Crating N Kennelling Dogs

[HazyWal]

I never said it was bad to work or to contain your dogs just not sure all day in a crate while someon goes to work or kennelled all wk n only taken out of a weekend is right thing.

I just try & make my dogs life's as full n varied as I possibly can & only contain in crates or smaller runs when necessary but see no prob with dogs inside houses of a day or backyards n decent sized dog runs as long as they are exercised daily n have enough interaction with their family etc.

I just know my dogs would hate to be crated for several hrs everyday n then again at night constantly, of course bitches whelping, sick or injuries dogs are different again.

So do most caring, responsible dog owners, regardless of where they live.

Most of us contain our dogs. All we are now talking about is the size of the containment. Have you seen the U-tube clip of the greyhound on the couch. It doesn't move.. all day!!

And as for what makes a dog "happy"?? I certainly don't agree with the complete social isolation that many urban dogs are subjected to (kept in backyard, not allowed inside, not walked). Frankly I'm surprised more of such dogs aren't stark raving mad.

I am sure they do. Would the greyhound still be on the lounge if he had something to stimulate him? Just playing devils advocate here as I know many a greyhound n yep most r lounge lizards given the chance to be, lol.

My two greyhounds rarely leave the lounge. Opening the fridge door is about the only thing that stimulates them so seeing no one is home to do that they just stay on the lounge :)

[oakway]

What one must also keep in mind is that some dogs are confined for their own well being and safety.

[Maddy]

but I bet if your dog would not stay in crate all day if she had you home or someone to stimulate her.

Your assumption is simply incorrect. I'm home most of the day- I let the eldest hound out in the morning to go to the toilet.. let him back in a few minutes later and then that's usually the last I see of him until he decides to emerge at around 10pm for his dinner. He knows I'm home, he knows other dogs are home, he doesn't care because he has better things to do (i.e sleep)

At this point, I'm afraid I have to point back to my first post- you're not in this thread to learn, you're in it to assert your own moral superiority and to tell other dog owners that their dogs aren't happy or as well cared for as yours (which is incredibly rude and presumptuous).

[kayla1]

I'd love to let my dog have free range in the backyard when no one is home. Unfortunately I can't given she is a serial escape artist and is storm phobic. So I have to put her in her roofed concrete floored kennel run so I know when I come home she is there (unless there has been a huge storm and she has managed to rip the door off the hinges and pull the chain link off the side gate to get out again ). I guess what I am saying is that if all you saw was my dog in her kennel run for a large portion of the day in her run without knowing the situation you could come to the conclusion that I don't have the time for my dog.

--Lhok

My SV is the same, I am hoping to try her on Clomicalm (sp?) this storm season to see if it helps her with her storm phobia and general anxiety. She doesn't have a run yet (I am looking into getting one) so she has to be crated during the day when I'm at work especially if there is a chance of a storm otherwise she takes off and she has done a lot of damage to fences and herself getting out. I'm currently working only 4 days a week and she has the run of the yard when I'm at home at night (unless it storms in which case it's back in the crate for the duration of the storm as she will still try to escape even with me there) so yeah not ideal but you do the best you can to keep your dog safe and comfortable.

She seems to cope well enough with it she has a good run when she's let out and the rest of the time she mostly just chills out on the couch and takes herself outside when she feels like it.

I also have a dog with a storm phobia and if there is any sign of storm etc then the dogs are locked inside when I go out. Just too risky to let Kayla outside if a storm hits.

[WreckitWhippet]

Someone best go and tell my understimulated Italian Greyhound that he needs to get out and live a bit. He spends the majority of his life either asleep in his crate, asleep on the lounge or asleep on a bed somewhere. He does that regardless of what's going on around him, who is home or what we are doing.

I have crates, I have kennels and I use them

[OSoSwift]

I live on acreage and have dogs.

I have crates, dog runs and use them.

When I first moved here I had Dobermanns and a Stafford. I can guarentee anyone found a Dobe even meandering through a paddock and it would be dead, no questions asked.

I built dog runs and exercise yards. Then the Dobes(bitches) decided they would like to kill each other, so they ahd to be seperated at all times unless muzzled and me there.

I worked full time. I got up at 5.30 to walk and train thema dn also did the same after work. I also have a 5 acre house yard that they had free running/playing in. I cannot leave my dogs out in that yard as one the fencing is livestock fencing not dog fencing but the main reason is we have snakes, quite a few of them and to leave dogs out running around is an invitation for a dead dog.

A few years ago I built a chainmesh yard that attached to my dog runs so when I am not home they can go into that as well as the runs, but I can also seperate them if required ie recovery from injury or a bitch in season etc.

