Dog owners: Do you leave your dog in its crate...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We left our dog in the crate during the day when she was a puppy and she destroyed things in the house. At about six months, we started leaving her out when we were out for short times and we puppy proofed the house. (We started when she tore up the pillow in her crate because she was so bored.) Within a few months, we could leave her alone in the house without a problem. We used a dog walker until she was about 1 1/2 but after that she was fine at home and never got into trouble or had an accident. She is now eight and she just wanders around the house, moving from one comfortable spot to another while we are gone.

Your husband is right that puppies often need to be crated while you are away (but 8-10 hours is too long and you should get a dog walker to break it up). Crating up an adult, house-broken dog is both cruel and unnecessary. If you are having an issue with chewing (boredom) or peeing (you are leaving the dog too long without a walk), try confining the dog to one area of the house with gates and leaving lots of toys for him/her to play with. (Treat balls are great)

PP, can I ask what breed of dog you have. I have a terrier and they are just super chewy! Hope that by the time she is 6 months, we can leave her in the puppy proof house!

We have a Portuguese Water Dog. She was a crazy chewer when she was a puppy (the breed is known for being high energy puppies and big chewers.) She chewed the legs of our dining room chairs, part of our fireplace, the corner of one wall, and countless shoes. She would also destroy every toy that we got her, even ones specifically for strong chewers. So, not a case where she was always a pretty well behaved dog who became an even better behaved dog.

She did grow out of it totally by the time she was 1 and a half (and it really started to decline between 6-8 months.) We never had a problem with her peeing in the house. She grew up to be the most amazing dog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We left our dog in the crate during the day when she was a puppy and she destroyed things in the house. At about six months, we started leaving her out when we were out for short times and we puppy proofed the house. (We started when she tore up the pillow in her crate because she was so bored.) Within a few months, we could leave her alone in the house without a problem. We used a dog walker until she was about 1 1/2 but after that she was fine at home and never got into trouble or had an accident. She is now eight and she just wanders around the house, moving from one comfortable spot to another while we are gone.

Your husband is right that puppies often need to be crated while you are away (but 8-10 hours is too long and you should get a dog walker to break it up). Crating up an adult, house-broken dog is both cruel and unnecessary. If you are having an issue with chewing (boredom) or peeing (you are leaving the dog too long without a walk), try confining the dog to one area of the house with gates and leaving lots of toys for him/her to play with. (Treat balls are great)

I agree with this poster. OP, how old is your dog?

[Anonymous]

Yes until she grew up---about 18 months or so. It's not a punishment for the dog.

[Anonymous]

I don't work but I usually crate the dog when I go out because I don't want her to have free range of the house. She's 8-9 months old and will poop (not pee) in the house if we leave her long enough. We picked her up from the pound when she was about 3 months old and she seems to like the security of the cage. Her bed and toys are in there and she never objects to going in. We lock her in at night for her own safety. If she roams freely she will chew on things like blankets or the kids stuffed animals and I worry about what else she could get into while we are asleep. She has been known to nibble at the drywall. She gets plenty of exercise, walks 1.5-3 miles a day, but she's a chewer.

[Anonymous]

This is a great question. I have a friend who crates her dog for all but about 2 hours a day. She walks him before work and at lunch. She goes home from work and walks him. His walk consists of going from the house to the street. She does take him out and play with him from time to time. Her last dog lived in the basement. It was cold and has a cement floor.
I don't have a dog. I would love one, but I'm highly allergic. When I go to her house, it really bothers me to see him in his cage. He is a friendly little guy and looks like he wants to get out and play. My friend is very controlling and this dog seems very controlled. I get the whole chewing thing,but why would someone get a dog and mostly crate the? At some point, isn't it the owners responsibility to train their pup to integrate them into the family? What is the dogs quality of life?

[Anonymous]

OP, you can only crate the dog a few hours at a time. But NOT at the expense of your neighbors! We went on vacation once and there was a dog crated in the next house who barked ALL DAY EVERY DAY. It was no vacation! We let the landlords know (so did the neighbors on the other side, unknown to us) and they now refuse to rent to those people again. Irresponsible renters, and irresponsible dog owners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a great question. I have a friend who crates her dog for all but about 2 hours a day. She walks him before work and at lunch. She goes home from work and walks him. His walk consists of going from the house to the street. She does take him out and play with him from time to time. Her last dog lived in the basement. It was cold and has a cement floor.
I don't have a dog. I would love one, but I'm highly allergic. When I go to her house, it really bothers me to see him in his cage. He is a friendly little guy and looks like he wants to get out and play. My friend is very controlling and this dog seems very controlled. I get the whole chewing thing,but why would someone get a dog and mostly crate the? At some point, isn't it the owners responsibility to train their pup to integrate them into the family? What is the dogs quality of life?

