I've read that some people are "crating" their dogs, which means, if I understand correctly, having a crate/cage that is the dog's "home" inside the home, and closing the door when the owner is out (or at night) so that the dog stays inside the crate...

To be very honest I would never have considered "encaging" my dog this way and until I came to the UK id never heard of anyone doing it (in France)... My dad is a real "cage"-hater; cant stand the thought of any animal in a cage (so no hamster/rabbit or other rodent at home ) and im a bit the same I must admit..

I certainly agree with giving the dog a den that is his for him to feel comfy but why close the door??

If people do it for like an hour or two or/and when the dog is very young I suppose I can understand; short periods of time should be oki and a pup may need to be restrained at first (I didnt leave my pup alone for any significant period of time until he was 3-4 months old..I was lucky to have all that time on my hands at that point..) for obvious safety reasons..but after?

My dog is left alone for about 6hours a day roughly, 4 days a week, it can be a bit more occasionnally so obviously I will not consider crating him..

Plus I know he likes to play around with his Kong first and maybe some other toys before settling for a nap waiting for us to be home...

Do people get like a big crate?
How long do they/you leave your dog in it?

What are the advantages?

What do people think?

Im just interested to get people's view and for those who do it why and those who dont why!

I wont do it because I wont bear to leave my dog like this and plus I leave him for too long really for a crate I think..

Is it fear of the dog being destructive or not being able to dog-proof the home?
I wouldnt have gotten a dog if I hadnt already thought of a safe place to leave him..

Anyway I know I have strong views about it but to each is own and I would be interested to hear what people think!
Bring it on!!

xxx

I think it's okay if a puppy is crate trained, since they can see the opertunity to destroy everything in their path when left alone. Only for short periods of time tho, i dont think they like defecating in their sleeping area (any one feel free to correct me if thats wrong lol) so leaving them in the crate longer than they can handle i think is bad, I don't think an adult dog should be left in a crate (only my opinion) as they shouldn't really have too, can only really speak from personal experience but none of my dogs that were a year plus weren't trusted alone in the house, they didn't tend to destroy the place lol.

I used to know these people who had a king charles spainiel, it was about 3 years old and every night they put it in one of those pet carriers? Wasn't a crate it was just a small pet carrier. I felt well bad for the dog

I think we have already crossed paths on this one.

Do you know anything about crating a dog? It might be worth reading this

Dog crates and cages: the importance of dog crate training

Just to give you an idea.

It is a reasonable amount of space Dogs MUST be able to stand up fully turn around etc.

The idea of a crate is to ensure the dogs safety and aid toilet training as dogs do not usually mess in their beds. It is not meant to be used day in day out all day.

They are really generally suggested for the first year while the dogs matures a bit and then it simply becomes a bed for the dog like any other.

There are many benefits to crate training a dog apart from the ones in the home. Dogs that are crate trained suffer far less if they require urgent medical attention and have to stay in a vet surgery. Crate trained dogs are able to ravel in a crate therefore being a safe passenger.

My dog is crated for approx 2 hours every other day a maximum of 4 during the day but that would only be about once a month and from 10pm til 7am.

I've never used a crate though, I'm just not against people using crate for puppies, someone I know that crate trains their puppies, he does dog agility, he does it through their chewing phase and because on the way to shows they have to go into cages in his van for periods of time so it kinda prepares them for that.

I was against a crate at first. I thought it looked like a cage but Oscar's breeder urged me to reconsider. It was good decision in the end. I always cover it (with a bed sheet) so it's not too light. I wanted to encourage crate time to be sleep time. When he's tired, he goes in there to sleep so I think I got that one right! I close the door at night because I am not 100 percent confident that the kitchen is puppy-proof. Obviously I do my best but you never know! In the crate, Oscar knows not to toilet but if he's out of the crate, he is more likely to have an accident. This is because he waits by the door, not realising that he's home alone. When he's in the crate, he knows to hold it, and he can. I doubt he would have an accident if I left him alone in the kitchen for a few hours but I'd say it was more likely and it would cause confusion for him. If I pop upstairs and leave him the kitchen, he cries by the door. In the crate, he doesn't ever cry. It's safe, it's secure and he's happy to be there. If he hated it, I would definitley rethink my decision.

My dogs love their crates

They are crated overnight and during the day if we are out they have the run of the garden and conservatory.
when they were tiny so they came to no harm when we popped out they were crated, but at 6 months I stopped as there was no need and I didn't want them to become fustrated in their crates.
A friend has a destructive rescue dog which she has to crate - but he has the largest crate I have ever seen

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A dog Possesses Beauty without Vanity,Strength without Insolence, Courage without Ferocity, And all the Virtues of Man without his Vices.

I use a crate for Dixie. If she is not in her crate and we leave her, she panics, and spends the whole time barking at everything. if she is in her crate she feels secure and goes to sleep.
Dave definately will have a crate, he is gonna be a chewer!

x

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I use a crate for my dog and he sleeps in it overnight. I've never used the crate as a punishment so he loves it and feels safe and secure in there and if he is tired at night quite often I find that he goes in it of his own accord. He has a routine at bed-time which I do with him every single night and when I shut the door of his crate I never hear a thing from him until the morning when I get up.

My dog would destroy things if left to his own devices in the house so 'non crating' is not an option. I am lucky in that I work from home so I can be with him all day every day and so the crate is only ever used at bedtime or if I go to the supermarket for a few hours.

I am also of the opinion that it helps with their toileting habits because they don't usually do their business in their sleeping area so it does actually help to reinforce the message that outside is the place for the toilet as the first thing I do when I go to let him out is send him straight outside for a wee.

Hope this helps in some way, but at the end of the day it's down to personal preference I guess.
K

My dog is crate trained. It's his safe spot. He loves it. At night, after we go outside for his last pee for the day, we come in and he goes straight to the crate to go to sleep. If I do not shut him in there, (and I have forgotten to before), he will beg for it.

He will also go in there to escape because he sees it as a safe place. Yesterday I was clipping his nails (he hates that) and he slipped away from me and ran straight into his crate "You can't get me in here." He will also go in there on command, and I use "Kennel" much the same way a parent uses "go to your room" when he's misbehaving.

I leave him in there when I leave because we have two dogs and I don't trust them together. Separate, they are wonderful, but they can get rowdy in their playing and I don't want anyone hurt or anything broken. I have left before and not locked him in, and it leaves him confused. He likes the security of it.

Basically if you do not leave the dog in there too long, do not make it so he can make negative associations with it. Make it a happy, safe place.

Oblada - Would be interesting to know if you have changed your opinion having read these posts?

Something else i forgot to mention was my children!!!!!

I have a 2 & 5 year old and you can imagine how exciting it was for them when we got the puppy. The crate gave a clearly defined space that they were absolutely not allowed into so when oscar was tired he would take himself off there knowing he could sleep in peace (obviously really important for a puppy).

Now he doesn't tend to as the children have learnt to leave him alone and he likes being with me during the day which i am more than happy with.

I think if you don't understand crating it can seem like an enforced imprisonment when in reality all the replies have stated that the dog "chooses" to be in his crate and is never distressed in there.

, it is not a punishment it is their "bedroom". Just like a cot with a roof