Mine love theirs and go in of their own accord

Gus often goes in to avoid Libs when shes in one of her annoying moods

Cassey has a crate and she loves it. She is only 4 months old and after she chewed the kitchen cupboards we decided to get one. Its very hard with a staffy that wants to be with you every minute of the day so when i am trying to get ready i will pop her in there with a chew. It halfs the time of getting ready and it puts my mind to rest especially with my youngest son being so hypo and tends to wind cass up when i am not looking so its much better and safer for her.

I have crates everywhere. I also have lether sofas, chairs and Big round dogbeds.
I raised my yorkies without crate training and they were all dirty little sods given the option of going out in the rain or disapearing somewhere out of site. I changed the way i did things when i brought my first pug. i put her to sleep in a crate at night, and i made her stay in his crate for two hours each morning while i washed floors and cleaned. Not only did she get used to her own space, but she respected it and was very very easy to house train. I also found when she has to spend time in a crate at the vets, she wasnt botherd in the least. the only other time i would shut into the crate would be if we had frail relatives/babys visit as they can get bruised and cut easily as the skin thins.or dogs jumping up can unbalance them, but once initial introductions are over and dogs have calmed, they are allowed to come back out.
All my dogs are very happy, very spoiled and love their own space.
crates may not suit everyone, and there are people who abuse them, but used correctly, they can definatly save a dog from the pound.

We crate our dogs when we are in bed or when we go out, for their own safety! Plus they feel secure in their crates. My kai goes in there on his own! They have a big plastic bed in the lounge, when i say bed, keisha goes to the crate! I wouldn't be without it now. They free roam all day and have time out in the crate. Ya'll stick a baby in a baby play pen, so why not a dog in a crate. No harm done

We have always crated our dogs we have Alaskan Malamutes. by crating them at an early age, they learnt this was a safe haven for them, we travel all over the country showing and working our dogs, we have crates in our van for the dogs to go into, not only is this a comfortable place for them to lie while travelling, it is also much safer for them in the event of an accident, crates are used by vets if dogs have to stay overnight, if the dog is not taught that the crate is a safe place, it would cause extra stress on the dog should it need to stay overnight at vets.. pups are in crates overnight especially if there are multiple dogs in the household, whereby there may be conflict during the night, they do not LIVE in the crate, they are just taught to be comfortable in the crate, my dogs are first and foremost pets they lie where ever they want in the family home (except on furniture) of course they can be abused, but they are in my opinion a valuable piece of equipment,

Mo

While crates may not be for everyone I would be loathe to call them 'cruel'. Dogs are denning animals and when trained properly, come to see the crate as their 'den'.

I have 3 crates set up in the house at the moment. All of them are in the living room as that's where I spend most of my time. The crates all sit with their doors open. As I type this, Spock and Meatball are sharing one, Shelby is in one and Rock is in the last. They love their crates.

3 of them are crated at night while I'm at work although Meatball is currently being trained to remain 'free' while I'm gone. Dudley, in the short time I've had him, has eaten 2 couches and several pillows...while I was home. Shelby has boughts of separation anxiety and is more comfortable in her crate if I'm not here. In fact, she goes into a crate and goes to sleep while I'm getting ready for work.

I'm lucky enough to have a job where I can take a break and come home for a 1/2 hour to let them outside and stretch for a bit.

I'd much rather crate my dogs than come home to a dog that's impacted itself with stuffing or other type of material.

The most recent crate I bought did, in fact, come with a sheet that advised of it's proper use and how to acclimate your dog to a crate.

I have used a large crate for the last two pups, mainly at night. I usually dispense with the crate/cage at around 6 months. This time because of chewing I have brought the cage back for the 9 month old. She puts herself in it to sleep during the day as well. I really cannot see the harm in a cage if the animal spends the greater part of 24 hours out of it. I always think the dogs feel very safe in the cage. I cover it with a throw leaving the front uncovered to make it more like a den. They wouldn't go in on their own if they didn't like it.

i think a crate is a good training method is used properly. I will never use one myself i might add as i cant bring myself to do it and have no where to put one.

One book i have on puppies says that the pup shouldnt be in there for more than 1 hour while u are away. Obviously longer if asleep. And shouldnt be used as punishment. I would never leave a dog in a crate for longer than a couple of hours while i go out, which is why it wud be unsuitable for me cos if i do go out its to work and wouldnt be fair to leave my dog in a crate for that long

Bruno enjoying the freedom of the house !!
we dont crate him - he cant even stand behing the dog guard in the car without throwing a hissy fit - he has broken three dog guards so wont even attempt to try a crate - he loves the house never chews anything - loves to be with me during the day and that is the kinda dog I want - everyone is entitled to their opinion and as long as the dog doesnt suffer then let everyone do their own thing !! as I am sure there are many that dont agree with this picture !!!

Each to their own, I think

Personally, I wouldn't've been without my crate when Satchmo was a puppy - it kept him safe when I couldn't supervise; I knew where he was so could sleep peacefully; they work wonders with housetraining; and in the day I could get some peace for five minutes. I think they can also help with preventing separation anxiety as they're comfortable with sleeping without a human in the room, and making boarding in kennels or being at the vet much easier.

When Satch was tiny, he'd crash out anywhere during the day, but I found if I so much as moved he'd get up every time, so he wouldn't sleep properly. When he slept in his crate in the day, he'd stay asleep, which I think helps a lot with mental and physical development. I guess he was more comfortable associating his crate with sleep than if he just slept on the floor or in an 'open' bed. Although I started getting him used to sleeping in a proper bed around 6-7 months, at 14 months, Satch still prefers his crate to the 'big boy' bed he's got, so I've left it up for him to use as a den.

I'm also with CBT - we don't allow our dogs on the furniture or upstairs, and they sleep in their own beds at night. But they're also massively adored, Satch's well-trained and they get tons on play-time with us, and with each other. I don't think having a crate means your dogs aren't part of your family, just that you prefer to bring them up differently.

I do, however, believe that crates can be abused, and dogs can suffer because of them.

Becs