What's your opinion on using a crate with dogs?

[Magpie]

Most people where I live crate-train their dogs. I've never really been comfortable with it, though everyone tells me their dogs love their crates and consider it their "cave" and it makes them happier.

Me, I put a laundry basket beside my bed, lined it with a cushion and towels, and trained my dog to go and lie down there at night and whenever we need her out of the way during the day (like if we're dragging lumber around for renos, etc...). She doesn't get out of bed unless I say she can.

When I leave the house, I make the cat food a little harder to access and I put the kitchen garbage in the bathroom and close the door. Those are the only two things I'm worried she'll get into when I'm gone.

So we make it work, although my friends think crates are easier and I'm going to more trouble than I need to.

I never really thought about why I don't like crates until today. There's an article in my paper about a house fire. No one was home, except for two dogs. One was crated and the other was loose. A neighbour saw the smoke and opened a door to check if there was anyone home. The dog that was loose ran out the door and survived. The other dog was later found in its crate, dead.

So I'm glad if there's a fire, my dog won't be crated. Though I have no idea if she's got enough common sense to leave the building! She's a bit of an airhead.

What's your opinion on crates?

She's not as smart as she looks!

 

[Mermaid02]

I don't think (and I believe I speak for most Pro-Crate folks) that dogs should be crated for LONG periods. If you have to crate your dog all day while you are at work, you shouldnt' have a dog.

Crate training is best for the dog. When our dog is naughty, she RUNS for the crate. We rarely have to shut the door anymore. We used to put her in her crate when dh's elderly Nana would come over (the dog is big and we were afraid Nana would fall if Maddy bumped her or got under foot).

Many dogs are given up to shelters when simple crate training could have curbed their "bad" behavior.

 

[NMAmy]

I think they are a great training tool particularly for potty training. As a puppy, my dog loved hers and would often go in there for some peace and quiet. If she got her tail just right, she could slam the door behind her. DD was a teenager at the time so I had both of them going into their "rooms" and slamming the door. Once she was potty trained and could be trusted not to chew stuff around the house, we got rid of the crate.

Even now our dog has her room in the basement where she prefers to be while we're gone. The room has a gate so it's really just a big crate for her. In a fire, she would have to jump the gate to get out.

As to the fire, I have to wonder--did the owner leave the door unlocked or did the neighbor have a key? If the neighbor had a key, wouldn't he know how many dogs they had? There are so many variables in that kind of situation. My neighbors don't have access to my house but they do know that we have a dog and would tell firefighters that.

It's impossible to plan for every possible emergency. If there was a fire, my dog would be trapped but if there was a tornado, she'd be in the safest place in the house.

 

[Art 1]

We have had good success with crate training our dogs. They know when we are leaving or getting ready for bed and just go in on their own.

 

[luvsJack]

Cute dog.

The dog we have now is crated. He was crated when he was smaller and then we started leaving him out of it and he started getting into stuff. So, he stays in the crate during the day, not at night. But, if he is feeling bad or has been outside playing a lot and seems tired--he goes to his crate on his own. Actually if we have to get on to him about something, he goes to his crate and we have never told him to. I guess its just a safe feeling for him.

As for the fire, our house burnt about 8 years ago. We had a little dog and a cat at the time. When we drove up to the house, ds jumped out and ran to the door. The cat was right there and ran out to me. The dog was hiding in the bedroom. So ds went in with a water hose and a wet shirt around his face and so he could get the dog (and wet down everything to keep it all from completely burning). So, if that neighbor had come to our house she wouldn't have gotten our dog out either and she wasn't crated.

To be honest I have thought about a house fire with our dog crated, but I know the crate is safer than taking a chance on him gettting into something that may hurt him or his tearing up something.

 

[golfgal]

Our dog loves her crate. She doesn't have to be in there when we are gone or at night any longer but she still goes in there a lot. Dogs DO need a cave type place to hang out-it makes them feel safe. Our dog also has a dog bed under the counter in our laundry room and spends a good portion of her day there-especially if no one is home. If we pull out her travel crate, we can't get the door open fast enough for her-it's quite funny.

In the wild a dog will find the smallest, enclosed space possible to sleep-just like a crate.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

We have had six dogs, all crate trained. I can't imagine not having a crate. We only crate them now when we aren't home to watch them. They can still get into mischief. If anyone is home, even asleep, they are loose in the house.

I would not have a dog without a crate.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

I have always crate trained my dogs.

Story: I used to teach obedience classes BF (before kids) . I had a puppy class I was teaching. We always highly recommended crate training. Pups can easily find something to get into even though their person doesn't know its there.

We had a lady with a pup who came to class regularly then didn't show for a couple weeks. So I called her. She was very stern that she would not crate train. She either locked the pup in the laundry room, bathroom or kitchen. This time it was the laundry room . The pup got behind the dryer somehow, chewed on the cord and electricuted itself. I felt so bad for her. She cried and cried. Extreme story maybe, but not as uncommom as you think. Maybe not to the point of eletricuting itelf but pups can find things unbeknown to us.

