If You Have More Than One Dog, Do They Have Thier "own" Crate?

[Guest FrankieWylie]

It would seem as though Charlie and Magic have no preference over which crate they get in when it's time to go into them. Is this a problem? Should we make it a point to assign them each their own? There doesn't seem to be any method to their choosing, though it does look like it's up to Charlie which one he chooses. Then, Magic just goes into the remaining one. I just wasn't sure if they needed to have defined/enforced spaces. Occasionally they both even get into the same crate!? These boys are just crazy!

[TheFullHouse]

It doesn't matter. I only have 5 of mine in crates and they go into the same crate, every time. They know which one is theirs and that's the one they go in. I guess it was from putting them in certain crates when we got them so it's routine for them. The only thing that messes them up is when I rearrange the room and move the crates and then chaos ensues.

[LuvEarsies]

We crate 5 of our 6 hounds. Of those 5 only 3 of them pick the same crate each time. The other 2 hounds switch between the 2 remaining crates. It's never been a problem.

[Guest madredhare]

Mine usually go in their "usual" crate when I say "kennel up". Sometimes at night they will go into their room and get in a kennel that isn't necessarily theirs. But I don't shut the doors and keep them in there, they just choose to go there on their own.

[Guest FrankieWylie]

thanks! I just wanted to be sure we weren't doing them a disservice by not making them go into one specific crate!

[Guest KennelMom]

We only have one crate set up in the house and that's for our blind dog at night...she tends to wander and start barking if we don't crate her. I think she likes it in there at night, actually. She's usually already in there after last turnout and we just close the door. It's left open the rest of the time and dogs mill in and out of it on their own. Some like it, some never sleep in it. Sometimes I find two dogs (one is always Dash), curled up in there together. At our old house, there were definitely preferred spots/beds in the house for most of the dogs...but, it's really musical beds at the new house.

[Guest sheila]

I've almost always had 2 hounds and none of them have ever been crated. I don't even own a crate.

Not to say that I'm 'anti-crate', just that it has never seemed necessary for any of the hounds I've had.

[gazehund]

Same as Sheila, I don't crate, never have. 3 hounds here. I would be very cautious with two hounds sharing the same crate until you know for certain one or the other won't take exception to it.

[Guest FrankieWylie]

Oh they don't share as in both stay in it at the same time. But they will both climb in to one. Then we separate them.

 

We choose to crate them when we are gone from the house and at night when we go to sleep since we have an indoor cat. It's what works for our family.

[Feisty49]

Sometimes having dogs is like having kids: Ya gotta pick your battles and what you worry over. Seems to me that if the dogs are happy with the way they work out the crate situation, it's no big deal.

[Guest sheila]

Oh they don't share as in both stay in it at the same time. But they will both climb in to one. Then we separate them.

 

We choose to crate them when we are gone from the house and at night when we go to sleep since we have an indoor cat. It's what works for our family.

 

Well of course go with what works but just for the record, until few months ago when our cat passed all dogs and the cat had free roam of the house 24/7. If you look at my avatar pic the cat loved my hound there. Unless your hounds have shown a tendency to want to chase or hurt the cat you needn't worry about it.

[Guest FrankieWylie]

Sheila, if it were just Charlie then it would be something we would consider. However, Magic is far too interested in her to even think about it. He is slowly getting better, but we still don't know 100% that he is completely cat tolerant. There's an entire thread on that one lol!

[seeh2o]

2 littermates, no crates. They swap beds all the time, though.