OMG, that is awful. Just awful and cruel.

I wish I had not read this.

[Anonymous]

We do. Ours is a chewer.

[Anonymous]

We adopted our dog when he was 9 months- 1 year from a shelter and we've had him for exactly a year now. He's destroyed several rugs, brand new carpeted steps, table legs, chair legs, toys, quilts and my prescription sunglasses, so we still crate him for 6.5 hrs. a day. We don't crate him during the night, he will typically sleep with someone for most of the night. Just lately, we've been leaving the house for errands, and not crating, while keeping our fingers crossed that he won't chew while we're not home and so far, so good. We love him dearly, give him plenty of chews, long daily walks, and I'm sure one day soon, he won't have to be crated. On the upside, he loves his crate and goes in willingly, but as I said, it's for 6.5 hours a day - I work part-time.

Crating is not a long term option for us. He's a part of the family, and I feel badly he's crated at all. We also have another dog, who is much older, and she hasn't been crated since she was a year old (she's now 10). The only time she has to be confined is when she has "poop" problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only if you are training him, OP. The dog, that is.

This.

[Anonymous]

I left him in the crate for the first year and a half. . Then he didn't need it. Now he likes his crate and goes in and out all day like a dog house. We don't need to lock it. But it if they get into garbage and stuff then it is more mean to let him free, where he can cause harm to himself.

[Anonymous]

OP here,

Thanks for answering guys! My dog is 8 months old and weight 6 pounds. She chews like a horse and pees a lot. The chewing problem got better since a dog proofed the living room. The only problem is- she is peeing all day on my new rug. I got this rug at PB one month ago and I swear I want to throw it away because the smell is brutal! I already rented that rug doctor at Harris Teeter twice. It is just unbelievable how this little shit can do such damage!

I love her though...great personality. I think I will just suck it up and clean my rug every weekend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here,

Thanks for answering guys! My dog is 8 months old and weight 6 pounds. She chews like a horse and pees a lot. The chewing problem got better since a dog proofed the living room. The only problem is- she is peeing all day on my new rug. I got this rug at PB one month ago and I swear I want to throw it away because the smell is brutal! I already rented that rug doctor at Harris Teeter twice. It is just unbelievable how this little shit can do such damage!

I love her though...great personality. I think I will just suck it up and clean my rug every weekend.

Do you have a kitchen or other area that is not carpeted? If so, put a dog bed in the kitchen and some of her toys and gate her in. There is a big difference between not letting a dog have free run of your house and putting her in a crate all day. If she weighs 6 pounds, your kitchen should be big enough for her to move around comfortably during the day and burn off a little of her energy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:while you are at work? I mean...does anybody leave the dog for up to 8 hours in the crate? I am having a hard time accepting that and my husband insists that we should lock the dog in the crate while we are out.

Only leave the dog for 8 hours in the crate when I have been in a hurry driving to Canada. It's more efficient that way.

-- Mitt R.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here,

Thanks for answering guys! My dog is 8 months old and weight 6 pounds. She chews like a horse and pees a lot. The chewing problem got better since a dog proofed the living room. The only problem is- she is peeing all day on my new rug. I got this rug at PB one month ago and I swear I want to throw it away because the smell is brutal! I already rented that rug doctor at Harris Teeter twice. It is just unbelievable how this little shit can do such damage!

I love her though...great personality. I think I will just suck it up and clean my rug every weekend.

Do you have a kitchen or other area that is not carpeted? If so, put a dog bed in the kitchen and some of her toys and gate her in. There is a big difference between not letting a dog have free run of your house and putting her in a crate all day. If she weighs 6 pounds, your kitchen should be big enough for her to move around comfortably during the day and burn off a little of her energy.

That was/is my plan. What I said is, I went through 4 gates and she got through all of them. If somebody can suggest a good gate, I would appreciate.