Crates

[grumpette]

VM and Nic.B, I agree she was absolutely gorgeous. Baylee was always happy and enjoyed life to the full :D

[Nic.B]

VM and Nic.B, I agree she was absolutely gorgeous. Baylee was always happy and enjoyed life to the full :D

Such a special soul Grumpette I love the teeff :)

[Esky the husky]

One BIG thing I use crates for now is feeding time.

No one can steal each others food. I could just feed in separate rooms but inevitably someone would hide a bone, the other would find it. Cue fight.

I did crate Esky when I was taking Fritz to training, as she would try and escape the yard.. Now she gets free access to the house as I felt it was too long to leave her crated.. Training is now at nights, so she can spend time with my bf while i take the puppy out.

Also used for the pup at a sled dog trial.. Normally just use chains to stake the dogs out at races, but this was in a very public park, and I didn't want Fritz to be touched or be jumping on people while I couldn't see him.. He was fantastic.. Not a peep.. He's nowhere near as good on the chain!

Sometimes the sleep in there too

[espinay2]

I am a big fan of crates and think they are avery handy tool.

I use them for young dogs to sleep in at night (once older and more 'trustworthy' they sleep out of the crate), as an aid to house training, at shows, as 'mobile bedrooms' when travelling, in the van for additional safety and comfort while travelling, to separate dogs when feeding, when I have bitches in season to separate dogs, to keep a dog calm while ill or injured. I have crates that stay up all the time with the doors open and the dogs can often be found in there sleeping. I feel it is important for a dog to feel comfortable with being confined as it will reduce stress if they ever need to be confined at the vets or at home due to illness or injury. I have found the easiest way to get older dogs who have never been crated used to one is to feed them in it every day.

While I like crates, I am personally not comfortable with leaving dogs in them unattended (i.e. someone on the property to check on them regularly). I won't use them when I go out (if we are out, the dogs are in dog runs outside). While dog may sleep through the night in them, during the day I like to ensure they are taken out for regular breaks if they have to stay in them for any length of time. Just my personal preference.

[Guest Clover]

I'm another crate fan. The BC's sleep in their crates at night, fantastic for when non dog people visit or the kiddies visit & two of the dogs eat crated.

I let my dogs in when I get home of an evening and they run strait to their crates. They have nice cosy beds for in them they can snuggle up in.

I have also known people that have abused crates and the dogs were crated all night, let out to toilet in the morning then crated all day, let out to toilet and so on.

[BlaznHotAussies]

Well, my 10 month old pup is crate trained and will stay in there overnight (basically no more than 9 hours, then gets let out straight away for toilets), then he might get shut in there if I have to be out of the house and can't take him (can happen for up to 8 hours occasionally) which wouldn't happen very often. On the days I know this has to happen I'll try to take him for a run at some point to wear off some energy and sometimes my OH even pops in to give him a break. If he's not in the crate he's with me in the lounge room, feeding the horses or somewhere else dog friendly. Often he'll come with me around the farm and he's been on the tractor a couple of times but isn't really a fan... I really appreciate the crate as a tool for peace of mind and training the dog to just chill.

Edited April 26, 2014 by Scootaloo

[Akayla]

I will use the crate when ever I need to. One of my dogs sleeps in a crate (but it is quite large and fits his large plastic bed in it too), but its a constant argument between him and the cat about who gets to stay in there. :laugh:

The other dog prefers to sleep under the table which is fine by me.

I prefer them to not be in there during the day though unless as others have mentioned injury, their safety etc. I think most people, well I hope most people understand that a dog needs to stretch, sniff, run and play. A dog needs to be a dog. If they are happy to come in at night and snuggle in their comfy beds inside a crate I don't see an issue with that.

[cali]

all my dogs are crate trained, they all have free access to crates, only Rusty, Gem and Gypsy are ever closed in them at home, and Paisley is only crated at trials. my brother lives with me and he is of the extreme PETA view, he hates crates, and if he is the last to leave the house he wont crate anyone(OTH if he leaves the house, he takes Rusty with him lol) I trust Gem loose alone, and have started giving her more freedom, but my mom still crates her. Gypsy.... my brother leaves loose, but I really don't trust her, she is really really really bad about getting on counters and in garbage's, she will chill out sleeping somewhere just waiting for you to leave the room, then immediately snatch everything she can reach....which is surprisingly everything considering she is not that big lol. OTH the last time my brother left her loose, she didn't get into anything, quiet the opposite, she just herself in her crate and refused to leave it till I got home and opened the (unlatched) door. Rusty...if we lived somewhere where creates were illegal, Rusty would be dead. if he didn't kill himself(he has a penchant for knives and will pull of some amazing feats to get a hold of a sharp knife..he's 15lbs) then somebody would have killed him. between the running away, the marking in the house(despite 4 YEARS of umbilical training), the non stop barking, and the random full blown attacks on other dogs for absolutely no reason(ie, fast asleep, wakes up, attempts to murder the nearest sleeping dog..). he is doing great now, but it would not have been workable without a crate.

