[DunkinDoodle]

Hello all.....being a new owner I had a crate question. Dunkin has been using his crate since the day we got him. My husband and I both work so he spends some hours in it throughout the day, with one of us coming home periodically to let him out to go and to play for a bit. I am happy to say he has only had 2 accidents since we brought him home on 12/23, he is now 3 months. Plus, he sleeps in he crate... goes to bed at 10:30 and sleeps till 7am when he whines to go out. Recently some family members have been telling us that its terrible to keep him in there and we should block off our kitchen while we are out so he can play. They also think its making him stressed and he'll turn into an angry dog. My husband and I feel as though we will lose the great potty training he has been doing if we give him more room (like an entire kitchen). If anyone can give me helpful suggestions on how to respond or if you agree with the family I would love to know. When is it time to give him more freedom and when is it time to give up the crate entirely???

** I have posted a few times and just want to thank everyone who takes the time to reply. Reading other posts have been so informative, such a huge help to new owners. You are all so helpful. THANK YOU! **

 

[dixiedi]

Hi Cassie, you are doing the right thing so don't feel guilty When I first started crate training, I thought it was awful and cruel. Dogs are den animals and they feel comfortable in their crates. My 8 year old Sam will still go in his crate from time to time (we leave the door open) when we have company and things get hectic. It's his safe haven! Once your pup is older, maybe 6 mos, use your own judgement, you might start leaving him in a larger area but I would still put his crate in that area with the door open. Hope this makes you feel better

 

[Jamie]

Before we got Bella I hated the idea of crating a dog, It always seemed cruel.

However heather insisted Bella was crated and I have to say it has saved her life on at least one occasion. She got her head jammed in the stair gate once, had we not been there she would have died.

We always crate her when we are out, we walk her first to make her sleepy then tell her bye bye's and she takes herself to bed we leave her no longer than four hours unless overnight.

I now agree it's far safer for the pups to be crated, it has been a god send and allowed us to move around without fear of her coming to harm.

She's had a crate since we got her and loves it, full of nice bedding, all warm and snuggly.

I'd keep the crate, bella will have hers for life. She's eight and a bit months now, whilst we're home we leave the door open and often she takes herself in there when the house is busy

 

[Chesterpal]

We crated Chester and he was fine with it. When we put our coats on to leave he go right in there without being told. Samething at night we'd tell him goodnight and he'd go to his crate. We never used it as any type of punishment. As he got older and more mature we would leave him out for short periods and now not at all. I think its kind of like kids needing limits and boundries for their own benefit.

 

[seazr]

Until last night, we were crating Dakota at night. However, a couple of weeks ago, our neighbors gave us a pair of x-pens. A few days later, we inadvertantly left the x-pen door open and Dakota bounced right in and went to sleep. We have since put an overstuffed doogie bed in his x-pen and that is now his favorite space! Happily, he has never had an accident in his crate or his x-pen--that is not true of other parts of the house!

 

[wannadoodle]

The ONLY way to be certain that a pet will not get hurt, be destructive, make a mess or get into something that could even kill him is DON'T give him the opportunity. I am 100% for crating when you are not there to supervise. Now, when your baby is an adult and you know with most certainty what he will/will not do....he doesn't need constant supervision. To ease your guilt, think of this as "protecting him" not training or punishment.

 

[susan]

I agree, crating is a blessing. Your puppy could chew something up or even end up with an obstruction. It's for their safety. It's the same as keeping a baby in their crib instead of giving them a huge bed. I think I read that untill a puppy is over 2, they should really be crated. Our puppy, though, does not want any bedding. He shoves it to the side and lays on the crate bottom. Go figure!

Enjoy and good luck with the puppy.

 

[2doodsmom]

I'll chime in here, too. George and Gracie are now 6 1/2 months. They have always been crated except when they are completely supervised. They are together, so they have company, but with 2 of them, they can get into a lot of mischief when they are out. Some of that mischief can be very dangerous to them.

I am so glad we've crate trained them because last week they had their spay/neuter surgery. Keeping them quiet for their recovery would be impossible without the crate. There are lots of times when having your dogs confined is essential for their well being.

I'm sure the folks who are telling you crating is cruel mean well, but they really don't understand that dogs are naturally den lovers. Crating your pup when he is unsupervised is just like making sure your children are in car seats when they're riding in the car.

 

[DunkinDoodle]

You are all so right. I feel better now that I have heard some other owners point of views on this! We will continue to crate train our puppy. He loves his crate and I actually think he would miss it if it were ever gone!

 

[LexiAnn]

I totally agree that crates are for their protection. We have never used it for punishment. Actually, Lexi hasn't even needed much discipline at all. I think we are pretty lucky. We do crate when we leave, and she sleeps in it every night. As soon as she comes in from her last trip outside, she goes right in to bed without being told. About 2 months ago we left her out for a night to see what she would be like...Nobody in the house got good sleep. She was upstairs and then down. She was playing and waking somebody up all night. She will be 11 months old soon. So I have no idea when she will be ready to sleep out of the crate. Any ideas when they are ready for that?

 

[bmeb012000]

Gunner had his surgery yesterday, and I am so grateful he has a crate. He is suppose to have "no activity" for 48 hours, yeah right. It wouldn't be possible without a crate. He has spent most of the day in the crate today. I have given him new chews and toys for his recovery and he is perfectly content. I know he would much rather be out of the crate, but he isn't complaining either. He is so cute!

 

[Chesterpal]

Chester was about 16 months---my family was ready for this before I was. We kind of weaned him out of it---short periods while we were gone then finally no crate all night...(on a Friday just in case.)
Its funny, now he waits downstairs until all of us go up to bed then he goes into my daughter's room and sleeps on a blanket in there. Its like he waits up until the whole family is tucked in for the night.

 

[2doodsmom]

That's just too sweet! My old dog, Bailey used to sleep on the floor next to my side of the bed and then roam from bed to bed, checking to make sure everybody was breathing! Really, he would quietly put his face up and smell their breath. Then he would come back to my side of the bed and settle back down. It was like having doggie patrol! And pretty surprising for our overnight guests!

George and Gracie are miles from being able to do that at 7 months. They are still completely crated when they're in the house, or tethered next to us. Every few days I try them out of the crate for a few minutes, one at a time. It's like keystone cops.....the one still crated has a fit...the one who is out needs to show off, so he will run and steal a house slipper or a sock or the remote control! We have a large open kitchen / living area and there's no place to confine them. We tried an ex pen for a while, but they just jump against it and knock it down.

In case anybody is wondering I would absolutely advise against getting two puppies at the same time! We love them both so much, but we aren't getting too many sweet moments yet. Sigh.