I managed to raise my last puppy without the need to crate him, but it seems times have changed. What are your thought on the benefits or disadvantages of puppy/dog crates?
Re: Crate or Not. Having raised a puppy both with and without a crate I definitely come down on the side of the crate. Your property is saved from the jaws and claws of a large puppy. Puppy has a refuge when it needs it. It is a great place to pop a dog when you are trying to do something, like sweep the floor,with which their help is definitely not wanted
Re: Crate or Not. Good question! I have always used crates until now. Gypsy HATED it! So, after two weeks of trying I got her a puppy pen. She loves it and is clean and dry in there. I can also give them chews and Tatze doesn't take them off her (as in the photo) They are all different. I can't de-crate Tatze and she's 17 months, she cries and whines for me to shut it if I leave her crate door open!
Re: Crate or Not. I never used one , but then we are retired and home most of the time . I can well understand that they have their uses though, just that we never needed one
Re: Crate or Not. I have a series of them! Started with a small one in the car. That only lasted a few weeks until she very quickly outgrew it but had learned to settle in the car during that period without any risk to either of us. Now she lies quietly in the back - except when stopped at traffic lights where she entertains the other drivers by licking the rear window! At home we have a crate but our home is all open plan and it would have been difficult to create a restricted area. If we had a small utility room I might not have bothered with a crate at home. Last but not least I have a large crate at my place of work. At home, we tend to use the crate only when we are not there, which is rare, and overnight. Holly wouldn't really use it as a refuge, much prefers the sofa for that. We plan to de-crate her around 7 - 8 months. Work is different as the office is large and lots of cable around, plus a few extra people to lick and another dog to play with who gets a bit annoyed with her at times. We use the crate at work to keep her out of mischief really and to let her sleep otherwise she would just go all day. As she grows up and settles down, I expect we'd use it less and less.
Re: Crate or Not. Crate was brilliant for us....that has slowly morphed into a baby-gated kitchen even now at over three. It means Riley can have a rest from toddlers and they don't get their crisps nicked! Our next puppy will definitely have a crate too so everyone can have a break from each other! Older dog, toddler, puppy and most of all me and the bucket of wine I will need
Re: Crate or Not. So what size crate do I get? oh I forgot to say, the lil guy will only be left alone when wife does the school run & for 2 hours midday as she has a part time job. I feel it is a good thing for the puppy to learn that sometimes his family will have to leave him.
Re: Crate or Not. You need the crate not to be too big so the pup tries to avoid peeing in his bed area. If you only want to buy one crate then get one that will fit an adult lab but that has a divider or put a box in there to use up the space..... My small crate was borrowed and has gone back to its owner so I'm going to try the box method for the next pup
Re: Crate or Not. I had an XL crate from day 1 and sectioned it off until she got bigger. Harley never really took to her crate but did go in when I was at work and at bedtime. We decrated her at night from 5 months (she sleeps up with us now!), and has been in the kitchen decrated since she was 6/7 months old. We haven't had any issues with destroying things except her own toys.
Re: Crate or Not. I had an XL crate from the beginning, and didn't really know about sectioning it off - I just let her have all the space. In hindsight I think we would have been better off using a smaller one or getting a divider. Now she has a babygated kitchen with her crate left open and she's quite happy. She's never been the sort of dog to just put herself into her crate of her own accord, unless she knows we are going to leave her. She's more than happy on the sofa with me or led on the floor at my feet. When I come home now I rarely find her in the crate - she's usually lying on her vet bed outside it.
Re: Crate or Not. Definitely! I wish I had a utility room instead of having to use the whole kitchen. I had to get an extra tall pet gate though as Penny learned very quickly to jump the baby gate!
Re: Crate or Not. I used a puppy pen, but got a crate later when my boy was 10 months. I wouldn't be without it but didn't use it for toilet training. Charlie's bladder capacity at first was tiny - we took him out every 30 minutes. That wasn't even long enough for me to get to the supermarket and back, let alone pick someone up from the airport and other routine chores like that. So just for those really practical reasons, a puppy pen with separate bed and puppy pads was preferable to leaving him in a crate. After a couple of weeks I was going back to work, and although I had puppy service, and on some days used a puppy creche, I still wasn't happy leaving him in a crate in case of accidents. I didn't have any trouble with toilet training him without using a crate.
Re: Crate or Not. [quote author=JulieT link=topic=7681.msg107297#msg107297 date=1409935860] So just for those really practical reasons, a puppy pen with separate bed and puppy pads was preferable to leaving him in a crate. [/quote] He didn't shred the puppy pads? I was lucky with Gypsy, she was clean and dry in crate and pen, but the next one may not be so I'm thinking ahead!
Re: Crate or Not. Sometimes he did, but mainly not. I left him with puppy kongs, which lasted him until I got back from 20 - 45 minute trips. I put the edges of the newspaper/puppy pads outside the pen and covered up the edge left inside with a mat. Seemed to work fine. He obliging went on the newspapers.
Re: Crate or Not. We use crates because we have very different sized dogs and I want to be very sure everyone is safe when alone and need somewhere to put then when they have a longer lasting treat or the little one pinches the bigger ones treats and collects them behind the sofa when large one cannot get to them.
Re: Crate or Not. [quote author=Julie1962 link=topic=7681.msg107511#msg107511 date=1409995968] or the little one pinches the bigger ones treats and collects them behind the sofa when large one cannot get to them. [/quote] sneaky!
Re: Crate or Not. Ok it's only been 4 weeks, and despite my grandads disgust (he used to train gun dogs) We all LOVE the crate, Bailey takes himself to bed in there, I crate him when we eat, pop him in when small children come, 2 mins to look! Crate him when sleepy then pop out fir 40 mins (sometimes just next door room) Sleeping 12-7 come down and he lays quietly till we let him out! And don't have to tidy yippee! In my own Pollyanna land thus continues
