Do You Crate?

[Guest grey_dreams]

Do you crate your new greyhound(s) when they first come home?

 

If you could add more information it would be great, such as whether the hound was fostered first or straight off the track, and whether they are an only or not.

 

Thanks!

Edited January 9, 2013 by grey_dreams

[schultzlc]

I have crated all three of my greyhounds when they first came home. For me, it was more or less to make sure that they had a personal area within the house as they grew accustomed to their new surroundings.

 

The two males were returns and had lived a few years with a different family, so I am not sure if they were crated previously or not. Both had no problem with being in the crate though.

 

My female came from a foster family through my adoption group. She is a spooky hound, and practically lived in her crate there. At my apartment, she would have none of it, and so I ditched the crate pretty quickly. Then we moved into a house, and she remained out of her crate. One day I came home from work to find the town outside of our house with chainsaws trimming branches away from the powerlines. The noise made her super nervous and she ate the corner of my coffee table, poor girl. I brought the crate back out, and she loves it again, and will usually stay in there while I am gone even when the door is left open.

[gazehund]

To answer the questions:

 

1) No, I don't have a crate.

 

2) My first greyhound was fostered, my second was a bounce. I know the foster home used crates, not

sure about the previous home of my second hound. Neither was crated at my house.

Hounds 3 - 7 all came to me from a kennel situation.

# 4 was kenneled at her adoption group in Florida before she came to me. Hounds 5, 6 and 7 all came to me directly from

the track in Pooter and DD's case and the stud farm in Cracker's case.

3) My first greyhound was an only for 18 months before the second hound came home. Since then we have

always had multiples. The highest count was 4 hounds, now we have 3 three hounds.

[NeylasMom]

All of my greyhounds have been fostered by me, myself and I before I adopted them and yes, I crated them all straight off of the track. My group requires them for our foster homes, but I also believe strongly in the crate as an adjustment tool (and need to use one to keep my cat and other pets safe during the transition).

 

After I adopted Neyla, I was able to wean her off of the crate fairly quickly. She was a spook, very rule-oriented and never tried to get into anything or have accidents in the house.

 

Zuri is still crated 5 1/2 years later. I really wish he weren't, but he just does better in his crate for longer periods since he has mild SA. I've videotaped him both in and out of the crate when I'm gone and he's more settled in than out.

 

Violet was an anomoly - she was transitioned out of the crate before I adopted her. Well, transitioned is the wrong word. One day I just left her out for about 3 hours. The next day I left her out for longer and by the following day it was a "full" work day of about 7 hrs. She had pretty bad SA and leaving her uncrated was a last ditch effort before moving her to another foster home. Turns out, she really needed to be able to come to the front door to watch me come and go or to check for me. Once we did that, her SA pretty much went away. She'll still get anxious if I'm gone longer than she thinks I should be (usually longer than 7 hrs), but instead of freaking out, she'll just run around like a mad woman playing with toys (or my dirty laundry or shoes when I leave them out) then lay at the top of the stairs watching the door while she waits.

[krissy]

We always crate a new dog.

 

1. Foster dog came straight from the track. We had him for 3 weeks and we crated (this was also as per our group's foster regulations). We had no other dog at the time.

 

2. Summit was a bounce who had been in a home for 2.5 years prior to coming to us. He had not been crated in his previous home for quite awhile. Was crated for a month or two while at the adoption kennel before we brought him home. We crated him for 3-4 months after he came home and after that he was gated into our bedroom. When we moved to our new house we allowed him free access to the whole house. He was 5.5 when we adopted him. He is our first dog (to keep).

 

3. Kili was 8 weeks old and came from a breeder. She has Summit at home as companion. She's good but she's a puppy and I'm not sure how anyone has a puppy without a crate... seems like madness to me!

[a_daerr]

We used a crate with both of ours, retired racer who was never fostered (lived in a central kennel-setting before coming to us) and our AKC puppy brought home at 16-weeks-old. We used the crate as a training tool until we didn't need it anymore. I think we phased it out with Henry around 3 months, and probably about 9 months for Truman. Invaluable!

