Author Topic: Why confine your dog to a Crate?  (Read 22637 times)

lins_saving_grace

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #15 on: October 21, 2005, 01:00:17 am »
Puck has never been crated since he came to us. There has been no need to. Plus I like having him on guard duty at night inside the house. My husband works a variation of days and nights--it is one reason why we have a rotti for protection( and he is a good snuggler)

Farley..omg... if Farley was left uncrated during the day while we were out--I would be afraid of what I might come home to..lol  He gets in enough trouble when I am here with him. ::) Oddly enough he does not have to be crated at night--he sleeps in our room and is great. Doesn't chew anything, pee, etc. I would like to get to the point when he gets older of not having to crate him at all. He is still a puppy too though. He does get crated when no one can be with him in the house. That may be a few hours somedays. It is known (and I am not saying all Vs are like this) that when V's are bored they do/can become very destructive------hence the 1 hour plus excersice needed a day for them :o 
I am looking foward to the day were we do not have to crate Farley at all ;D

Overall his time is very limited in the crate. I m at home most of the time :D
I bet Farley would ride in his Barbie minivan all day if you didn't put him in his bed while you were gone.  you never know what kind of girls him and Puck would bring home.  :)

GR8DAME

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #16 on: October 21, 2005, 01:02:35 am »
My 14 month old dobie broke out of a crate to chase  (a) burgler(s) out of the house when no one was home. They knocked over chairs and threw tables at him The police assumed. Besides the disarray in the house the only reason we knew there had been an intrusion was because of a broken window and pried open back door. Nothing was taken.
That said, I generally only crate my dogs until 18 months to 2 yrs, by then the worst of the destructive behavior is over and I can come home to a relatively normal (LOL) house and a healthy dog.Stella

Icerotti

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #17 on: October 21, 2005, 01:03:28 am »
Quote
I bet Farley would ride in his Barbie minivan all day if you didn't put him in his bed while you were gone.  you never know what kind of girls him and Puck would bring home.  :)
Quote

I would probably get a call from Marineland everyday" lady can ya come get your dog---yeah he brought the barbie jeep----If I catch him one more time at the dolphine tank--I"

lins_saving_grace

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #18 on: October 21, 2005, 01:03:33 am »
I love your new couch, Jack!  Looks cozy and soft!

Offline Newf Lover

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #19 on: October 21, 2005, 01:05:54 am »
I could not begin to think of what the house would look like if I left all 8 dog loose in the house while I was gone :o
Or I would never get any sleep ,I'd be yelling at everyone to go to sleep and stop playing.
They all know which crate is their and that is where they are fed.They don't look at it as a forum of punishment.It is theirs and no other dog is allowed in it.
Who ever came up with the first crate was a very smart person.
Donna

Is the garage or back yard completely out of the question?  That is, if you have one?  Just wondering, those are legitimate options, a fenced off dog room would work too.   8 dogs is an unusual case and I can see how you have a special situation.  THAT'S A LOT OF DOGS!  1 dog is enough work in itself!
« Last Edit: October 21, 2005, 01:09:13 am by Newf Lover »
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Offline rutylr

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #20 on: October 21, 2005, 01:12:16 am »
I would never keep a dog out side when I was not home to watch them.
There are to many things that could happen.What if they dug out and got hit by a car?
What is a dog fight started?
What if someone threw something in the back yard and they ate it and got sick?
All of mine are house dogs.In their crates I know they are in the same place I left them and are safe.My house is also not tore up.
Donna