I never took the chance. My pups love their crate and sleep in them every night.

 

[Tinijocaro]

I only used the crate until the dogs were trained to go potty outside. I really don't feel it's right to have a dog in a crate when you aren't home, and don't believe that they are happiest in their crate. It just seems so wrong to me. I hated doing it even for potty training and as soon as they were trained, we put the crate away.

 

[Angelhalo]

Our dog is crate trained just in case she may EVER need to be crated for any reason. But, on a day to day basis she is NEVER crated. She is comfortable with a crate just in case we ever have to leave her with a family member who doesn't want her roaming the house when they're not home or if we have to move somewhere and she has to fly in a crate or something. But, other than that it's not a tool we really use.

I have a friend who puts her dogs in a crate all day while she is gone to work and they only come out in the evenings when she is home. It's just sad to me.

 

[dollydell]

we got our first dog just over a year ago, we were uncomfortable with the idea of a crate, but the trainer convinced us that it really was the best idea so we did it. He loves his crate now and will go in to sleep if he is really tired on his own.

 

[walden]

A crate is a training tool, pure and simple. It is a good idea and helpful for house training and potty training with a new puppy or older dog. I don't usually leave them crated for more than 3 hours and do not crate at night and when we are home to supervise.

If a dog has to be on limited activity (for example, after surgery) having a crate-trained dog used to being confined is really useful. They also don't freak out if they need to be kenneled or crated at the Vet.

I use them when our older rescue pups first come home and make it a pleasant place for them. After a couple of months (depending on the dog) they *graduate* from the locked crate and the door is left open all the time. I'd love to take my two big ugly crates in the family room down soon (I have done in the past). Problem is, one of my two present dogs gets anxious when she doesn't have her safe den to retreat into, and the other is in the process of graduating from his crate - we have only had him a couple of months. He goes into the crate by himself when he thinks dinner time is coming because we feed him in there!

So I think they are a very good training tool, but should not be used as a jail for long periods for people who don't know how to train, house proof or supervise their dogs.

ETA: On the fire risk: There is a decal you can get for windows to tell fire firefighters how many pets you have in case of fire. Mine says "2 dogs in family room" because that is where we keep the crates and the door is closed when we are out. More efficient than having rescuers search the whole house.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Crate training is a relatively new phenomenon. The first time we ever used one was in 1991 and 92, for our two puppies. We used them for a few months and that was it. No need for one after that. Dogs were happy in their "assigned spaces" (ie beds, lol, or wherever we told them to go room to room) and we were consistent with training 24/7.

Fast forward to 2004. We again used the crate with our puppy but we realized that she was one of the few dogs it wasn't going to work with - her separation anxiety/OCD was so severe that she was harming herself in the crate to the point her face and feet were bleeding. So we just incorporated her into the household a little earlier, and it worked out fine.

My feelings are mixed when it comes to crating. I think there are many who use them properly. But I also think there are many who don't. For some, crating in isolation is the "tying to the tree" of today - and in some ways it's even scarier because it's inside and out of view. At least dogs tied to trees had some way of potentially getting help by barking or being seen by passers by. Many animals probably suffer in silence being crated in cellars or garages in isolation, etc.

Dogs are social animals and want to be with people, not by themselves listening to the goings on of the household from afar. (Especially as puppies newly taken from their litters - I'm an advocate of bedroom crating.) And what happens if they're hungry or have to go to the bathroom? They can't go to their dish or to the door - instead they might bark, and we all know you never take a barking dog out of it's crate, right? How must that feel? ...

And I agree with Mermaid

I don't think (and I believe I speak for most Pro-Crate folks) that dogs should be crated for LONG periods.

9 or 10 hours in a crate at a stretch, day in and day out, is a pretty tortuous existence. And what happens when someone who comes home after that long away from home? Play with or walk the dog?

But for those who do use them properly, I think they can be great. As people have said, dogs enjoy the cave-like atmosphere - as long as it's not overused. I also think for busy households, or those with young children, it's a "safe place" for the dog to retreat to, especially an older or more quiet dog. Keeping the door open and using it as a bed for an older dog is probably ideal.

 

[WhateverLolaWants]

My dog is one of the most needy dogs (couldn't be alone as a puppy, always had to be touching someone) and she's ended up being great with the crate as she's gotten older. There will be times when you come home and let her out, and she'll come out and greet you and then run back in to go back to sleep. It does get a little sad when she sees me getting ready to leave and she goes running to her cage like "hurry up and get out of here!" because she is looking forward to the treat I give her.

 

[MichelleVW]

I don't think (and I believe I speak for most Pro-Crate folks) that dogs should be crated for LONG periods. If you have to crate your dog all day while you are at work, you shouldnt' have a dog.

Crate training is best for the dog. When our dog is naughty, she RUNS for the crate. We rarely have to shut the door anymore. We used to put her in her crate when dh's elderly Nana would come over (the dog is big and we were afraid Nana would fall if Maddy bumped her or got under foot).