[sarabz]

Bella is our first grey, and almost 3 years later we still have her crate. I often come home from work to find her in it (I'm sure it has nothing to do with the super-comfy bed of memory-foam pillows and flannel ) and it's also a great option for us to have when we're traveling with her. We just left her for a week at my dad's house with their 3 goldens, and because she had her crate (door open) it meant that she had her own dedicated space where no one would bother her. We'll also use it if we're traveling and have to leave for a few hours, e.g. a hotel, my mom's house, and want to know that she's safe, secure and is not going to be accidentally slipping out a door if someone isn't paying enough attention.

 

Additionally, we do close the door at night, otherwise she has a tendancy to jump on our bed at 4 am and either wake us up by landing on us or by loudly sleep-startling shortly thereafter complete with growls, snaps and occasional teeth-to-skin contact. Not the best way to wake up

Edited January 9, 2013 by sarabz

[Hubcitypam]

The only reasons I crate are medical reasons and leaving a crate with the door open for a shy spooky dog. Other than that no.

 

My personal opinion is that crates are vastly overrated in the greyhound world and are often misused by well meaning adopters who are told by groups "...Oh they LOVE their crates and are used to them". Sitting in a crate alone in your living room is WAY different than hanging out in a bigger crate with around 70 of your best friends around and kennel help coming and going all day long. There used to be a group on the East coast that suggested crating newly adopted dogs 20 - 22 hours a day as that was their routine. Eep.

[OwnedBySummer]

My two previous non-grey dogs were never crated. I adopted both from the animal shelter so their backgrounds are unknown -- one I adopted as a 10-year-old senior and the other as a 4-month-old puppy.

 

When I decided to get a greyhound, I rented a crate before I went to the kennel. I was hoping that I wouldn't need to crate her and, yay!... after the first week or so, I returned the crate. I do own one, as you never know when you might need one (like after surgery or something). I also have a fabric exercise pen for traveling with as well as a metal exercise pen for camping with.

 

ETA: Summer was never fostered -- she came off the track, went into the track adoption kennel and then came up to Canada to an adoption kennel here.

Edited January 9, 2013 by OwnedBySummer

[GeorgeofNE]

The only reasons I crate are medical reasons and leaving a crate with the door open for a shy spooky dog. Other than that no.

 

My personal opinion is that crates are vastly overrated in the greyhound world and are often misused by well meaning adopters who are told by groups "...Oh they LOVE their crates and are used to them". Sitting in a crate alone in your living room is WAY different than hanging out in a bigger crate with around 70 of your best friends around and kennel help coming and going all day long. There used to be a group on the East coast that suggested crating newly adopted dogs 20 - 22 hours a day as that was their routine. Eep.

 

I believe that was the group I got George from! I was stunned--

 

I did crate him at first. He was fostered, and she was NOT crating him as per the schedule they tried to have me on (crated almost all the time). Anyway, he hated the crate, and it was a nightmare. I KNEW I should let him out, but they were so insistent. Anyway he was fine once I stopped crating him! I personally believe a dog only needs to be crated until it's housebroken. I guess if I had multiples, and they were happy in their crates, I might use them. I'm not anti crate, I just think, as above, they are vastly overrated as a "comfort zone" for Greyhounds.

 

And FYI, when I told the late Linda Jensen, who was the lady who handed off George to my adoption group, that they recommended crating almost full time at first, she was horrified.

[Feisty49]

You'll get many replies. Some similar. Some different. It'll end up that you'll find what works best for you, your dog and your household.

 

I had been told by Annie's foster mom that she liked her crate, so much so that she had to be fed in it; that she wouldn't even eat but in her crate. So in anticipation of a dog who thought of a crate as her safe place, I had a crate ready, blanketed and soft and a few toys. Annie hated the thing from the beginning, and she didn't want to be in it let alone be fed in it. The first couple of days I'd put her in it, with the door closed, when I ran errands around town. When I got home, she could not wait to get out, and though I left the door open when I was at home, she never went near it.

 

After talking with her foster mom what Annie's life had been like with her, we decided that Annie liked her crate so much at the foster home because she didn't like hanging with other dogs. Once she came to me -- and became an only dog -- she blossomed out of the need for the crate. (Annie loves other dogs, just not in her house. She gets pouty and ignores them.)