[~Anne~]

Well, my 10 month old pup is crate trained and will stay in there overnight (basically no more than 9 hours, then gets let out straight away for toilets), then he might get shut in there if I have to be out of the house and can't take him (can happen for up to 8 hours occasionally) which wouldn't happen very often. On the days I know this has to happen I'll try to take him for a run at some point to wear off some energy and sometimes my OH even pops in to give him a break. If he's not in the crate he's with me in the lounge room, feeding the horses or somewhere else dog friendly. Often he'll come with me around the farm and he's been on the tractor a couple of times but isn't really a fan... I really appreciate the crate as a tool for peace of mind and training the dog to just chill.

So your dog can sometimes be crated for up to 17 hours.

A prime example illustrating my concerns about them being overused.

[Dame Aussie]

Well, my 10 month old pup is crate trained and will stay in there overnight (basically no more than 9 hours, then gets let out straight away for toilets), then he might get shut in there if I have to be out of the house and can't take him (can happen for up to 8 hours occasionally) which wouldn't happen very often. On the days I know this has to happen I'll try to take him for a run at some point to wear off some energy and sometimes my OH even pops in to give him a break. If he's not in the crate he's with me in the lounge room, feeding the horses or somewhere else dog friendly. Often he'll come with me around the farm and he's been on the tractor a couple of times but isn't really a fan... I really appreciate the crate as a tool for peace of mind and training the dog to just chill.

So your dog can sometimes be crated for up to 17 hours.

A prime example illustrating my concerns about them being overused.

Yes, that is far too long for a dog to be unable to move around.

[BlaznHotAussies]

I think that's happened about once, maybe twice and I'm being generous with how long it was. And from memory my husband came home at lunch time (I'd gone to another town for food shopping and other things, over a 3 hour round trip) to give him a toilet break and attention. If he's in the crate during the day at all because I'm out it's only because my husband isn't able to take him with him. It's actually a really big crate too, he's an Aussie shepherd & I'm borrowing a crate that's as big as they come.

Anyway, I can't think of a time in the last 3-4 weeks that he's spent more than a night in the crate, except for if we've gone out to dinner at night for a couple of hours. But yes he's very neglected and unloved spending most days with me - I take him with me as often as I can, the only time I don't is when I go food shopping (human food plus dog food, treats, bones, toys), spending most of his time sleeping in the lounge room or kitchen at my feet.

Edited April 27, 2014 by Scootaloo

[~Anne~]

Statements such as "on the days this has to happen, I'll try to take him for a run at some point...... " don't sound like a once off occurrence only.

There are dog owners who lock dogs in crates while they're at work and is a common and acceptable practice. I was even once banned from a US based dog forum after getting into a very heated debate with people about this very practice.

Ask I said earlier, as we become more accepting of crating dogs, this routine and daily crating will occur more often. I think it's very poor management if you can't secure your dog in a room, yard or elsewhere where they're safe.

Crating is a convenience for the human at the expense of the dog.

[Rebanne]

Well, my 10 month old pup is crate trained and will stay in there overnight (basically no more than 9 hours, then gets let out straight away for toilets), then he might get shut in there if I have to be out of the house and can't take him (can happen for up to 8 hours occasionally) which wouldn't happen very often. On the days I know this has to happen I'll try to take him for a run at some point to wear off some energy and sometimes my OH even pops in to give him a break. If he's not in the crate he's with me in the lounge room, feeding the horses or somewhere else dog friendly. Often he'll come with me around the farm and he's been on the tractor a couple of times but isn't really a fan... I really appreciate the crate as a tool for peace of mind and training the dog to just chill.

So your dog can sometimes be crated for up to 17 hours.

A prime example illustrating my concerns about them being overused.

Yes, that is far too long for a dog to be unable to move around.

while I would agree on the surface that is too long, if the correct size crate is used, there is plenty of room for a dog to move around in one.

[BlaznHotAussies]

I said up to 8 hours originally. It's rarely (maybe once, hence "up to") that long, usually more like 1-5 hours if at all. Husband actually just confirmed that one of the longer days Robo was in the crate, he went home for lunch and let him outside for toilet and a run.