In my dog runs are crates, the dogs choose to sleep in them. I also have one in the house, they quite often choose to go into that, but mainly choose the lounge or bean bag.

My dogs are not outside in the large house yard unless I am with them, I now have Whippets and I also have roo's, rabbits and snakes. They are in their yard with a selection of toys and generally they sleep, sometimes they get up to move to follow the sun. I will go out all day and leave them there knowing they are safe, would they prefer to be with me? probably but that is not always practical and I refuse to allow having dogs stopping me going to town for the day and not doing all the jobs I need to because the dogs are locked up, or not going out for tea for a few hours etc.

Recently one of my dogs had TPLO surgery she was confined to a crate for nearly 24hrs a day except for toilet breaks. If you didnt know she was in there you wouldn't have known she was quite, not stressed and coped extremely well. While I am sure she would ahve prefered to be on the lounge she couldn't.

I believe my dogs are well stimulated and have quite an enjoyable life. I can't always do what I want to, neither can they, that is just life.

Personally I wouldn't lock my dog in a crate all day unless recovering from injury, nor would I lock my dog in a house all day, but that is me.

[SupaDupa Mini Cooper]

I have never owned a dog before Cooper, and prior to joining this forum I had never even heard of "crating". My understanding of suburban dog ownership was you either let them in the house or you didn't (i.e. backyard only). Getting our puppy, I think the crate was vital in training and avoiding accidents. At the start, Cooper was in the crate any time we were not home as well as when we were asleep... more than half of the time. As he grew and became toilet trained we slowly allowed him to be in one room when not home, to gradually the point where he has majority roam of the house when we are not home. He still sleeps every night in his crate (10hrs) which is conditioned, but we do not want him on our bed, and if he had free roam of the house he would scratch at our bedroom door - which we have tried and it is not what we want (yes, what we want). End of the day, he is a dog, not a human. He is not abused, he is cared for well (I'd go so far as to say he probably eats better than some humans) and he is safe. If I still could not trust him while I was not home (i.e. destructive) then he would be crated then too (as he was as a puppy).

For me, I could not leave him outside as he frets and would bark/howl the whole time (I know because we tried on numerous occasions) and apart from causing him stress he would annoy the neighbours and the last thing I want is a baited dog.

I only own one dog, if we had 2, a whole other set of circumstances would dictate what we did when not at home.

I personally don't believe people lock their dogs away all day and night in crates because the vast majority of Jo-blow dog owners don't know about crates, and those who do would only do so because they feel that is the best for their circumstance. Basically, if you know what a crate is, you will likely know how you should use it in the best interest of the dog. As always there will be exceptions, but that is what I feel.

[moosmum]

When I recently went back to Canada I noticed it was very rare for a house yard to be fenced,at least the area I was.Dogs were either inside,crated or chained.Every ones back yards met in the middle,creating a huge park like area with vegie gardens or groves of trees,garden sheds etc.Looked lovely and great for kids,neighbours etc,but not the best good relations if you let your dogs out.Not how I would want to keep dogs.

Each culture is different and adapts in their own way,and so do we.We are all looking from different perspectives.If we can't respect that,we're only going to get some thing else to divide the dog world.Doesn't mean we can't talk about it and look at the issues.

I figure my dogs are working companions.They were bred to be that and are happiest doing their jobs.When they are confined,they can't do their jobs and aren't learning to do them better.They sleep a lot,but the moment I walk towards the door the dogs are with me and even sleeping,are ready to work if needed. You could keep them in town and left alone for long periods,they would adapt.But its not what they were bred for it and would be a waste of their inteligence and abilities.In town living as part of the family,lots of training and human companionship,fine.

Some breeds cope better than others and individuals don't always fit the mould,but to me choosing dogs for your life style would include considerations like crating.Some dogs are destructive because they are bored.Seems sad to me that crating a bored dog is seen as a solution.

Knowing what we expect of our dogs we can bred for it.

[mixeduppup]

Same with most of middle america, it was rare to have fences.I stayed in Wisconsin and iowa for quite a while and hardly anyone had fences and dogs were always inside. Also in America they have cougars, coyotes, bears, skunks, raccoons and all these give a dog rabies or death. I'd crate my dog over there too.

[Bjelkier]

But seriously all dogs are individuals but I bet if your dog would not stay in crate all day if she had you home or someone to stimulate her.

I live on a property, work from home and my dogs sleep all day and yes often times willingly in their crates. They only go outside if I'm out there or if I make them and even then they spend a lot of their time out there sleeping in the grass and they're not a sedate breed.

