Crate - Mommy Guilts

[DSmitty]

I am having the Mommy guilts and I need to get my thoughts straight about crating our puppy. Roxy is 7 months old and we crated her every night until she was around 4 months. We crate her if one of us cannot be at home but it's no longer than 4 hours and normally not every day. She has no problems with her crate. In fact, we give her a Kong full of treats and she just walks right in with no problem. My problem is this, we cannot be at home every day therefore she will be crated for 4 hours in the morning, someone will let her out for about 15 minutes or so, then back in the crate for another 4 hours. She goes to doggy day care twice a week but the other 3 days will be as described. She hasn't chewed up or destroyed anything, yet but from everything I have read, a bored boxer is not good so I know better than to let her have free roam of our house. Is this ok? If so, how long can we keep her in her crate?

 

[Althea]

Just my own personal experience...my own dogs are VERY curious, and one time I came home to a nearly chewed through power cord, still connected to the socket. IF my pooch had managed to chew it the whole way through, you can imagine the results. For that reason alone, my guys are ALWAYS crated. I don't trust them not to get into something...anymore than I trusted my kids when they were little!

Remember, for a dog, a crate is like a cave. My guys love their crates (the puppy is still adjusting), and we have no issues. Thankfully now my husband works out of the house, but for many years, they were in crates while we were both at work...so we made every effort to give them lots of attention and exercise when we got home, and they've done very well.

Just protect and watch out for your baby. You may be able to go without a crate, if she's a sleepy head all day while you're gone. But if she's at all curious, I wouldn't risk it.

 

[DSmitty]

Thank you! That's what I needed to hear. I have heard it before from other folks but it means a more coming from a Boxer owner. All our furry companions are very special but Boxers are just different somehow. Thank you, again!!

 

[livers25]

Our older dog Chester was crated during the day until he was 2 1/2 years old. He is not the type of dog to chew anything. We can actually leave a milkbone on the floor and until he is told he can take it, he doesn't touch it. (by accident a couple of years ago I had given him one before I left for work and 8 hours later when I returned it was in the same spot. I told him to take it and he gobbled it done. I know bad mommy.) Chester would rather spend the day sleeping on the couch than wasting his time doing anything else.

Chester has not been crated at all in the last 4 years.

On the otherhand, Lilly (who just turned 3 years) will chew anything and everything. If she happens to walk by the dinner table and she notices the tablecloth hanging off the table, she will chew it. So for this reason she is crated when ever she cannot be watched and I beleive that she will always have to be crated. We just make sure that Chester cannot get into the room where she is, so as not to tease her.

Like your dog, ours go to daycare twice a week and I do feel bad that Lilly is crated, but it is in her best interest and she always goes inside with no problems.

Don't feel bad, at some point you might be able to leave roxy out, it may take years but maybe.

 

[DSmitty]

I am feeling much better about us having to crate Roxy. After a very good but long day at doggy day care, (I watched her on the web cam beating up Lugtzz the resident pit bull), she came home, she ate and took her blood shot eyed self to bed in her crate. She choose her crate over the couch which I found interesting. I guess I now know what everyone has been telling me about dogs being den animals. I have the feeling we will use her crate for at least another year for her safety and to eliminate any temptations but I do feel much better about it. Thank you so much for sharing!!

 

[Althea]

So glad it is working out! You are good puppy mommy!

 

[RockyCody]

crate guilt

dsmitty -

just want to let you know rocky is 7 months and is crated at all times when we are not home.

He's in the crate 4 hours am, out for 15-20 minutes, back in the crate for 4 hours until we are home from work. He does this 4 times a week - and goes to doggy daycare the other day. The weekends when he is out of the crate a lot he lays around. I doubt he would get into anything if we left him out - but I'm not willing to take that chance. I think its' better we protect our babies by not letting them get into anything - they are most protected in the crate.

I feel guilty too - but will usually do a weekend dog park trip and I take him for a walk every night after work (except doggy daycare day because he won't move).

I felt super bad when he was younger and used to sleep in the crate too. The poor guy was only out of the crate for 4-5 hours each night. Now he sleeps in his bed on the floor so he's not "crated" and so I can handle the 8 hours a day. It's just for his protection.

Remember that - you are protecting your puppies.

 

[griffdiz]

I know how you feel too. Our boxer mix is the good boy who sleeps on the couch all day and would never chew up anything but his kong or nylabone. Our sharpei mix on the other hand is kind of neurotic. I have had her over a year now and she is almost 2 and we crate her everyday while we are at work. So she spends 8 hours in the crate 4 days a week. I feel especially bad because I can only put a thin sheet in there for her to lay on- its the only thing she won't chew up! I hope one day we can leave her out, I just don't know how to test the waters without getting my house destroyed!

 

[brindlepup]

You are being a good parent by crating Roxy. There is a lot of things she can get into if you are not there to supervise. My Butch nearly chewed through an 83 year old solid oak door before I learned he needed to be crated for his own good. Not to mention the mess he made of my recycling bin.

You said Roxy used to be crated all night. If she can go that long without peeing, she should be fine in her crate all day. Just make sure she goes right before going in and as soon as you get home you let her out again. Then like Althea said, give her lots of attention and exercise when you get home. Also if she gets anxious, you might try leaving the tc or radio on. Ever since my elderly Basset hound Bear passed away in February, Butch would become very upset and drool all over the place when left in his crate (Bear used to be crated right next to him and I think he was missing his buddy) so I started leaving the tv on low for him (no Animal Planet - too many animals in distress) usually on something like HGTV or CMT. It has worked like a charm.

Good luck!

 

[DSmitty]

Thank you so much! So far, we are doing good. As long as she goes to doggy day care twice a week, she's good. There was a couple of days that I didn't take her for a walk and it showed. I was working up stairs and she was downstairs and it finally dawned on me that she was REALLY quiet. I called for her and she came running with a leaf from our peace lily hanging from her jowls. (all the evidence hangs from her jowls) Yep, I went downstairs and the 3 foot peace lily was destroyed! Lesson learned. If she is going to do that while I'm here then there is way too many temptations if she is home alone. Also, thank you for mentioning not to put the TV on Animal Planet. I do leave the TV on for her and I leave the channel on what we were watching the night before and sometimes it is Animal Planet. Something I would not have thought of. Mommy in training! Thanks to all.