The crate is huge. For giant breeds if I remember correctly. He's got a comfy big dog bed in there and chew toys and I normally give him a dental stick thing or a bone before I leave. So for at least the first hour or so he's not bored.

I would LOVE to have dog yards outside but our backyard is literally a bush, we're barely 200m from the neighbours' boundary and sometimes there are sheep in our nearby paddocks. I'm not 100% sure if I can trust him for extended periods of time in the house yet, he's pretty good when we're around but he does like chewing things. Actually there is n enclosure outside (used to be a chook pen) which we've used but if it's 40 degrees or raining/windy it's a little bit unprotected. I'm saving up for dog yard panels that we can put on the side of the garage for him so that it's closer to the house and less out in the elements.

Edited April 27, 2014 by Scootaloo

[huski]

Crating is a convenience for the human at the expense of the dog.

That implies there is no benefit to the dog to being crate trained.

Crating benefits dogs, it's not just convenience for people. Dogs that suffer stress and anxiety often love having the option of going to a crate, it makes the dog feel safe and secure and gives them a safe place to escape to if they are feeling stressed or anxious. Our husky seeks out his crate if there is a thunderstorm, he's sensitive to noise and being in his crate helps keep him calm and his anxiety levels lower.

Containment (crating, pens etc) allows us to prevent pups from getting into trouble and learning bad behavior when you can't directly supervise them. That isn't convenience, it's responsible management.

It also takes time and effort to properly crate train a dog, lazy people just after something for convenience often won't put the effort in to properly crate train the dog.

When you meet a dog that has never been taught to relax or self settle this is a problem that crate training could have prevented.

Crating can be convenient but there is also a lot of benefit to the dog.

[~Anne~]

Crating is a convenience for the human at the expense of the dog.

That implies there is no benefit to the dog to being crate trained.

Crating benefits dogs, it's not just convenience for people. Dogs that suffer stress and anxiety often love having the option of going to a crate, it makes the dog feel safe and secure and gives them a safe place to escape to if they are feeling stressed or anxious. Our husky seeks out his crate if there is a thunderstorm, he's sensitive to noise and being in his crate helps keep him calm and his anxiety levels lower.

Containment (crating, pens etc) allows us to prevent pups from getting into trouble and learning bad behavior when you can't directly supervise them. That isn't convenience, it's responsible management.

It also takes time and effort to properly crate train a dog, lazy people just after something for convenience often won't put the effort in to properly crate train the dog.

When you meet a dog that has never been taught to relax or self settle this is a problem that crate training could have prevented.

Crating can be convenient but there is also a lot of benefit to the dog.

Huski, you don't need to tell me all of this. I know.

We are talking opposite ends of the scale. Surely you know that.

I've crated dogs before. I've crated for short periods of time however.

You are also focussing one one statement and taking it out of context.

Edited April 27, 2014 by ~Anne~

[huski]

I'm not sure how I am taking it out of context, if you knew all the above you'd have no reason to say you "hate crates when they are used routinely". There is plenty of benefit to using crates routinely, for both dog and owner, and it doesn't come at expense of the dog.

Anything can be misused or used to abuse a dog, the issue isn't with the tool it's with the person using it.

[~Anne~]

Obviously you're hung up on the definition of 'routinely' and how I've used it. If you put that word in context of the other statements I've made, you'll see what I am referring to.

If you still can't understand that then I can't explain it any further without a verbal conversation because these days I don't bother typing long winded responses. Mainly because people take what they like and ignore the rest from posts.

Crates are bad news and the increasing popularity of them is scary.

Dogs are not meant to be caged.

[huski]

Crates are bad news and the increasing popularity of them is scary.

Dogs are not meant to be caged.

I'm not sure how you can make sweeping statements like the above and then say you are being taken out of context.

There are many things we ask dogs to do that aren't entirely natural or things they are "meant" to do, in order for them to live harmoniously in our society.

Crates aren't "bad news" they are a tool that can be used well or incorrectly depending on the person using it. Something that can have so much benefit can't be bad on it's own, people who mistreat their dogs will do so with or without crates.

Edited April 27, 2014 by huski

[~Anne~]

Meh, you have your thoughts, I have mine.

I will however, for the sake of defining my position on crates, repost my original post.

I hate crates when they are used routinely. To me they are totally appropriate to use during training, for restraining young pups or for illness and injury or when there is no other option for a short term solution.

I hate the thought that as time goes by we become more accepting of crating dogs for extended periods.

Take note where I follow the use of the word routinely with "they are totally appropriate to use during training, for restraining young pups or for illness or injury...." and so on.

Edited April 27, 2014 by ~Anne~