I have crates and runs and I use both when needed.

[oakway]

Someone best go and tell my understimulated Italian Greyhound that he needs to get out and live a bit. He spends the majority of his life either asleep in his crate, asleep on the lounge or asleep on a bed somewhere. He does that regardless of what's going on around him, who is home or what we are doing.

I have crates, I have kennels and I use them

+1

[fuzzy82]

I have two dogs, one is a JRT x and fairly high drive. As a puppy he was crated quite a bit, but as he's grown up and stopped being crazy he's now only crated at night, and only because he loves his crate. We did try to get him to sleep on a dog bed, but he prefers his crate.

I work from home, I walk the dogs in the morning, then they spend most of the day asleep. My JRT x sleeps in his open crate. He only comes out if I get up and he thinks I'm about to do something fun, otherwise he will sleep in there for hours, and only come out for a stretch and to go outside and lie in the sun, then back in his crate. Then we do some training, then he sleeps some more, then he has dinner, then he might wander around the house, check on all the cats, watch tv with us, then out for the evening walk, then back to sleep.

If he was crated all day, his days would hardly be any different to what they are now, and when he was younger I did occasionally crate him all day because we were out, he couldn't be left unsupervised in the house and he would stress if left outside.

Of course there is the potential to use crates as a quick fix for everything and overuse etc, but that's true for lots of things. So what? Does that mean crates should be banned? What's the point of the OP?

[Dame Aussie]

I would never crate a dog for a whole day. Dog runs are a different story IMO, more room for the dog to move.

I have no problem with crates being used, I just dont agree with locking the dog in for long periods of time. I don't assume people who do it it every now and then are bad owners, and I can see where it could be useful if the dog is prone to freaking out and injuring itself, but apart from that I don't get it. It's not something I would ever do.

I find it interesting everyone says all their dogs do is sleep...mine obviously haven't seen the note *rolleyes*. I work full time but on days where I am home, I WISH my dogs would sleep all day :laugh:

Edited October 15, 2012 by Aussie3

[Guest donatella]

I would never crate a dog for a whole day. Dog runs are a different story IMO, more room for the dog to move.

I have no problem with crates being used, I just dont agree with locking the dog in for long periods of time. I don't assume people who do it it every now and then are bad owners, and I can see where it could be useful if the dog is prone to freaking out and injuring itself, but apart from that I don't get it. It's not something I would ever do.

I find it interesting everyone says all their dogs do is sleep...mine obviously haven't seen the note *rolleyes*. I work full time but on days where I am home, I WISH my dogs would sleep all day :laugh:

THIS!!

Mine follow me from room to room. Mopping and vacuuming is fun with 2 lunging dogs at the equipment (its all a big game to them). The kitchen is seen as where their food comes from and they running around thinking I am making them a feast whenever I'm in it. They bring toys onto my bed and play tug o war when i'm relaxing watching TV.

They are definitely NOT candidates for all day crating. In fact I bought one when I got the puppy and returned it 3 days later after she squealed the house down when being in it. Baby gates at our house.

[Dame Aussie]

I would never crate a dog for a whole day. Dog runs are a different story IMO, more room for the dog to move.

I have no problem with crates being used, I just dont agree with locking the dog in for long periods of time. I don't assume people who do it it every now and then are bad owners, and I can see where it could be useful if the dog is prone to freaking out and injuring itself, but apart from that I don't get it. It's not something I would ever do.

I find it interesting everyone says all their dogs do is sleep...mine obviously haven't seen the note *rolleyes*. I work full time but on days where I am home, I WISH my dogs would sleep all day :laugh:

THIS!!

Mine follow me from room to room. Mopping and vacuuming is fun with 2 lunging dogs at the equipment (its all a big game to them). The kitchen is seen as where their food comes from and they running around thinking I am making them a feast whenever I'm in it. They bring toys onto my bed and play tug o war when i'm relaxing watching TV.

They are definitely NOT candidates for all day crating. In fact I bought one when I got the puppy and returned it 3 days later after she squealed the house down when being in it. Baby gates at our house.

Yep, that's my two. Mosley will sometimes have a nap but that's about it. Lili follows me like a shadow, all the time, everytime I move....

[LizT]

okay answer this if crates are cruel for your dog to go in during the day bearing in mind I live on acerage

Latte my very active coolie. Gets up in the morning from her crate, goes outside zooms around the yard at a hundred miles an hour. Her dog brother and sister both of whom she adores and they adore her gets put in a roomy pen out the back having also slept in the house. To get Latte into the pen you have to carry her in there as she absolutely refuses to go in there otherwise and when she does she barks.

