Should I get a crate or not?

[steffydill]

Hi, Any feedback would be welcome on what people think about using a crate.
I always thought it was really cruel to shut them up in a crate even if it is only when you leave the house but after not daring to leave the house for the last week since the new puppy arrived in case something happens I am starting to consider it.
What are the main advantages and disadvantages? Any thoughts?

 

[Lola's mum]

Both of mine were crated when they were pups.
It helps immensely with toilet training. It was Lola's breeder that recommended crates to me when we picked her up. Zeb's breeder also crates hers. Some puppies chew & they can injure themselves as well as ruining your property doing this so crates are fab for that too.
Lola whined but Zeb freely went into his, it acts as a safe haven for them too, like a little den.

 

[Donna1969]

My Blizzy was never crated..even during housebreaking. She was 100% trustworth not to get into anything she shouldn't.

Now, Echo and Carson are a different story. They were crated for housebreaking reasons. And when we went out I'd leave them free in the kitchen and den. I noticed that Echo would pee the second the door was closed even if she JUST went. So I started crating them when leaving. Decided to give them more freedom and paid the price..destroyed my overstuffed chair, ate a couch cushion and chewed a huge whole in the couch..THAT was it..until they get past this chewing thing, they are crated even if we just leave the house for a few minutes.

Once they are trustworthy not to chew things I crate them for their safety and my wallet..:((eating the couch could have been a fatal thing had one of them choked on the foamy stuff that was in the cushion or got a piece of the fabric caught in their throat..)

 

[Biff]

We haven't even considered a crate....YET

I don't think they are so commonly used in the UK (well, none of my friends with dogs have ever had one)

So far Biff is ok if we shut him in the kitchen if we go out...... we had started to give him the freedom of the house, but yesterday he managed upstairs and when we came home he was playing happily with half a dozen dolls which he had scalped and stripped naked
(Still don't know how he managed to get all their clothes off without ripping any :confused I need to get gluing the wigs back on before g/daughters visit......

Anyway, I digress........if he turns into a "chewer" or a "manic destroyer" when he gets older, we may just decide a crate is needed, but it would only be when we go out.

To crate or not to crate - that was the question?
Depends on the dog, I suppose

 

[Donna1969]

(Still don't know how he managed to get all their clothes off without ripping any :confused I need to get gluing the wigs back on before g/daughters visit......

Carson managed to get all my daughters Barbie dolls stripped naked..not a hole or tear on any of them. I can barely put the clothing on and off..and here he did it with just his teeth..and didn't ruin the doll or the clothing...go figure!

 

[tianthai]

Crate or no crate

Hi Steffydill,

Crate is the best thing ever happen to us. Our Boxer puppy Oscar came to us 3 weeks ago with a set of play pen (quite big) and a bed. The first two nights we put him in a smaller play pen and a bed to limit his outing. After reading 5 books on Boxer and this webpage, we went to get the WONDERFUL crate, the big size for grown-up Boxer and we blocked part of it to make it smaller, just enough for him to turn and stand and sleep.

Crate helps a lot with housetraining. We leave it open when we are with him, he goes in to sleep, in and out anytime he wants. If we are not home he is the crate with the door closed, as well as at night.

Crate is not cruel if you don't abuse it. We never leave him more than 3 hours at a time which is perhaps once or twice a week when we are out for dinner (and he is 4 months old, which can be left around 5 hours, his months plus one). We never punish him by putting him in the crate. If he is supervised the door is always open.

According to these various books which said that the dogs would never soil where he sleeps, it is not really true for our Oscar. He will do it if he has to. He did twice during the night (our mistake), he did twice on purpose by walking to his open crate and peed which we still could not figure out why.

I am really for it. He feels very secure in his HOME. He does not like it when we pook our head inside (he comes running like crazy, dropping whatever he is doing then). He keeps his toys in there. We never call it a crate but we always tell him to go HOME.

Good luck with your pup!
Tianthai

 

[steffydill]

Thanks for response. I am going for the crate option but only foir when I am out of the house, Thanks guys, x

 

[skorp]

crating ? YES Ma'm

Thanks for response. I am going for the crate option but only foir when I am out of the house, Thanks guys, x

yeah , I, also only use it for when i'm not in the house.... Abbey , doesn't necessarily like her crate, as soon as i put her in she tries to hop back out , i wish she would go in voluntarily.... she is normally only in there maybe 4 1/2 hours from lunch on. 5 the most ...but as soon as we get home we take her out and she wiggle freaks us till no end.... gotta love her .... she sleeps where ever she lays her head at the time.... although she sleeps with us on the bed all night, she never wakes up to potty in the house during the night .... we let her out as soon as we are up. i'm not sure but maybe the reason she doesn't like her crate is because she sleeps anywhere she wants ....
but if i were you, the crate is great for being able to keep your baby in control. while the baby is out, you'll be able to catch him when he attempts to do wrong and correct him, can't do it when you're not home... right? so crate him.... for his sake and your sanity.....

And if anybody can give me any suggestions on how to get Abbey to like her crate and go in voluntarily , please let me know.


Abbey's Daddy
Eddie
Floppy, Docked and Fawn Sexy
Abbey~5-30-06

 

[tianthai]

Crate

Hi Skorp,

When we first got the crate, we left the crate's door open and put toys inside. It took a week or so until he got used to it. The first time we closed the door he cried (worse than baby) but we knew that he was alright, he just went out for his potty so we figure he did not need anything so as heartbroken as we were, we left him inside (he could see us all the time), just about 5 minutes he stopped and felt asleep. Later we tried to go upstairs so he did not see us around when left inside, he did cry as well but not for long. So he now love his HOME. I think he feels protected in there. I also put some biscuits for him, or something that he likes most (toys, treats, towel).
Good luck with your Abbey. How old is she? Oscar is 4 months old and we still housebreaking him, right now unsuccessfully but we keep on trying.
Tianthai

 

[skorp]

Hi Skorp,

When we first got the crate, we left the crate's door open and put toys inside. It took a week or so until he got used to it. The first time we closed the door he cried (worse than baby) but we knew that he was alright, he just went out for his potty so we figure he did not need anything so as heartbroken as we were, we left him inside (he could see us all the time), just about 5 minutes he stopped and felt asleep. Later we tried to go upstairs so he did not see us around when left inside, he did cry as well but not for long. So he now love his HOME. I think he feels protected in there. I also put some biscuits for him, or something that he likes most (toys, treats, towel).
Good luck with your Abbey. How old is she? Oscar is 4 months old and we still housebreaking him, right now unsuccessfully but we keep on trying.
Tianthai

Hi Tianthai,
she's 4 1/2 months... you i'll try that biscuit thing.... maybe Abbey will like that ... i got her favorite blanket, toys and chew bones, but none of it seems to work , but i guess i can try the biscuit.... thanks


Abbey's Daddy
Eddie
Floppy, Docked and Fawn Sexy
Abbey~5-30-06