Newton is growing up, a gentle teenager "So far", goes to his crate around 11 pm and gets out of it around 5 am when I stand up to move on to further sleep to the couch. I wonder, as a first-time dog owner, if the crate, or how long the crate, is still important, and for what reasons. Thanks for any thoughts!
I used a crate only for about 6 months. Once he was house trained and I established he wasn’t going to reshape the kitchen table legs if left alone for an hour or so I moved to a bed with a stair gate over the door so he could still be confined safely if needed.
It really depends on your puppy. My first Lab, Jesse, never used a crate, had various dog beds around the house and kept watch outside the kids rooms etc. He never chewed anything but toys and occasionally plastic VHS tape covers. ; ) Second pup had crate for a year or so, then he stayed downstairs in one or two rooms with baby gates to keep him out of trouble. He did eat things but not wood or couches, etc. My new lab, Gabe, well, he loves wood, nothing repels that, he would get into trash or anything left out. He hated crate, bit bars, etc. so we got him a plastic pen to go around his kennel in living room and he stays in there at night. Goes in kennel sometimes but mostly stays outside of it. Might get rid of it at a year nd just use pen (it's 8 x 34 inch) but we will see. He can't be left to his own devices or I'll find things chewed that he shouldn't have had even with his own chew toys,etc. You will see with your own. Every dog, like kids are different and not one way is good for all.
