Quick question about crating at night. Bob will be 1 year old on 14th August... he still sleeps in his crate at night, with the door shut. He seems perfectly happy in there, we usually throw a few treats in at bedtime just to make it super welcoming and he gallops inside. We don't have any plans to de-crate him while he still enjoys it there. He sleeps from about 10pm to 8am every night without any fuss. Is he quite old to be crated like this still? I mean I don't think we want to change anything really as it's clearly working. I ask purely out of curiosity on what others have done with their crated puppies and when they've de-crated. Thanks, Lou x
If Bob is happy with the crate there's no reason why you should de-crate him as long as he has plenty of room to move. Juno was de-crated at 8 months but only because she was violently sick one night in the crate all over her blankets etc. I washed it all down and cleaned it up but she just refused to go back in it so we just left her sleeping on her crate mattress with no problems.
Busters nearly 18 months old, and every night he still takes himself of to the crate, I don't know if it will change but as long as he wants to go in there that's ok with us.
I decrated my two at about 6 months, from memory. It happened when we fell asleep on the sofa one night and nothing was destroyed by the morning! The crate was still there until recently, and Willow used to use it a fair bit, but we never put it back after one of our recent trips away. We use it often when we go away overnight with them, to stop them getting on the bed. They are more than happy to sleep in there. I wouldn't worry at all, if Bob is happy in his crate at nighttime, there's absolutely no reason to change the situation.
Charlie is 2.5 years, and has two crates. He doesn't sleep in them overnight, but only because he sleeps on our bed. But I leave him either in a crate, or in a pen with a crate, when I go out. I have no intention of changing this - he is the kind of dog who would eat the toilet cleaner or bleach (which are stored in cupboards with child proof locks, but he'd find something...) if left him to his own devices with freedom. So safer all round that the crate stays. I don't see a problem with this.
Hi there, Meg is 18 m and loves her crate. She always sleeps in it with the door open. I doubt we will ever remove it
Benson loves his crate! He is now 21 months, and often takes himself to his crate. It is handy to pop him in there sometimes when we have supper, just so I don't have to get up 5 mins later to rescue the washing up brush...which we failed to do tonight as we now have two...only one has a brush on it.... I guess the only thing really, is that it is so big, and takes up a bit a space in our kitchen
We packed away Lilly's crate when she was about 2 ish....just didn't reassemble it after a holiday. Doesn't seem to miss it, but I guess she has made it onto our bed for a fair portion of the night, and makes a beeline for cousin Georgie's crate given the opportunity, so I guess if it was still there, she quite possibly would still be using it at the grand old age of 5!
My dogs are: 5.5 years old, 2.5 years old & nearly 7 months old & they all love their crates. They don't sleep there in the night as they sleep in our bedroom but whenever they are left alone in the day they are going there & love their dens. I think that as long the dog is happy in his crate & you're not lacking space there's no point in de-crating.
My two (three and a half and nearly two) are still in their crates at night. They often choose to have a nap in them during the day, although they have day beds available too, and are crated if left for more than about half an hour. I know they're safe, as although they're generally very reliable and don't chew or steal, they have the odd relapse. I recently found a new light bulb on the doormat, its cardboard box chewed into small pieces when I'd left them for a short while. Fortunately the lightbulb was still intact (and works!) but what if it hadn't been... I'd left it in its box upstairs in a bedroom and had shut the door, but one dog managed to open it (I can guess which, but I've no idea who stole the box and chewed it up!). It's also useful if we go away, as they're in safe in unfamiliar surroundings at night and if left.