 

I lucked out and have a truly easy going dog. She has never done anything that would make me want to crate her, and she was like this from the beginning. So, since she hated the crate and proved to me within a few days after adoption that she had no SA, didn't go into the garbage, didn't chew on things, etc., I folded the crate and put it away 6 days after I adopted her.

 

Good luck!

Edited January 9, 2013 by Feisty49

[Guest FreeholdHound]

I've had Harry for 9 months now & still have the crate. The door is left open and he naps in it several times /day (in rotation with his 2 other beds) and chooses to sleep in it at night. I do close him in there weekly for an hour or so when we all go to church, but he gets his Kong and is okay with it. He still gets into our stuff if he's alone & wandering. If we have family over he retreats to the crate when he's had enough of the mayhem. He was not fostered. He came off the track to adoption kennel for a month total.

[robinw]

Nope. I don't believe in them unless it is somehow for the dog's protection.

 

The group I adopted Treasure from suggested I crate her for her own safety. I did it once and never again. She was never fostered. She was a brood mama for several years and then went to the adoption group. I'm assuming she wasn't crated at the farm but was crated at the adoption group.

 

Phoenix was never crated. He was fostered and didn't have any behavioural issues at all.

 

Loca was a wild women. She was also a brood mama before I adopted her, so I assume she wasn't crated at the farm. She wasn't fostered. I tried crating her a few times because she was very unpredictable, but she chewed on the crate. I stopped crating her after a couple of times.

 

I would never crate Iker the Galgo. I think it would be disastrous.

 

I once fostered a greyhound for a local adoption group. They paid me an unscheduled visit and the dog wasn't crated because I was home. Apparently I was breaking the rules, and because of that they wouldn't let me adopt him when he was bounced. I never understood their reasoning for crating when I was home, and never forgave the group or anybody associated with it for not letting me adopt him.

Edited January 9, 2013 by robinw

[45MPHK9]

Nope. I don't believe in them unless it is somehow for the dog's protection.

Agreed.

[Guest grey_dreams]

Thanks everyone for all the input and advice.

 

 

I would never crate Iker the Galgo. I think it would be disastrous.

 

Agreed. I would never crate a galgo either. I had to get Zuki and Zariel used to the crate for the airplane, but other than that, they've never been in a crate. I think if you tried to crate a galgo when they were just new to you and your house, without any trust built yet, it would be a disaster.

 

That's really strange about that adoption group and their rules. How horrible that they wouldn't let you adopt him.

Edited January 10, 2013 by grey_dreams

[sarabz]

After all of these responses, now I feel like I'm being mean to Bella for still having her crate!

 

No, not really - if I wasn't coming home and regularly finding her in her crate when she has the choice of another dog bed, two sofas and our bed, I might rethink it. And, the jumping on the bed at 4 am is the best reason to have her crate.

[a_daerr]

For the people who don't use crates... I'm just wondering for my own curiosity, what housetraining method do you use? Confining?

Sorry to hijack the thread.

[Hubcitypam]

I much prefer baby gates to crating (with the crate open in the kitchen or other crated in room for shy dogs to use as a den).

 

When I had a lot of farm kiddos that never raced keeping them babygated in the huge kitchen when I was at work and tethering them to me when I was home really seemed to work well as far as housetraining went. My from the track older guys just never needed any/much housebreaking help -- especially after the dog door.

[Guest FinnsMom]

We have had Finn now for almost 4 months. We got him from the same place ownedbysummer got Summer from, so he was never fostered and was actually only at the kennel here in Canada for maybe a week before we brought him home. I had a crate set up and we used it at night and when we were gone. One night he was sleeping on one of his beds outside the crate all snuggled under a blanket and I didn't want to disturb him just to crate him so we left him out that night, which was day 3 of him being here. That was the end of the crating for him and a week later the crate got boxed up and put away. As for potty training, we got extremely lucky with Finn as he has never messed in the house. He doesn't bark, doesn't chew, doesn't mess in the house, has no sleep aggression, or SA. He is literally the perfect dog. I would love another one but am scared to death the next one we would get would be the devil in disguise. LOL

[Guest Clawsandpaws]

I only have one grey, tried using the crate for 48 hours, he hated it, so we just left it up to him. He was right off the track, and is an only dog ( we do have a cat)

 

For the people who don't use crates... I'm just wondering for my own curiosity, what housetraining method do you use? Confining?

