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

[Anonymous]

You need to get a wall mounted gate like the kind you'd use for a kid. I recommend the Kidco brand, but YMMV based on your set up.

[Anonymous]

Maybe some half doors would work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe some half doors would work?

I think that will be the solution!

Just to give you guys an idea. My husband made this video of her and uploaded on youtube. We were so happy last Sunday because we thought she wouldn't go through this gate but on Monday when we got home, she was partying in our living room...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8botP2LVL-E

Now, which gate could do a better job than this one? Before going to a half door option, I would rather try a fifth gate

[Anonymous]

Wow....this gate looks perfect. It also looks well installed.
I just don't care for someone teasing the dog. Glad it works, sad if your married to that guy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow....this gate looks perfect. It also looks well installed.
I just don't care for someone teasing the dog. Glad it works, sad if your married to that guy!

This was on Sunday when we installed. But it didn't work! We were teasing the dog and showing her the leash (to go outside-she gets crazy!) because we wanted to see if she would come through it. She didn't because I think she was too excited, but after we stopped filming, she calmly came through the part attached to the wall! Incredible...I thought she wouldn't fit.

Regarding to my husband- That is just a super goofy guy (too goofy sometimes...). He is very lovely and treats our dog quite better than I do. We just don't want her destroying our condo and he is convinced that the crate is not an option anymore. Now, we just need a great suggestion for a gate.

[Anonymous]

A general rule of thumb is that a dog can be left alone for one hour for every month of age, up to 12 hours. So an 8 month old puppy should be able to go about 8 hours without a trip outside.

Until your dog can be trusted unattended out of the crate--and that means trusted not to soil the house or chew on something inappropriate--it is safer for the dog to be crated.

There are things you can do to get the dog through the destructive phase faster. Exercise is possibly the most important. Tired dogs are good dogs, as they aren't as bored, thus they are less destructive. Letting them know that you are in charge makes them less neurotic and more calm. A good trainer can help you figuring this out (we didn't realize we were doing things that let our dogs believe that they were still alpha, which made them more difficult).

We also found that our first dog became more more content when he could see outside. When he was in the playroom (basement, high windows), he couldn't see out and he chewed everything in site if we left him out of his crate (remote controls, straw hats, rolls of paper towels....). Once we let him have free run of the house and he could look out the front windows, we (almost) never had any problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

So sad. I would call the humane society and get info on what legally constitutes abuse, and go from there. Unfortunately, this type of owner may not be doing anything illegal, although it certainly is cruel.

[Anonymous]

We crate our dogs for about 4 hours in the morning, they get an hour walk, and then 4 more hours in the afternoon.

I'm certain one of the dogs would be fine with the crate open, she actually like to sleep in her crate even when the door is open. The other dog, well, she is a bit more inquisitive and would be pulling things off shelves, the tables, and counters.


The rescue group from which we got the dogs insists on crating the dogs when you are not home. A bored dog is a destructive dog. A destructive dog is a dog that gets given up by its owner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe some half doors would work?

I think that will be the solution!

Just to give you guys an idea. My husband made this video of her and uploaded on youtube. We were so happy last Sunday because we thought she wouldn't go through this gate but on Monday when we got home, she was partying in our living room...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8botP2LVL-E

Now, which gate could do a better job than this one? Before going to a half door option, I would rather try a fifth gate

Well, perhaps she figure out how to get through because you were teaching her to try in this video? What were you thinking?

Anyway, you need to get a gate that has a cross-hatch pattern that she can't slip through, and preferably a wall mounted one so she can't knock it out...but she's so small I highly doubt she could tear a tension mounted one down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe some half doors would work?

I think that will be the solution!

Just to give you guys an idea. My husband made this video of her and uploaded on youtube. We were so happy last Sunday because we thought she wouldn't go through this gate but on Monday when we got home, she was partying in our living room...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8botP2LVL-E

Now, which gate could do a better job than this one? Before going to a half door option, I would rather try a fifth gate

Well, perhaps she figure out how to get through because you were teaching her to try in this video? What were you thinking?Anyway, you need to get a gate that has a cross-hatch pattern that she can't slip through, and preferably a wall mounted one so she can't knock it out...but she's so small I highly doubt she could tear a tension mounted one down.

I agree - OP, what the heck were you thinking? From the dog's point of view, you were encouraging it, teaching it to get through that gate. Why on earth would you do that if your goal is the opposite?

Have you taken a basic manners class for dogs? If not, you need to do that immediately.

~shaking head~

[Anonymous]

If it's going to rain or storm I do lock the dog in her crate for her own security. If she's out during a storm and we aren't home she destroys everything and anything in her path.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

This woman is amazing. She's in Miami but will work with you over email and she's in the DC area every summer for several months. Facebook her or find her on twitter.

http://twitter.com/#!/miamidogtrainer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it's going to rain or storm I do lock the dog in her crate for her own security. If she's out during a storm and we aren't home she destroys everything and anything in her path.

[Anonymous]

I love all this info! We really need a dog forum here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it's going to rain or storm I do lock the dog in her crate for her own security. If she's out during a storm and we aren't home she destroys everything and anything in her path.

But look how she tried to fix it for you with the broom! WHAT A GOOD GIRL!