Offline Kermit

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #21 on: October 21, 2005, 01:14:06 am »
Am I the only lucky one who has a "dog room"? It's got brick floor and walls yet it is in the regular part of our house as opposed to garage or basement. It is completely dog proof (I think so anyway!). That's where my dogs are when I'm not home, so they don't get into any trouble. Zoot was crate trained as a pup, which has come in handy when I stayed with my dad for a while. Nigel completely rejected crate training as a young pup and soiled himself every time I closed him in. Now he is at the point though where he will wander into an open crate to take a nap. With Mokey I don't have a small enough crate for her, so in the dog room she has a little "puppy pen" so she can be safe from the others, and I put a wee-wee pad in there in case she has to pee. I don't want her peeing in a crate EVER so until she can hold her bladder better, the pen is working for us really well.
All the dogs sleep in my room in or beside the bed. Yes, I get woken up in the middle of the night sometimes by a dog who decides they need to go out for a pee. So I take them out... thank goodness too, because one night at 2 am during a Mokey-potty-break I busted a guy trying to steal my car.  :o
Anyhow, I like crates in the right situation, but I definitely think they are abused by some people. It sure comes in handy to at least have the dogs accustomed to being in one, should an emergency come up.
(my 2 cents)
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Offline Anky

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #22 on: October 21, 2005, 01:19:27 am »
I have to agree no way in HELLooooooooo would I leave my dogs outside when we weren't home.  Forget all the dog thefts that have been happening even in our little community of BPO, it's dangerous, you can't control the yard.

However, none of my dogs are crated anymore.  When we're not home at the city house, they're all in the kitchen (Which is like 3/4 of the house) with access to the basement.  The only room they're not allowed in is the living room, which they're allowed in when we're home. They're kept behind a 3 ft metal baby gate.  At the Boonie house when no one's home Sanity's in my room, held in place by a baby gate that if he sneezed he'd knock over. 

Araby was in a crate when she was a puppy.  Which she promptly ate through.  And then ate through the house.  We got her another one, and she was in there for about a year before we trusted her out of it.  Hobo was never in a crate, he'd go into convulsions.  We tried the crate for Sanity at night.  Didn't work at ALL.  But I did use it when I'd go to work, until he outgrew it.   

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Offline Newf Lover

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #23 on: October 21, 2005, 01:47:51 am »
These have all been great responses and everybody gave different reasons for crating or not crating.  Thanks for sharing and educating me.  I feel very lucky for my situation, I don't really have to worry about people stealing Drake or Poisoning(?) him because we live on a private road with really nosey, elderly neighbors and padlock our gates.  Drake doesn't dig so he won't get out, the only poison we use is pet friendly Sluggo, which is in protected vegetable boxes he can't get at, so he can wander the garden without us worrying that he will eat something that will kill him.  He's so picky anyway, he doesn't eat anything weird, not even toadstools.  He can sleep in the cool garage or sun himself on the deck, so the weather won't kill him.  There's a Lixit on the faucet so he can get water all day long whenever he wants it.  At night, he's asleep by 7 PM so we don't have to chill him out or crate him.  But that's a 3 year old Newf for you, not all dogs are that Mellow.  I totally understand other people's situations and there is no one correct way to take care of your dog when you are not at home. 

My only concern about Crating, and I think most of you feel this way too, is that some dogs are Crated way too much, for way too long.  That's just cruel, regardless of the breed or your personal situation and there's no justifying it.  The way I see it, they might as well be in the pound.  If you don't have time for a dog, why own one?  Get a cat, they're less work and don't really miss you as much.
« Last Edit: October 21, 2005, 01:49:04 am by Newf Lover »
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Offline Good Hope

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #24 on: October 21, 2005, 01:50:50 am »
I have read several posts about people having issues with their dogs being in crates all day, snapping, barking, etc. etc. and I'm curious about the logic behind it all.  I can't imagine crating being something thats enjoyable for a dog.  We crated Drake when he was a puppy and it just seemed so mean.  Once he was housebroken, we stopped that practice.  I really haven't done a lot of research on this topic, but what is the logic behind crate training?  I can see if you live in an apartment or small house with no yard and you don't want your dog destroying your furniture and making a mess or if you show dogs and you want them to be presentable, but are those the only reasons?  I would feel horrible doing that to Drake, although he spends most of the day sleeping in the garage, it is nice to know he can get up and stretch his legs and drink water if he needs to.  We had friends who crated their Weimriener and when they visited us, they always had to leave early because they had to let her out of her cage.  It totally controlled their social life and activities.  They had a big back yard and plenty of space, but they still crated her.  She barked all of the time when she was in the cage and it just seemed to be mean.  She would go crazy every time they let her out.  PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE UNDERSTAND, I'm not trying to be judgemental or condescending, that really isn't my intent.  I just don't understand why some folks do this, so that's why I'm questioning the practice.  It just seems most animals hate being in cages for extended periods of time.  Can you guys enlighten me on why you do this rather than letting your dog have free roam?  I am open to all points of views, so fill me in!  ???