Sorry to hijack the thread.

 

My boyfriend and I both took a vacation when we adopted him, so we were home with him 24/7. We would just take him out often, like he had a puppy bladder. When inside he had a belly band on, wet it only once. We did have random peeing in the house, but that was months later (when we moved he peed on my blinds twice in the first week) He did poop on our bed twice (he would only go on the bed to poop) but it was determined to be a behavioral issue, paid a pretty penny for a behaviorist and trainer. Honestly, we were lucky that he was so easy to house train.

[Batmom]

I have crates.

 

Over the years I have often had 1 (or more) dog(s) crated and 1 loose in the same room when nobody is home.

 

I like it if a dog *can* be crated -- safest place if there are going to be many people such as workmen or other visitors coming and going from the home.

 

I don't crate adults at night. Any dogs sleep free in the bedroom with me.

 

I don't crate a dog who is ill. Much easier -- and kinder -- to clean disgusting spots on the carpet than to clean an unhappy dog, the crate bedding, the carpet under the crate, the wall next to the crate .....

 

When Gidget came home, she was used to eating in her crate. She still goes into her crate at mealtimes but I don't close the door. She stays where the food is .

 

I've only used a crate for housetraining in two circumstances:

 

1. When Joseph first came home, he had a tendency to mark when he got excited or anxious. We used the crate for a few minutes here and there, when nobody could watch him at those exciting times (e.g., I was taking a shower and nobody else was home).

 

2. With puppies, I've crated for naptime and at night. Kind of the same reason as #1 above.

For the people who don't use crates... I'm just wondering for my own curiosity, what housetraining method do you use? Confining?

Sorry to hijack the thread.

 

Watch the dog and take him/her out frequently. I will fairly often gate a dog into the same room I'm in so he/she can't sneak off.

 

I did occasionally crate Joseph for 5-10 minutes at a time when no one could watch him, until he learned not to mark when he got excited.

[Hubcitypam]

To clarify when I said medical reasons it was instances as in the fosters I had with sarcoptic mange or that needed activity restriction after medical treatment.

[Guest OPointyDog]

We crate both of ours when we are asleep and when we are not home. We've had Zoe for about 8 months now. When we got her, she had a broken leg and could not climb the stairs. I slept downstairs with her the first few nights, but it quickly became clear she could care less whether I was there or not and was fine sleeping in the crate downstairs by herself. Never once has she cried, whined or fussed about it. When we're home, she even sleeps in there sometimes if we leave the door open. For the safety of our cats and because she tends to find things and destroy and/or eat them, it really is in her best interest that she's crated. I hope eventually she'll stop destroying things and we could leave her baby gated into the front part of the house, but she's not there yet.

 

Our new guy (still unnamed) also retreats into the crate when he wants some alone time. He's a confident, self-assured dog, but seems to like having his own space. He's really not trustworthy with the cats, so also is crated for their protection. We're working on the whole cat thing....

[Guest shanesmom]

I have had 3 greyhounds. 1 at a time. My current grey Ace is the only one that was crated when he first came home for the first few months because he is a super skittish guy and he found comfort in his crate. He was not fostered and so nervous about his new world and the crate was something familiar to him. . I really prefer not to crate but I did not take it away from him until he was ready. He let me know when he stopped going in it. It did help with cat training too. He was cat workable and very interested in the cat at first so they slowly got used to each other by one or the other spending a little time in the crate while the other was in the same room. I'm glad the crate is put away though and that he doesn't want or need it any more.

[Guest KPS915]

Here's what's worked for us.

 

We've only had our grey for 5 months. For the first 3 months, we used the crate with the door closed. She started to exhibit signs of increased anxiety so we began leaving the crate door open and attached an ex-pen to the front to give her a little more room, but still rather confined. We did this for about a month. Now we have the ex-pen attached on one side only to give her free run of the kitchen, we've been doing this for about a month and plan to slowly expand to our first floor.

 

She loves her crate, she's sleeping in there while I type this. We'll often find her in there even if we're home.