How Many Of You Use A Crate In Your Home?

[Guest StarsMama]

Our dogs (We have Star our Grey, and 3 Springers) are in their crates when we aren't home. Star hangs out in her crate (with the door open) when we are. It's her safe spot, and knows she won't be bothered there. Star is getting older now(she's 9)and at times if I'm going to run a quick errand in town I don't close the door. I don't crate her in the car, but since we've lost a few seatbelts due to her chewing them, if I'm alone in the car with her and the trip is out of town I muzzle her.

 

Hope

[Guest verthib]

3 hounds + 1 foster always around = 3 crates.

 

Crating for multiple hounds is a safety issue. I have three that will be in their crates and one outside of the crates when everyone eats. When training time comes around, three are crated while the 4th is being trained. If we have maintenance people in and out of the house, three are crated, and the one left out is the lazy boy that doesnt get off the couch for anyone.

Example of safety:

a year ago my wife and I woke up early and were both very disoriented. To the point that I called 911 to have someone come by and do a carbon monoxide test on the house. Just as the ambluance and fire engines came up to the door, I had 3 of my hounds go into their crates, and I put a leash on the 4th and tied the leash to my arm. I didnt have to worry about someone leaving the door open while they came in and out. And frankly in an emergency situation, nobody really cares. Could you put them in a room and shut the door, yes, but what happens when the fired department are opening all the doors to check for problems? Beleive me, they dont care that you say, dont open that door, or be careful not to let the dogs out.

There are many other reasons that a crate is a safety device, especially if you have cats like I do.

 

In the van, everyone is muzzled and no crates. I am not one that puts seat belts on my hounds, or otherwise tethers them to the vehicle. Can they become missles and seriously hurt in an accident, yes, but the restraining devises designed for dogs is not to protect them in a crash, its to stop them from hurting humans from flying around the vehicle.

 

one last note, the adoption group that I foster for requires crates for all fosters. No if, ands or buts...

 

I agree with a poster above, the "crate pets" comment is a bit uncalled for.

 

Very well said, and good reasons! I agree!!

[Guest PhillyPups]

6 hounds in the home, no crates. They are muzzled when they are left alone, for work, errande, etc. When they eat, I am right there, they all know their designated raised feeders.

 

When Gizmo finishes eating he always comes to me for a drink of coffee after every meal. He learned not to take the coffee out of the cup on the end table, but waits until I hold my cup out for him. Sometimes he washes his french fries down with coffee too.

[Guest Geostar]

Everyone,..thanks for your replies as it was greyt to hear from you! I do use a crate for a foster, and lately for Maria due to her urinating a lot.

To me, the crate is a 'home away from home' when we travel...as my two recognize it has security in a strange place. Often, motels will reduce the dog rate when we state we have a crate.

-star

[Hubcitypam]

No crates here unless medically necessary. Used to have them when I fostered a ton, but they were mostly used as safe places with the doors open. The only time I have used a crate in the last 9 years was when I had 2 fosters with sarcoptic mange.

[Guest Iceman41]

1 hound used crate for week put it away dint need it good girl

[greytpups]

No crates here...and it doesn't sound like my pre-adopted pup will want a crate either...she's getting spoiled at the breeder's home and watches TV from a pillow.

[Guest Liz]

We didn't use the crate when it was Chauncey and Tess, when Darby came we still didn't use the crate, but when we found out he was thunderphobic we set the crate up and covered it with a blanket to make it like a cave, we took the door off and hoped he would view the crate as a safe place when a storm came through. I did not want to lock Darby in the crate because I was afraid he would panic during a storm and hurt himself trying to get out of the crate. The crate is still up in the bedroom because Darby seems to like to sleep in it at night, I am hoping to take it down some day but if Darby is happy sleeping in it then it will stay up as long as he wants it.

[PrairieProf]

Yes, I have had Beth for 3.5 years and use a crate when I go out. Keeps my cats 100% safe, keeps her calm when I go out, keeps her from chewing objects she shouldn't as she'll do from time to time, makes it easier to leave her when we are in new places. She is quite happy, trots right into her crate whenever she realizes I'm about to leave (she's so smart, sometimes all I need to be doing is changing shoes or putting on makeup, and the time varies every day!). When I get home and open the crate she generally lifts her head to say "Oh hi," then flops down to sleep a while longer.

[45MPHK9]

No cages here.

 

Murray had three of his four canine teeth pulled out at his last dental. These teeth were cracked to the roots from previous years of cage chewing. (He was in two homes before ours.) We foolishly tried to put him a cage when we brought him home. We caged him because that's what people seem to do with new hounds in their homes. He broke out on the first day and then tried to bite Burke on the second day when we tried to get him into the cage. That was the last ine we ever tried to cage him. We quickly learned that he never needed a cage. He was not, and has never been, destructive in the house.