Many dogs are given up to shelters when simple crate training could have curbed their "bad" behavior.

Agreed. I think it's a perfect tool for training, and all dogs should be comfortable in a crate just in case someone comes over that isn't comfortable around dogs.

My youngest dog sleeps in his crate at night, but he's the only one. The only reason he is in there at night is because #1, he takes up the whole bed and #2 it's easier to sleep in the morning without him thinking it's time to get up!

I crate them as puppies until I'm sure they won't eat my house when I'm gone and they have all proven that they won't so no one is crated when we are gone anymore. I used to take the youngest to Petsmart day camp during the day if I was gone all day because I didn't like him in his crate.

 

[luvsJack]

I have always crate trained my dogs.

Story: I used to teach obedience classes BF (before kids) . I had a puppy class I was teaching. We always highly recommended crate training. Pups can easily find something to get into even though their person doesn't know its there.

We had a lady with a pup who came to class regularly then didn't show for a couple weeks. So I called her. She was very stern that she would not crate train. She either locked the pup in the laundry room, bathroom or kitchen. This time it was the laundry room . The pup got behind the dryer somehow, chewed on the cord and electricuted itself. I felt so bad for her. She cried and cried. Extreme story maybe, but not as uncommom as you think. Maybe not to the point of eletricuting itelf but pups can find things unbeknown to us.

I never took the chance. My pups love their crate and sleep in them every night.

Older small dogs can find things to get into too. Our little dog decided to start pulling laundry out of the hamper, knock over the garbage can and other things when we weren't home. He never did any of this when we are home. And I was getting tired of moving the garbage can and worrying about forgetting or worrying about something being in there that could hurt him. So we put the crate back in its old place and he went right in wagging his tail!






I wish I had pictures of him when we bought a new one for him. When we came in and set it down he started running around and would run in the things so hard it would slide across the floor. He was like a kid on Christmas morning and the best toy in the world He was so funny. When we are at home on the weekends, he will gather up all his toys and put them in the crate.

If I thought he hated it or felt "caged", believe me I would never leave him in the thing; but I don't get that impression from him at all.

 

[barkley]

a friend crate trained her dog. he slept in his crate every nite. she did it largly for convenience (did'nt want pup dog getting into mischief at nite) but she did'nt realize the safety it provided for that dog until an earthquake hit the area. unlike her neighbors who were trying to figure out where their dogs were hiding, trying to get a freaked out dog out from under a bed or out of a closet, trying to chase their dog down the street (because the minute they opened their doors those dogs instinctivly ran out of those homes)-her pup dog was safe and secure.

when she talked later to her vet he said that there was a much lower instance of injury and loss of pets among his clients whose dogs had been crated during the earthquake.


hey-marketing idea for someone clever out there-they have those stickers you can put on your windows to let firefighters know if there's an infant or toddler in the home, someone needs to market a crate dog sticker. slap it on the window near the front door and maybe it can have a spot where you indicate "master bedroom", or whatever room pup dogs in so first responders know where to go.

 

[walden]

hey-marketing idea for someone clever out there-they have those stickers you can put on your windows to let firefighters know if there's an infant or toddler in the home, someone needs to market a crate dog sticker. slap it on the window near the front door and maybe it can have a spot where you indicate "master bedroom", or whatever room pup dogs in so first responders know where to go.

LOL, too late. That idea has already been marketed. I just edited my post to say that I have those. Here is a link to one version.
http://www.amazon.com/Pet-Safety-Alert-Window-Decal/dp/B00079YTTC

 

[acejka]

Mine are create trained and I have no problem with it.

The bulldog guy is only trained, he stays on the bed with us at night.

Now the jack russell, she is not pleased with moving to Florida. When we got here, she would get out of bed at night and pee on the floor (after spending 3.5 years potty trained-and she has already been checked at the vet-its not sickness, its anger causing this) or climb up on the dinner table and toss stuff off, break and eat things, she would open the cabinets and be a brat in there. So we started putting her in a smaller crate at night (im home all day) and she stopped all the nonsense. I do have to check her crate though-she still steals things and hides them in there-i found a remote and these under the furniture pads the other day. She's bad.

We let her come back to the bed, but we would wake up and she would move to her crate, and we let her choose at bedtime, but she goes to her crate most nights.

I don't feel bad about it anymore. When I first started crating them for potty training as puppies, I did feel bad.

 

[marcyinPA]

We crate trained our Corgi, and he still gets crated when we are away from home (he just turned 6). He LOVES his crate. In fact, he goes in it to lay down and sleep even when we are home. We also have a dog bed for him in our living room (HIS couch, although the little stinker likes to climb on OUR couch when we aren't looking...).

He sleeps in his crate all night long too. We tried letting him sleep with us, but he barked at every little noise. He never barks when he's in his crate.

I don't feel one bit of remorse or regret having him crate trained. He's a great dog and always very happy. It's obvious that he loves us!