Author Topic: Why confine your dog to a Crate?  (Read 22649 times)

Offline felicity

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #45 on: November 09, 2005, 08:41:27 pm »
i think crating is an American thing because i don't know anyone who does it, iv'e never done it myself, i have never needed to.

anassa is well trained and can be left either outside or inside by herself, at night she sleeps on a huge pillow at the end of the bed and wakes us up if she needs to do her business. Then in the morning when my husband leaves for work she will hop on the end of the bed and sleep there.

i really don't understand it either and have never had any problems for not crating my dogs but each to their own.

maybe not crating is an Aussie thing lol


felicity

What do you do in Australia if you have to leave a puppy inside while you're gone?



i can't speak for everyone but iv'e always left my pups in the laundry room, it's big and there's plenty of room for play, i usually leave toys and some treats too so the pup can keep it's seld occupied, most of the time i'll take my pup with me though, i just can't stand the thought of leaving a pup alone  ;D

most people i know just leave their pup in a room of some sort, either the laundry or a spare room :)

as i said, each to their own, i'm not knocking anyone who uses crates, just personally iv'e never needed to.

thanks!

felicity

Offline 2dobies

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #46 on: November 09, 2005, 11:37:17 pm »
I've never even owned a crate.  My dobes share the house with three small dogs, and everyone gets along just fine.  I work, but my wife hasn't worked for about a year now, so there's someone home with them for most of the time,  If we go somewhere, we usually take one or two of the dogs with us, or leave them home alone if we're just gone a few hours.  They all have very good house manners, do their business outside before we leave, and after we get back home.  I sometimes get up in the middle of the night to see if anyone needs to go out, and if they do, they do. We don't really have the room for a bunch of big crates, anyway.
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Offline patrick

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #47 on: November 10, 2005, 12:27:48 am »
Same here - I don't use crates at home  The only place I use them is at the shows.  We have a 'puppy' room where young dogs are confined when left at home alone.  They are always in with another dog and lots of toys and chewies.  Room is puppy proofed and ceramic tile floor so its an easy clean up. 

Offline Senghe

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #48 on: November 10, 2005, 10:25:50 am »
i think crating is an American thing because i don't know anyone who does it,

felicity

In England it's quite common to use crates. There are lots of good reasons, but like somebody said it's no substitute for training.

My Tibetan Mastiff puppy actually chose to sleep in his crate rather than upstairs in the bedroom with me when he was 14 weeks old. From that day on he was also clean overnight. I put him in there when I go out as I can't trust him not to do himself or the house any damage. As I know somebody who's TM ate his way through a thick wooden front door and sat in the garden waiting for his owner to come home, I'm not risking it till he's older and hopefully mor sensible.

Also when I had two shar-pei (both rescues), I could not leave them alone together for fear of them fighting and they would have fought to the death. I used to shut them in separate rooms but Phoebe would eat the woodwork as she hated being alone. I bought a crate and the biggest problem I had was they BOTH wanted to be in there, so I rotated them when I went out. I still have the oldest pei and she sleeps in her crate now as she's slightly incontinent and it saves my furniture. She loves it and if I leave the door of her small crate open, I find the TM puppy scrunched up in there with his head sticking out!

I'd never crated any dog before about 7 years ago and now I would crate train all my dogs as it gives me the option to use it if needed.
« Last Edit: November 10, 2005, 10:29:37 am by Senghe »

Offline BabsT

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #49 on: November 10, 2005, 10:40:09 am »
I have two ovcharkas which are same family as your breed...by 5 months both my dogs had full run of the house.  The crates are still up as the dogs eat in there and up until a few weeks ago my female pup chose to sleep in there on her own...Now they both sleep on the floor where ever they choose and both are 100% trusted with full run of the house for a whole entire day if need be...My crates will always be up because they are a great tool and come in handy

My female CO is 23wks
My male CAO is 1yr
Zero 23mth  Central Asian Ovcharka
Anchara 16mth old Caucasian Ovcharka

Offline Senghe

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #50 on: November 11, 2005, 05:38:59 pm »
^ Your Ovcharka are beautiful! I have a keen interest in rare breeds so they really appeal to me. We don't have any in the UK and even the TM's have only been here 20 years.

Tibetan Mastiffs are reknowned for being unbelievably destructive when the mood takes them. Flynn's hobby at the moment is extracting the gripper rods from round the living room carpet when I'm not looking so you can imagine what he'd get up to left to his own devices!

Offline LuvmyMal

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #51 on: November 11, 2005, 07:53:37 pm »
We started crating for potty training and safety purposes.  Then came Nala and the same thing. We had started trusting Tonka to be out until she decided to eat part of the end table. Both of my girls are now crated while we are at work, but their crates are directly beside each other and they can see each other. Tonka is in a playpen with a crate inside for when she wants to sleep soon Nala will be in one or we will keep them in the kitchen during the day so they can exercise. Also my sister comes over during the day and lets them out for 3-4 hrs or I come home for lunch. Now my co-worker has 2 husky mixes that are in crates most of the day in the garage and are let out a couple of times a day, which I don't agree with. I absolutely hate having my girls in there but it is for their own safety at this time.

Offline hugo~monster

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #52 on: November 12, 2005, 12:47:59 pm »
well when there was only one poodle in the house we did not crate at all.  years later we got 2 more toy poodles and decided that the 2 youngest poodles would be safer in a kennel vs running around the house.  i had bottle fed the 2 youngest from birth because their mother died so they were raised in a "hot box" for warmth during their bottle feeding days.  they grew up knowing that a crate was their "bedroom".  as the oldest poodle got older (at this point she was loose 24/7 and slept with us), she began getting up during the night and peeing in the floor.  she would also pee in the house while we were at work.  took her to the vet, everything was ok.  but we decided that the best thing for our floors were to kennel her.  when we got hugo we decided to kennel him also.  it works great.  they do not mind going in the kennel at all.  keeps them from wrecking my house, just in case. i feel like this works for us because of all the thing they COULD get into.  on occasion we have not put them up, and the house was fine when we returned, but why take a chance.  they have their bedding and toys in the crate and it is larger than they would ever need.  i can leave for work and know they are safe. 
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Offline brigid67

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #53 on: November 12, 2005, 06:55:51 pm »
I crate Willow - it works great.  She is pretty good in the house.  If everything stays picked up then there is not to much destruction.  But I have teenagers so nothing is ever picked up.  The biggest reason i crate Willow is because of the Poms.  My female pom and Willow tend to have some issues.  So we Crate Willow just to prevent any injuries