 

When Holly came home in November, we never considered putting her in a cage her for one second. She just finished racing in June. She doesn't seem to miss being caged at all. We often find her sleeping peacefully on our bed when we come home from work.

[Guest june]

I work full time and I do not crate. I use a crate when I need to such as if one of the dogs is injured and needs limited activity, but usually the crate is broken down and in the shed.

[Guest verthib]

Just my opinion...someone mentioned not using the crates at all for their fosters. NOT a good idea. It's important as a foster home to teach and train him, part of that is crate training. The home they go to may want to use a crate and they have to start from scratch with training. NOT FUN. I was an adopter who had a foster who didn't crate train and she didn't do the dog any favors by not crating her.

[Batmom]

I have two crates set up. When no one is home, normally one dog is crated and the other (who fusses badly if crated) is gated into the same room. The fusser can be crated briefly if we're here and something is going on like furniture moving, workmen coming in and out, etc. Very safe.

[robinw]

no crates here

[BatterseaBrindl]

No crates now.

 

Nixon was very happy to be in the crate when he first came here...he would only eat if the door was shut, but that quickly changed.

We left it up for less than a month... he was not using it at all after the first week or so.

 

Ruby was bounced from a home for breaking out of a crate. I did set one up, but she was terrified to go in it, so we just took it down.

 

Nigel, our foster, was also bounced out his home for bad behaviour in his crate. I did not even set it up when he arrived here 3+ weeks ago, and have not regretted it at all.

 

We do use a babygate, if needed, to keep dogs confined to the mud room.

 

Our last Dobie was always crated if we went out. She loved that crate!

 

I do agree that dogs should learn to tolerate a crate, but if they are hurting themselves, then it is not worth the risk.

 

We are both semi-retired / work opposite shifts.... so someone is usually home.

We also have horses that are on a very regular routine, so the longest the dogs would be left is no more than 4 or 5 hours.

 

We obviously have no life.....

Edited January 6, 2012 by BatterseaBrindl

[seeh2o]

I have a crate, we use it for my s/o's two naughty Boston Terriers when he comes to visit. Carl is a professional at deconstructing crates, much to the peril of his teeth and it never even occurred to me to try Claire in it. Most of the time it is folded up collecting dust.

Edited January 6, 2012 by seeh2o

[Guest Timo]

We crate Timo when we're not home. It makes him feel safe and calm, and we feel a sense of security that he won't mess up the house or injure himself while we're out. We've had him for almost two years. He LOVES his crate. It's his happy place, It's huge... designed to fit a great Dane, so it feels more like his own special apartment to Timo.

 

The times we've left for any length of time without putting him in a crate, we've come back to a very nervous and anxious dog. No mess or destruction, but he wasn't exactly thrilled.

[Guest KennelMom]

I will be trying to wean Tripp of daycare and start to use his crate for at least a few days during the week when my dad is able to be there to let him out for a potty break at lunch.

Do most of you that use a crate work full time?

 

 

DH and I work from home...dogs are left alone, on average, few hours a week - if that.

Edited January 6, 2012 by KennelMom

[Hubcitypam]

Just my opinion...someone mentioned not using the crates at all for their fosters. NOT a good idea. It's important as a foster home to teach and train him, part of that is crate training. The home they go to may want to use a crate and they have to start from scratch with training. NOT FUN. I was an adopter who had a foster who didn't crate train and she didn't do the dog any favors by not crating her.

Hmmm....from what's been posted here it looks like the odds of a foster going to a home that doesn't crate are even or slightly better than going to one that does.

 

I'm sorry that you had to go through the work of crate training YOUR dog because you choose to crate.

[kudzu]

We crate sporadically here. Fosters are crated for safety reasons though they do get more priveleges as time goes by & our trust in them builds. My own dogs are crated on occasion. I do prefer to use crates in the van. It is, IMHO, the safest way though that can vary based on the dogs, types of crates & van arrangement. If not using crates I prefer to use harnesses & tethers for restraint even if it is just one dog in the backseat of my Prius. We also use crates when traveling for a variety of reasons & in various circumstances.

 

A dog who is comfortable being crated is a joy & a goal well worth working towards. Your dog's life will likely be the better for that ability even if you do not actually crate in your home. There is a lot to be said for being able to bring your dogs "home away from home" with you or having confinement in a crate not be a major contributing factor to stress if the dog ends up needing to be crated in a clinic or at home for health reasons.