Our dog, Sapphire, likes to go into her crate.  It is "her" space, where she can rest undisturbed.  (There are only a few times that we ever pull her out of the crate. When the realator came to take pictures yesterday was one; the crate had to go in the garage.  Otherwise, she is always left alone.)  Crating a dog that has been crate-trained is not cruel, unless they aren't allowed to get out for exercise and "bathroom breaks."  One other note: a crate should be roomy enough for the dog to stand, sit, turn around, and lay down somewhat comfortably, but it is true that they cannot sprawl out unless you have bought it several sizes large (impossible with dogs that require the largest size anyway).  However, this is why, as a rule of thumb, dogs shouldn't be crated for more than four hours straight during the day, and puppies cannot always hold it that long.

Regarding their use: There are lots of reasons to use crates.  A dog that has been crate-trained will like going into its crate.  It is a safe place for the animal to retreat into.  It makes travelling, especially on airlines where a crate is required, much less stressful.  It is the same with rest after surgery or injury; they aren't frantic to get out, so they can actually rest.  It is also invaluable in potty-training and preventing destructive behavior, such as chewing, as you noted.  It is basically useful to have around, but I agree that keeping a dog in one all the time is a bad use of crates.  Even if you keep a puppy in a crate most of the time for housebreaking and training purposes, they still need frequent "potty breaks" and play times outside.

BTW, mother wants to put the crate away when Sapphire is through the chewing stage and is trustworthy in the house.  However, Sapphire really likes the crate, and mother said she might change her mind and leave it out so Sapphire can use it.  ;)  The only thing with Sapphire is that she is really hyper if she has been crated all evening (4hrs.).  She is fine at other times, but evening is her big playtime.

I hope this helps to explain about crates.

Sofia

Offline newflvr

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #25 on: October 21, 2005, 02:02:26 am »
Cowboy has invented his own "crate" in the back of my station wagon.  He climbs in to every morning around 11:00am to have his nap....and he's up and away from Chester who doesn't seem to need as much sleep.  I think Cowboy was raised in a crate before I got him and he is definately happy and comfortable in the back of the car.  My concern with him in an actual crate though is with his seizures.  I just don't think I could pad it well enough to keep him from getting hurt and I have three different pads for the station wagon to cushion it for him.

Everybody has great points about crating/not crating but I think the bottom line is that it's a function of whether you are home or not to watch and protect our favorite little trouble makers and the personality of each individual pup.  Cowboy wouldn't do anything bad (except seize ;)) if he was paid.  Chester is getting more and more reliable.  If he was eating the floor, I'd crate him, for sure, if I wasn't around!!!

Offline greek4

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #26 on: October 21, 2005, 02:03:28 am »
I confine to crates so they don't destroy the place, my stuff, each other, or themselves.  I'm lucky my guys like their crates, so they just go into them when I leave in the mornings.  Once I get into my house, they will be in a 10x6 pen in the basement most days unless they don't behave or one isn't feeling well.  Rocco sleeps with me but Maia spends the first half of the night in her crate because that is where she goes when she gets sleepy.

I loved crate training my guys, it really sped up the potty training and it makes it easier to travel with less stress.  As long as I take the crate they are at ease.
Thanks,

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Offline newflvr

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #27 on: October 21, 2005, 02:24:59 am »
Cowboy and Chester in the "travel crate" (the back of my station wagon).  Cowboy is having a big drink of water after a hike.....

They are sort of crate trained :D

lins_saving_grace

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #28 on: October 21, 2005, 02:28:10 am »
Cowboy and Chester need their own car. :)  they are big fluffy pups! :)

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Re: Why confine your dog to a Crate?
« Reply #29 on: October 21, 2005, 02:51:50 am »
Newflvr,
That is just about the coolest thing I have seen all day!
“Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.â€