seems its down to personal choice....................

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love me love the dogs

For safety, and for toilet training puppies.

I used a cage for both mine as pups, but dont use one now as neither chew, and i dont feel their safety is at risk. They also sleep on my bed, so i know if they are up to anything.

If you knowingly have a chewer, or multiple dogs that are at risk of having an altercation, then caging them when no-one is around to supervise is the sensible and safer option. Allowing dogs to chew household items puts their health and potentially their lives, at risk.
The majority of dogs will sleep through the night, so i dont see it as restricting their movements or freedom.

I dont agree with people using a cage to shut their dog away for personal convenience.

My 11 wk bulldog puppy loves his crate and as he was brought up in one by his breeder, when we first brought him home, he sought out places which had cover over his head so we decided to carry on with one. He is never forced into it - we don't want him to think it is a place of punishment. He goes in of his own accord. I think it really depends on how the dog reacts to them. He has had one accident in it but only because I got delayed getting home to him so it was my fault.
I must admit I would never have thought of a crate until I read websites on bulldogs and as they are chewers for quite a while it should be worth its weight in gold.

Oh I just love to see those little Children in those Crates!!! Rainy keeps her's in one If I remember right!!! And so does Lilys man!! Keeps them out of harms reach, and allows our doggies complete freedom without being pulled around by those norty kids!!!
Would love to see some more of them piccys!!! they really made me laff!!

Our 2 Border Terriers love them, they look on it as their own little home. They travel in one in the back of our vehicle and they sleep in one in the conservatory at night.
As soon as we open the back door to let them in the house they run to their cage, so if they didn't like it they wouldn't do that. It is a 42" cage so is quite large and there is enough room for them to stretch out and if you want to leave them while you go out you know the house won't be trashed
YL

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Meet The Fawltys, (aka Basil & Sybil)

Ok good there's now a sticky for this. We never used to crate/pen Woody when we got him - we didn't think we'd need to really, so we just put him in the kitchen and spread newspaper all over the place, and it was fine. He didn't destroy anything - except for the kitchen fridge door lol! So we didn't crate him.

But we did when we got Dante and i tell you what that was far easier, toilet training wise.

We have done the same with Mika too. We only left him in there at bedtime and when we haven't been at home, otherwise when we're all at home, he wasn't in there and he'd have our company at home.

Now we've actually taken his pen away and left him downstairs crate/pen free. He's been ok, not destroyed anything but still makes puppy mess but i know with time that'll all change and he'll know not to do 'business' inside the house period.

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My two babies. Separated for a while but now both reunited on Rainbow Bridge, running in a field of daises. Gone but not forgotten. Love you always and forever



http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0281358/quotes?qt0401992

Hi, Every pup is different i guess, but i personally have one for Holly but don't need to use it; she has the run of the house, we have had seal off wires under the TV and things but she is very good soo far. So we feel it's there if we need it but we have had her now for 4 weeks never had to yet (fingers crossed it carries on like that.)

Can I ask why people take the crate away when the dog gets older? The dog has grown up with the security and comfort that the crate has given them and chooses to go in there of its own accord as they see it as their space. it must feel a bit like having their house taken away from them. Its no different than a dog bed and we wouldn't take that away would we. I know a lot of people that say they need to keep their dog calm as a result of surgery or illness and a crate is ideal for this especially if they are used to being in one.

Neither of mine liked their dog cage. Neither of them like their dog bed either. I never used as punishment, so there is no reason for negative feelings towards it, they just prefered sleeping and being somewhere else.

When given a choice, my dogs would never choose to go in their crate, so i eventually collapsed it and stored it away. I dont agree that ALL dogs will see a crate as a place of security and comfort. Mine certainly didnt.

Hi Nonnie, what breed of dogs do you have? I know some dogs do not like crates and possibly are not suited to crates and thats fine, i haven't used a crate for any of my dogs that i have had before but have for Holly and she loves it. i was really asking that question to people who do crate train. I didn't say that ALL dogs like crates as i know they don't. and i do strongly agree that crates should never be used for a punishment.