Brilliant, well said.

Crates may seem cruel to us humans, but to dogs they offers a safe place.
Cover it and it becomes their den. Put some vet bed down and it is their bed.
Get them used to it gradualy, by putting treats inside hidden in a blanket, and never close the door on them till they feel safe. If you do this you will be able to leave your dog for a few mins. increasing to an hour while they sleep and it will become a haven for them and for you.

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A DOG MAY OUTGROW YOUR LAP,
BUT NEVER YOUR HEART.

Of course you COULD use a crate in a cruel way - but crates themselves are not cruel. Dogs and puppies LOVE their cosy den, if it's introduced and used the right way. It is a safe haven for them when they are tired, or overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of life. It is somewhere for them to be if you can't keep an eye on them during housetraining. Or chewing. Or if you have visitors and don't want the puppy trodden on... the list is endless.

If I hadn't had a crate my dog would have eaten the house. She was a prolific chewer as a pup. The crate facilitated housetraining - we never paper trained her. A blanket over the top of the crate makes it even cosier - nice and dark and den-like

Thank you, thank you everyone, you've convinced me! Now another couple of questions - hubby again - why not get quite a big crate to give the pup more space to move around, I see the advice is kind of 'only just big enough'? Also advice please on toilet training and crates, I don't really understand how it works. Sorry to be such a novice - really want to get it right.

Cc

You need to decide whether you're going to paper train your puppy or not. Are you willing to get up in the night to let him out to the loo?

If you are going to use the crate to facilitate housetraining, then pup needs an area just big enough for him to lie down flat comfortably. Puppies instinctively don't like soiling their own beds. If the crate is too big, then he may simply use one end of the crate for bed and one for toilet.

Some people actually have the crate in the bedroom with them for initial housetraining - when they hear pup wake up and start moving around, they take him out to the loo. My OH isn't particularly doggy and didn't want the crate in the bedroom so I used to set the alarm to start with and go down at intervals through the night to let my girl out. I gradually increased the times as she grew and was able to hold on for longer.

It is hard work and rather like having a new baby again, but IMO beats paper training. If you paper train, you have to teach pup to use the paper indoors and then you've got to teach him that he can't go to the toilet indoors any more... in effect you're training twice.


ETA lots of crates have a divider so that you can buy a big one, and section it off to start with so it isn't too big. Then move the divider as puppy grows

I am extremely surprised that anyone would consider a crate as being cruel Crates should NEVER be used as punishment areas, but secure, safe places for your dog to retreat from the hub bub of our busy lives.

Luika will naturally gravitate to his crate when he is tired, and the door is always left open, apart from when we are sleeping.

I would definitely recommend a crate for your dog.

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We got a big crate for our Rocky and he hated it - swapped to one just his size and he was brilliant and took to it straight away!

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Proud owner of Rocky the Yorkie, born July 2008, who came to live with us at 8 weeks old
and
Ellie the Yorkie, born February 2012, who came to live with us at almost 8 weeks

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Apparently the more enclosed they feel the more it is den-like and they feel safer. We couldnt afford to keep buying as he grows so we just bought a huge one to fit when he is an adult. He is fine in it. If this doesn't work though as someone has said you can get dividers x

thats rightwe bought the biggest one available and partitioned it of with a baby gate which can be moved as he grows.
if the crate is to big the pup is likely to use one end for a toilet.it should be big enough for him to stretch out lying down,sit comfortably and turn around