Baxter is 7 1/2 months old. He is a beautiful brindle and our second boxer. Our first baxter suffered from cardiomyopathy and left us a few years ago. We LOVE our second baxter---but he is soooo bad! When we leave for work we try to dog proof the house, but it is like he looks for things to get into! One day I had a bag of potting soil dragged in from the garage and spread all over my living room rug. The bag was back in a corner behind all sorts of things. I don't know how he got it---or why! He loves any kind of paper or boxes. Turn your back and they're in shreds! Anyway, our first guy didn't do any of this. He roamed the house freely and the only thing he ever tried to get were my shoes. We never crated our first one. This guy is driving us crazy! I am afraid he is going to get into something that will hurt him. my question is, is it too late for crate training??? Also, how long is too long to be in the crate. Hubby and I both work 7 1/2 hours a day. Baxter always had access to the garage if he really had to go while we were gone. I don't know how he'll react to being penned for that long. Any suggestions would be helpful!!