Dog crates

hi

this may of been asked before

i haven't got a dog yet i'm still looking at everything to do with dogs.so i know the basics but.


what are people on here opinion on dog crates mainly for sleeping at night and maybe occational use when dog will have to stay home without me for a while


rose xxx

I only ever used a crate with puppies at night. And in the car for travelling.
I think they can be a great tool to help with house training, but I think sadly they've overused and a lot of people use them as solutions, instead of a training help.

In general, I think they can be very helpful, but I don't think you should keep crating dogs once they're adults and can hold their bladders. Especially not if you're going out for a longer time. My current dog came to me as an adult and I've never used a crate with her, even though she had separation anxiety when I got her and did wee in the house more than a few times. She's now got the whole run of the house and we haven't had an accident in over 4 months. If she was in a crate, she'd be a lot more anxious.

If you do decide to get a crate, make sure you introduce it slowly and positively. Toss a couple of treats into it so your dog can go get them but don't close the door. You want to make it a safe place for your dog, not a prison.

I've used crates for years, and only stop using them when I can trust said dog not to destroy my home while I am out, so that could be any age from 1, to 2,3,4 ...all depends on the dog.

I also use one in the car...

If you are bring a puppy home, have one ready for when you get pup, feed all his meals and treats in the crate... when pup falls asleep put him in and leave him to sleep, they soon see they crate as their little haven/den.

Crates can also be abused they are not meant to house a dog for hrs and hrs a day, they most I would leave a dog in one would be 3 hrs during the day if I am out, a puppy less.....(you need to build it up) they also sleep in there at night.

I think they can be an invaluable tool but they can also be abused..

I'm just about to use a crate for the very first time but only because the 7 month old Miniature Schnauzer I'll be bring home later this week has already been trained to sleep in one, so I've decided to let him continue to do so. I'm not quite sure whether I shall use it in the car, as mine is only small and hasn't really got enough space on the back seat for a medium sized dog and a crate.

hi

thanks all i was thinking just for night time till toilet trained( i may not need to use then as i can shut kitchen door for them to stay in at night) and when they are really small when i go out for little while

rose xxx