What Do You Guys Think About Dog Crating?

Willowy

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It gives the puppy more space when its little,
The idea of the partitions is that when a puppy is being potty-trained, you should have the crate as small as possible, allowing only for the dog to sit up, lie down, and turn around, so they don't have room to potty in one spot and then sit somewhere else, because that will prolong potty-training.

I haven't had a young puppy in almost 16 years (I prefer to adopt adolescent or adult dogs) and I didn't crate-train that dog or any previous dogs, so I haven't tried it personally, but that's what I've always heard.
 

1 bruce 1

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We've done both.
For longer periods of time, we set the partition up to allow the entire crate so the pupper has a bed and some pee pads sprayed lightly with attractant. I don't like this but when there are no other options, pee pads can be moved outside to remind them peeing outside is usually what the cool kids (adult dogs) do.
I've tried pee pads in a bathroom etc. before, and usually come home to shredded pee pads with a puddle of pee in the middle of the room and a really proud puppy, LOL
 

neely

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I completely and totally agree 100% with Columbine Columbine and 1 bruce 1 1 bruce 1 . Each and everyone of my dog friend neighbors crate train their dogs with the exception of one and her house is not a pretty sight. :nono: In addition, I have been a long time member, (18 years), of a dog site that advocates responsible crate training. That is, not leaving a dog crated for more than 4-5 hours. If we were gone any longer we had a pet sitter come to leave our dog out and take him on a long walk.

As it turned out, our dog not only loved his crate but when it was open our previous cat loved it too. When we were home the dog would sit outside of his crate while our cat made herself comfortable inside it. :biggrin: I cannot speak highly enough of dog crating. Here is an article that addresses this issue: The Benefits of Crate Training » PAWS
 
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muffy

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I think crate training is just plain cruel. If you have a puppy that's one thing. My sister has two Boston Terriers and kept them locked up for 8 hours a day. She is now retired and they have the run of the house all day. If you can't take the time to train your dog than why have one.
 

Willowy

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While I sympathize with that position, I think it would be a real shame if they only people who could have dogs were families with stay-at-home parents or retired people. That would leave a lot of dogs homeless too.
 

1 bruce 1

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I think crate training is just plain cruel. If you have a puppy that's one thing. My sister has two Boston Terriers and kept them locked up for 8 hours a day. She is now retired and they have the run of the house all day. If you can't take the time to train your dog than why have one.
The problem is you can't train when you're not there.
 

muffy

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While I sympathize with that position, I think it would be a real shame if they only people who could have dogs were families with stay-at-home parents or retired people. That would leave a lot of dogs homeless too.
Yes, that would make a lot of dogs homeless. I would never want that but I just can't stand the though of a dog being locked up all day either.
 

1 bruce 1

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Yes, that would make a lot of dogs homeless. I would never want that but I just can't stand the though of a dog being locked up all day either.
Leaving a new dog (to us) alone is a disaster in the making though.
I would NEVER leave a new to me dog loose in the house with my cats no matter what the shelter, rescue, or foster home said when it comes to their "Cat friendliness." Too many horror stories of injured or dead cats from first person stories.
I mentioned a person who had a dog that they came home...twice....to a dog left loose and an injured, bloody cat. If you an't supervise, separate. If a floor plan means someone is crated, so be it. I'd rather a dog be "locked up" than come home to a dead cat.
 

amethyst

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All my dogs are crate trained, not only does it make house breaking easier, but also it's a good skill for dogs to know should then ever need to be crated for "cage rest" or need to stay at the vet or somewhere else, like in an emergency. For the most part I only crate at night as puppies, now that they are older only one gets crated at night (I don't trust him unsupervised). The other two have a small room, where the crated one is too, with water, beds, and toys. The door is open during the day when I am home and they come and go as they please, but if I go out and at night it's closed or gated. It's best if you are crating during the day to leave the dog with a safe toy, like a Kong or stuffed bone so they have something to do. Know your dog though, not all dogs can be trusted unsupervised with toys.