 

Also, I've never had a dog bent on escape who would stay behind a baby gate or inside an xpen. If a dog with SA is attempting escape a baby gate won't be your answer. However, if alone training is starting to work & your dog is causing destruction unrelated to escape attempts then using baby gates or xpens may offer your belongings some protection

[Guest amethyst]

I have one hund and work full time. I never crate during the work day, only if we have guests or repairmen in the house.

[Guest GreyHawk]

If a dog is comforted by being in a crate then fine ...but shut the door and lock it in?

 

Never, that would be inhuman..... (and inhumane).

 

Dogs aren't meant to live in cages any more than people are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In my opinion.

[Guest Gert]

If a dog is comforted by being in a crate then fine ...but shut the door and lock it in?

 

Never, that would be inhuman..... (and inhumane).

 

Dogs aren't meant to live in cages any more than people are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In my opinion.

 

 

Wow!

[jaym1]

If a dog is comforted by being in a crate then fine ...but shut the door and lock it in?

 

Never, that would be inhuman..... (and inhumane).

 

Dogs aren't meant to live in cages any more than people are.

 

In my opinion.

 

 

hm, well, to follow that: dogs are also not "meant" to live in houses, eat commercial dog food, ride in cars, live in and navigate through cities, cohabit with cats and/or other pets, receive medical care from humans; sit, lay down, or do other tricks on command; rely on a human being to tell it where to poop, when to eat, how to live, or to do just about anything else we require them to do. i guess it could be a subtle philosophical argument depending on your perspective, but i think your statement goes a little too far.

 

though experiment: if we yielded every time in the face of making dogs do things they dont wont to do (or in the face of preventing them from doing what they want), there would be no such thing as a domesticated dog, and we'd all be bloodied and bruised while trying to leash-walk a bunch of vicious snarling wolves around town.

Edited January 6, 2012 by jaym1

[Guest verthib]

Just my opinion...someone mentioned not using the crates at all for their fosters. NOT a good idea. It's important as a foster home to teach and train him, part of that is crate training. The home they go to may want to use a crate and they have to start from scratch with training. NOT FUN. I was an adopter who had a foster who didn't crate train and she didn't do the dog any favors by not crating her.

Hmmm....from what's been posted here it looks like the odds of a foster going to a home that doesn't crate are even or slightly better than going to one that does.

 

I'm sorry that you had to go through the work of crate training YOUR dog because you choose to crate.

 

Our rescue group believes in fosters crating... it sets the dogs up for better success if owners want to crate once they're adopted. And I agree with them. I am glad I came from a group that believes in that. One of my dogs just fell through the cracks and the foster was lax with crating, so it was a lot of work.... When the dog is new to the home with a host of other issues to adjust to, crate training them on top of it doesn't help. It would be a better transition for the dog if they could already be crate trained, and feel that the crate is a safe place in a new home. I didn't make the comment because I thought it was better for ME, but that it was better for the DOG. Again, my opinion, and my groups' - but it doesn't have to be yours.

 

If a dog is comforted by being in a crate then fine ...but shut the door and lock it in?

 

Never, that would be inhuman..... (and inhumane).

 

Dogs aren't meant to live in cages any more than people are.

 

In my opinion.

 

 

hm, well, to follow that: dogs are also not "meant" to live in houses, eat commercial dog food, ride in cars, live in and navigate through cities, cohabit with cats and/or other pets, receive medical care from humans; sit, lay down, or do other tricks on command; rely on a human being to tell it where to poop, when to eat, how to live, or to do just about anything else we require them to do. i guess it could be a subtle philosophical argument depending on your perspective, but i think your statement goes a little too far.

 

though experiment: if we yielded every time in the face of making dogs do things they dont wont to do (or in the face of preventing them from doing what they want), there would be no such thing as a domesticated dog, and we'd all be bloodied and bruised while trying to leash-walk a bunch of vicious snarling wolves around town.

 

jaym - VERY VERY WELL SAID !!!! it's NOT inhumane AT ALL.

 

If a dog is comforted by being in a crate then fine ...but shut the door and lock it in?

 

Never, that would be inhuman..... (and inhumane).

 

Dogs aren't meant to live in cages any more than people are.

 

 

Hmmmm, well think of this - we put babies in cribs - basically a crate with no top - because they are SAFER, that is exactly what folks do with their dogs - those who crate anyway. Some have cats, or other reasons to crate. Some use gates, xpens, etc. And as another poster said, those who crate for a HUGE part of the day is probably abusing it a bit, but those who crate just while at work, or while running errands or whatever, feel it's in their dog's best interest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In my opinion.

 

 

Wow!

Edited January 6, 2012 by verthib