent had hardly any of the usual puppy troubles...they were both housetrained very quickly and they love going in it at bed. We sometimes shut them out of it.....so they have to socialise with us...they go in it overnight and also when no-one is in the house....they seem to love it anddont suffer any ill effects. Im not planning to stop using yet/...they are still little puppies in my eyes...even tho they are almost one  
Janey x                    

[padfoot]

...and the cats like to go in the crate for a snooze every now and then (or use it a platform to launch themselves at the dogs or hide from them) LOL

My cats curl up in the crate too...but get a shock sometimes because Toby thinks nothing of just lying on top of them                      

[Luvlylady]

everyone has there own training methods  Im actully asking questions trying to understand things   , penny I never said its cruel  I just dont agree with cooping them up .

I can leave and come back with nothing chewed up. so I havent got a problem with not crating dogs.
Id rather start my training from the start , Ive had plenty of pups and kittens so has my parents grandparents .. and none of us have ever crated a dog/pup/kitten and we have had no accidents mabe where just lucky? but if thats the case alot of animals have been lucky
mabe this is because were stricked and train our dogs not to jump up on the worktops/ tables it also comes in handy as they dont end up jumping dogs like the escape artists that sometimes end up in pounds :?  .or mabe its because I put alot of time into training them as pups  :?:

I Simply prefer my animals to have freedom In the house and allowed to strech there legs when they want to   ,  i was just putting my views across In my last  post and asking if those of you will carry on crateing.
Hopefuly as there older they will be able to strech there joints is what i was thinking  

I can understand certain points of crating animals . like when padfoot crates her foster dogs . often there personalites arent known well enough to be left to wander with other animals .
And those of you with dogs that might fight with each other   .
If i had no choice but to crate I think I would build a run in the garden Which im already thinking of doing so I can foster   :idea:
Everyone knows there dogs well enough to know whats best for them if there happier in a crate .. crate them                    

[Magic Star]

 Nic, we all have our own ways of dealing with puppies, much the same as when we bring up children :wink: .  It doesn't mean because we crate our puppies, that our puppies are not trained :?  nor does it mean, that we can't be bothered putting the time and effort in to train!  I am a stay at home mum, so I am here for Indie all day long and have been since day one and still decided on using a crate !

There are no rights or wrongs as long as our puppies are happy, healthy and safe , I personally cannot see that anyone on this forum, would overuse a crate to such an extent that the dog cannot stretch its joints :roll:

My brothers dog was left in the kitchen, while they popped out shopping, she chewed through the plasterboard wall, and almost ruptoured the gas pipe :shock:  This could have been a disaster, another safety reason to crate puppies :wink:

I can't see how a crate is any different to a bed :?  We left the crate door open and Indie was more than happy to pop in and out as she pleased, just how any dog would do with a bed                    

[Luvlylady]

:? did i say because you crate there not well trained or put effort in
Im really sorry if i did but im sure i dident ,ill have to read that back see what i put ... I was actully talking about my own dog not jumping up :?  
having an open crate is totaly different to shutting them in. is a crate roomy enough for a dog to move about alot ? i know older dogs need to move there joints about they get stiff just like humans .