What is a crate???

[Mamabrown75]

When I first got our baby he would try to go into any box like structure, including our shed. Because it resembled his dog box. He was an outside dog at his previous owners. We showed him his crate (without the door) and he immediately took to it. It makes him feel "safe" from everything else. I only put him in the crate at night because he still has some accidents. We are working very hard on that but I see nothing wrong with putting him in there over night where we can't watch him. He makes no fuss and goes right in. He also has it open to him during the day (without the door) so that he can go in there and feel safe. He would much rather lay with me on the living room floor or lay with his head in my lap. He knows we love him and he has his crate for when he wants to be alone.

 

[Mya's_Mom]

LOL! Mine are that way too The doors are always open during the day and they go in and out at will. In the morning when I get up they won't even come out sometimes - they like to sleep in

Mya too! There is a pic of her in my gallery sleeping and not wanting to come out of her crate.

 

[mark downing]

Crating No!!

Ok everyone has the right to an opinion.We helped a Boxer Aid service here in Germany,it must be 2 months ago now.The animal we picked up was a lovely light brindle dog. Hed been owned by service personal stationed over here,and kept in a crate/flightbox for the best part of his 18months.It was a thoroughly mentally messed up animal ,with little to no trust of humans.The handeler told us this was not the first case she had seen .That was the first confrontation that wed had with crating.Syrous is now at his adoptive home doing very well indeed.

 

[jenjones28]

I realize that crating may or may not be a good choice for everyone. I have to admit, however, I don't understand when you say "just be consistent" with them. How can you be consistent if you are not home?

As far as them not liking being crated, I would invite you to view my gallery with a picture with Bindi sleeping in her crate. I don't think she looks traumatized in the least. Not only does she not mind being in her crate, she will often go in there by herself for peace from our other dogs or to nap. It is her own, private space.

 

[mark downing]

At the end

Oh well ,at the end of the day we all have our own views on how our babies are best saught for.After all who knows him/her beter than me.

 

[BeckyNC]

I just read all of the responses to the initial poster. I think one thing is being overlooked, in general. Frequently, when a dog is boarded or must stay at the vet overnight, he/she will be crated. Contemplate the fact the dog will already be a little uneasy with the situation, then think about how being crated for the first time might make him/her feel.

I adopted Tae when she was 13 mos old. She was not crate trained prior to that and, though I've tried several times to crate train her, I've never been successful. Though I have posted on this before, in a nutshell, she has a confinement problem. I even consulted with a great behaviorist on this who has other Boxer clients with confinement issues. Tae panics when crated. Believe me, I tried, mostly for the reason above, but also to protect my house!

Since I am unable to crate Tae, I have been forced to replace a window sill, wood putty three others, as well as part of my staircase, and re-glue a piece of berber carpet she chewed (small, thank gosh!). For months, Tae was unable to "hold it" while I was at work. She didn't have a UTI and she's housebroken and does not have sep anxiety, so my behaviorist conclued she just couldn't hold it. During the months I tried crating her, she was able to "hold it" in the crate (instinct), but for months, I had to clean up her little pee pee puddle EVERY day. Since I was unable to restrict her to a room or the kitchen (long story), she went potty in multiple places on my carpet. Yuck! These are all reasons to crate a dog........chewed items and destruction can add up!

I feel fortunate b/c, for the most part, Tae is a good girl while I'm at work or out. I do wish, though, that I could crate her while away from the house. Overall, she is well-behaved and I just ensure she receives enough exercise. A tired Boxer is a good Boxer!

PS
My former neighbors have a dog who lived out his first four years in a crate, which was kept in a closet. Thank goodness for him, there seem to be no ill effects. Still, though, if crate training is done properly and the dog is not left in the crate ALL the time, use of a crate can be a very postive situation for all parties!

 

[KristenElla]

Hed been owned by service personal stationed over here,and kept in a crate/flightbox for the best part of his 18months.It was a thoroughly mentally messed up animal ,with little to no trust of humans.The handeler told us this was not the first case she had seen. QUOTE]

I don't think I'm understanding you correctly - you think that a dog that has been kept in a crate for the better part of his first 18 months of life is the the same (equal) to a dog that sleeps in a crate at night and for a few hours during the day?

I don't understand your reasoning. Please clarify because as you have read above, we use crates for our dogs and they are normal happy dogs. Nobody on this board would EVER advocate crating a dog for hours and hours on end...

 

[KonaKoffe]

That is an example of crating abuse. That is not the intent of crate training.
Suggest if you haven't already you might want to read this link
http://www.boxerworld.com/puppy/crate/

There is proper crating and than there is crating abuse.

Personally, I only crate our puppy when we leave the house. Any other time the puppy is with us both inside and outside. She is never left unattended.

 

[jenjones28]

As far as the rescued boxer you mentioned, that is a sad case. I would imagine, though, that his fear and lack of trust is from more than being crated. I would imagine he was neglected and/or abused. That is not what we are talking about here.... we are talking about leaving our dogs carefully crated under good conditions with goodies and toys to occupy them and keep them entertained. I don't believe any of us here use our crates to punish our dogs, nor would we put them in there without being sure all their needs are met.

 

[Thomas Liggin]

When the crates were on the first floor, there was room to leave the doors open. We moved them to the upstairs hallway when we renovated downstairs and left them there because they took up considerable space in the family room. They are both one size down from the largest wire crates.


Tom