Hey Hippy,
My pooch is 10 months and she has a crate in use very similar to Maya.
Our girl is gradually being allowed a little more freedom eg. if I'm in the garden for a short time or if I am cleaning the bathroom she is left downstairs out of her crate.
I don't know about Maya, but ours only chews stuff when we're actually there - like a direct plea for attention.
She does however get LOADS of exercise so she snoozes a great deal when indoors.
I reckon baby steps and see what progress you make.
Good luck.

Thanks, yeah, I have been doing like you say. Leaving her when I am upstairs. She gets loads of exercise too so also spends a lot of time sleeping She is sleeping beside me right now competing for lap space with the computer!

Hi. Great discussion so far. All I wanted to add was I don't think you have to worry too much about her being bored. Most dogs just sleep when they're home alone anyway. So, sleeping in the crate or sleeping somewhere else, doesn't really matter a whole lot.

That being said, like you, I prefer not using a crate once I trust the dog. Or, at least giving the dog the option of freedom. So, I like the idea you're trying of giving her a little freedom to start with.

My only suggestion would be to make sure to keep crating her if she is chewing things that aren't hers. Don't be too lenient on that one or she may develop bad habits. I wrote a post on this exact topic that I think you may find helpful, at least for brainstorming. http://www.dogids.com/blog/when-can-...-in-the-house/

Best of luck, and I will watch for future updates!

Thanks for that.

We have been leaving her for small amounts of time and she has been relatively fine. She has a penchant for paper and wires unfortunately However, I have made up a checklist for family to adhere to when we are leaving her and all wires are well out of her reach. We call it Mayafying the place! Remote controls up high, books out of the way, any tempting chewy things tidied away. It is great because my house has never been so tidy!
Today we went out for about an hour and a half and left her with a bone chew thing. I was panicking when we were out as I had only intended to be out half an hour. Everything was fine!

I believe 11 months is still puppyhood. I might suggest gradually giving her a bit more freedom by leaving the crate door open and barricading doorways to allow her in a room or two and see how it goes.

Also for safety's sake do a crawl at dog level for things that might be tempting for chewing. I think it takes time for them to lose some of that need to gnaw...of course some dogs never lose it...I don't know.

We adopted our dogs as adults and never used a crate. I do know many people who don't confine the dogs to the crate but rather use it as a kind of dog house in the house. I think the freedom thing should be gradual though.

Labs are a larger breed dog, maturity will not fully develop till around 18 to 24 months.

Many dogs who are crate trained, find it a secure place of there own, and by the sounds of it, this is the case with your dog.

It is not cruel to give a dog, a spot that they enjoy and feel safe. It is also most likely a space where if she gets any type of stress, she would seek out.

As long as it is not used as a punishment, many dogs when there relaxing, will seek out there crate, this is not a cruel or restrictive thing. IMHO you should always leave the crate, sure once you fully trust your dog leave the door open, but don't remove it.

If your ever have to take her to the vet for something major, the vet will love your dog because it will want to get into it's crate and not fight being put in one.

A crate is a great thing used correctly, for vet, travel, or when a dog is stress and needs its own space.

Thanks,

yeah, I am planning on keeping the crate because she does love it and definitely uses it to retreat if anything bothers her. She also uses it as a cool place when the house is too hot as it is in a cooler part of the house. She has been getting the gate opened at some points and so far so well.
I hadn't thought about it from the point of view of vets, I can see it would make things easier for them and less traumatic for the dog!

I wanted to add that I've observed that the den idea seems to be instinctive with some dogs. Even without a crate in the house Sophie has five retreats for storms or anything else when she's frightened.

We have a large house and on every floor she has multi hiding spots. A small space under the living room desk. Dark and secluded as is the upstairs bathroom or the space back where her food and water bowl is.

Callie on the other hand is a different personality. No fears and very laid back, wherever he flops there he is.

Kris, my Doberman, is 18 months old and she still sleeps in her crate at night. All I have to say is "bedtime" and she runs into her crate and there is never a peep out of her till I get up in the morning. She has been sleeping in her crate since I got her at 11 weeks of age and is quite happy about it so I really don't see any reason to change it. She still is inclined to get into mischief and I feel safer with her in the crate. She also goes into the crate if I have to leave her home which is not very often or out in the yard with Susie, my Bernese cross, if the weather is nice. She travels in my Van in a crate also and just jumps into it when I open the door.

Susie, on the other hand, has never been in a crate but she was the sort of dog that seemed to be born "good" and never chewed or got into mischief so a lot depends on the dog.

Habibi is the same-- she'd never chew so much as an already-chewed slipper. We crate-trained her when we first got her, and as with you, it was just a bedtime routine; she never complained at all. Now we get it out for stressful situations, like bonfire night (grumble grumble). She feels safe in there. I know she'd not get into anything and the door is never closed, but it is her haven.