Get rid of the crate?!

Hi all.

Just a quick question.

How old was your dog before you took the crate away? Or left the door open of the crate.

Bella is pretty good at holding her wee / poo in the kitchen (maybe because its laminate?) so I trust her on that front.

Its just the chewing. I trust her, as she has never tried to chew any furniture. She has many different bones to chew if she wants, and she does. But if left through the night, would she get bored and begin to chew?!

Just wondering when I should wait...should I do an hours test one day!? Or does this all depend on age, breed, individual dog etc?

Thanks guys! xx

Rupert was 8 years old. Spen is 10 months and crated when we're out because he'll chew. I'd say it all depends on the individual dog. Rupert was a power chewer all his life, I'm hoping Spen will grow out of the chewy stage though.

Our un house trained rescue who is two yrs old spent the first month in a crate at night and when we weren't there. You just have to take the plunge and leave the door open. Remove everything that you cherish from your chosen room and posibly put down newspaper. Ensure your dog is tired as this will help and ensure there has been able opportunity to empty itself before bed time. you will nver know untill you try hopefull you will be pleasantly surprised, how old is your dog?

Rox will have hers down for as long as we have her, she loves it! I crated her for the first couple of months when we left her and at night to stop acidents and chewing (cause we had no idea what training she had being a stray) but now she trots off to sleep in it ever night!

Leilateggie - our pup is just about 5 months old.

Pawsonboard - I wish Bella loved hers that much! If she falls asleep in the living room, we will take her out for her last wee etc, and she will try to get back into her 'living room' bed. I just don't think she likes the crate we have even swapped beds, and it makes no difference, she just isn't keen on going in there.

I`ve never used a crate. Mind you, I`m not noted for being house-proud.

We folded the crate down when Louie was 12 weeks.

Someone told me they waited until their pup had finished teething so less likely to chew.
Hocus is shut in his overnight and if I'm out.

My four year old and two year old have only just come out of theirs and that is only because I have a pup and not enough room for three crates in that particular room (they are large crates). They would both be back in them if they could - in fact the four year old keeps going back into the pup's crate. The other two sleep out in a utility room and came out of their crates when they were about five months old.

Ripley (border collie) was just over a year, I only stopped using it because I got another pup and didnt have room for another crate. She was in it for so long because she was destructive, she ripped up lino, shredded anything she could get near etc. She was behaved 80% of the time from when she was out of the crate.

Maverick (border collie) was also about a year old, again he was very destructive (and still is) but on a bigger scale than Ripley- table legs, chairs, kitchen units etc. Since I stopped crating him he has been quite good, and now as long as he has been exercised before I leave him he is good, though at the moment I cant see me ever trusting him to be loose in the lounge when I am out. He now gets his chewing quota in on the car!

Rave my current border collie pup (18 weeks) is crated at the moment and I cant see me trusting her for a VERY long while.

Saying that though my GSD was left loose in the house from 6 months at night time, she was never much of a chewer though, the only thing she liked to do was shred paper.