The 8-12 hours crating during the day mentioned is way too long even for an adult dog. If you are going to be gone that long, if you can, come home during lunch to let the dog out or hire a dog walker. I'm also not opposed to leaving the dog outside in a pen. But I also live in the middle of nowhere, so dog thief is pretty rare and no neighbors within earshot to complain if the dogs bark. Once in a while an 8 hour crating might be ok, if it's not the norm and things just happened that way (accident on the road, bad weather, emergency, etc). If you have a job that has you working everyday for 8-12 hours a day then I don't think a dog is the right fit.
 

tabbysia

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Most people I know that have dogs crate them for at least part of the day, usually when they are at work and/or at night.

My sister was a pretty extreme case. She had a dog that pretty much lived in a kennel from the time he was a puppy until the day he died. He was let outside a few times a day for a few minutes. He was in the crate even when she was at home because he would shed too much, according to her. She would get furious at her husband if he let him out in the house. On the day he died, in the kennel is where they found him. Of the three dogs she has now, one of them is not crated and has free run of the house, and the other two are in a kennel for the majority of the day.

I don't have dogs, but I have always kept any new kittens that I have gotten in a (dog sized) kennel while I am at work, until they get a little bigger and I can trust them to have free run of the house. My sixteen pound cat that broke his hip a couple of months ago had to be confined to a kennel for quite some time and was perfectly content. He had his litter box, big comfy bed, and food and water inside his kennel and never gave any indication that he wanted out. Now that he is healed and "out of jail," he still chooses to go in his kennel and sleep. He also LOVES to sleep in his little carrier that I use to take him to the vet. I don't understand why cats seem to like confined spaces so much!
 

NewYork1303

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It really is about safety. Leaving a puppy in a crate for 4-5 hours at a stretch is fine. Most people I know get a dog walker to come take the puppy out in the middle of the day and then put them away again after a bit of play time. Adult dogs can stay in a crate for 8 hours without any problem, but when you're home they then need to be out and hanging out with the family.

Even the best trained dogs get bored and get into things. Very few people don't have a day occasionally when they are too busy to exercise their pet. A crate just provides safety when the animal might be restless and interested in getting into things that would be dangerous to it.
 

MeganLLB

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I think it's absolutely necessary to crate train your dog beginning at puppy hood, both for convenience sake and their safety. Even if you don't crate your dog regularly as an adult dog, there may come a time, or an emergency when your dog needs to be crated. Your dog may get injured, or need to stay overnight at a vet's office, and being already crate trained is a huge help. Image a dog never having been in a crate before, already is sick and scared, and then having to be at a vet's in a crate for the first time? Or what if your dog needs surgery and has to be rested for a period of time? Sometimes they have to be crated until they heal, and it is much easier if they are already used to being in a crate. You wouldn't have to all of a sudden crate train them when your dog needs rest and no movement after a surgery.

For those reasons alone I think it is necessary to crate train. Also, what if you have to board your dog and you have to leave it for a while? I moved across the country and had no family or friends to watch him, so I was forced to put him in a boarding facility. He had a fine time there though because he is crate trained.

It also makes potty training A LOT easier. What are you supposed to do with a puppy during the night? Just let them pee all over your house while you sleep? Potty training is much easier if you are simultaneously crate training.

I don't leave Bosco crated during the day while I'm away anymore, but there have been MANY times when I needed to crate him. Like a few months ago he got diarrhea really bad and had poop all over the house. I put pee pads and towels down in his crate and put him in their during the night and part of the day so he didn't poo all over the house until I could take him to the vet. He had to stay in the crate at night for a week because he had uncontrollable diarrhea. I don't think it's cruel. Especially if your dog is destructive or eats things when you leave, it may be safer for them.
 

2rescuekitties

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Our dog was never crate trained she never even had a crate except when in the car. It took me only a few weeks to get her completely house broken, and when she was little we just cornered off the kitchen with a baby gate because that had tile in case of accidents. But once she was potty trained she really never chewed up anything or made a mess. I made sure to take her on a walk before school, and then my mom and dad went on nightly walks with her too. On weekends my dad would take her running.

I think that people who crate their dogs for more than a few hours probably should just get a cat or no pets at all. It's not fair to the dog. Why have a pet if they are in jail their whole life? that's no life for them.
 
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