If you can't find her to put her in the pen, go upstairs,she follows you and open her crate door and she runs into it and settles down immediately. She stays there until about 4 pm when my housemate gets home. Runs around more for hours, comes inside, is generally pretty tired and will more often than not puts herself in her crate and settles down for the night. Otherwise when the others go to bed she goes immeidately into her crate, settles down and not a murmer

So my question is why does Latte prefer her crate rather than a roomy pen during the day?

Because a crate, if covered replicates a den. :)

[LizT]

I'm pretty sure I can speak for most dog owners when I say we would love to be able to spend all day with our dogs and not have to go to work :)

Yes, you might be forgiven for thinking that it is being implied that "If you can't spend all day with your dog and only be gone for an hour at a time you really shouldn't have dogs"...interesting, I've heard similar arguments about having kids, working mums and creches.

I was a privleged 'stay at home mum for 17 years"...we were fortunate at that time to be able to manage on one wage. Doubt we could today.

[DeltaCharlie]

We have 9 dogs and they are all confined while we are at work, and I am not ashamed to admit that.

We live on a property, we have snakes about, we have dogs that do not get along, we have idiots that would injure themselves if left to free run together all day, we have escape artists, we have stock in neighbouring paddocks, and most importantly...

... we quite enjoy coming home to dogs that are still alive and in perfect physical health.

They are not crated because we like to them to be miserable, they are crated for their own safety. They are in no way neglected and it does not make us irresponsible owners. In fact, I think it would be incredibly irresponsible of us to leave them free running together unsupervised where anything could happen and we would not be there to take immediate action for the welfare of our beloved dogs.

They are all in large crates or runs, with plenty of space to stand up, stretch, move about and have free access to water. Those that will use them have toys and chews for amusement. Some are in together. Once we are home everyone is out and about; we usually try to do some training with them, take them for walks, a swim in the dam if its warm, or just generally spend quality time with them. At night, young dogs are confined until they are mature enough to be trusted not to get up to mischief or annoy the older dogs (and us) who are trying to sleep.

[LizT]

I would never crate a dog for a whole day. Dog runs are a different story IMO, more room for the dog to move.

I have no problem with crates being used, I just dont agree with locking the dog in for long periods of time. I don't assume people who do it it every now and then are bad owners, and I can see where it could be useful if the dog is prone to freaking out and injuring itself, but apart from that I don't get it. It's not something I would ever do.

I find it interesting everyone says all their dogs do is sleep...mine obviously haven't seen the note *rolleyes*. I work full time but on days where I am home, I WISH my dogs would sleep all day :laugh:

THIS!!

Mine follow me from room to room. Mopping and vacuuming is fun with 2 lunging dogs at the equipment (its all a big game to them). The kitchen is seen as where their food comes from and they running around thinking I am making them a feast whenever I'm in it. They bring toys onto my bed and play tug o war when i'm relaxing watching TV.

They are definitely NOT candidates for all day crating. In fact I bought one when I got the puppy and returned it 3 days later after she squealed the house down when being in it. Baby gates at our house.

Can I suggest you don't let your dogs lunge and jump at your mop and vacuum....it's a very annoying and neurotic trait that will become a bane to you eventually.

[Guest donatella]

I would never crate a dog for a whole day. Dog runs are a different story IMO, more room for the dog to move.

I have no problem with crates being used, I just dont agree with locking the dog in for long periods of time. I don't assume people who do it it every now and then are bad owners, and I can see where it could be useful if the dog is prone to freaking out and injuring itself, but apart from that I don't get it. It's not something I would ever do.

I find it interesting everyone says all their dogs do is sleep...mine obviously haven't seen the note *rolleyes*. I work full time but on days where I am home, I WISH my dogs would sleep all day :laugh:

THIS!!

Mine follow me from room to room. Mopping and vacuuming is fun with 2 lunging dogs at the equipment (its all a big game to them). The kitchen is seen as where their food comes from and they running around thinking I am making them a feast whenever I'm in it. They bring toys onto my bed and play tug o war when i'm relaxing watching TV.

They are definitely NOT candidates for all day crating. In fact I bought one when I got the puppy and returned it 3 days later after she squealed the house down when being in it. Baby gates at our house.

Can I suggest you don't let your dogs lunge and jump at your mop and vacuum....it's a very annoying and neurotic trait that will become a bane to you eventually.

Doesn't bother me actually, its a game to them, they do it a few times and run off eventually.