Help! What are everyones opinions on crateing?

Question

We just got a new dog and it is crate trained, but sometimes we have to leave it in for 8 hrs or so, not much longer. Is this as cruel as it feels? True knowledge and helpful concerns prefered!!

Answer 1

Some of the answers to this question posted here are ridiculous, and some are misleading or half-truths. Crate training is a wonderful and very effective tool when (and here's the key) done PROPERLY. Anyone considering crate training should do research on how to utilize this tool. The crate should:

a. NEVER IN ANY CASE be used as punishment
b. be the correct size for the dog (tall enough, not too big, but not too small - partitions can be used to adjust size while the puppy grows)

I have two dogs, both crate trained, both VERY well behaved, and they consider their crates safe havens. When we are home and they exhaust theirselves in the back yard, we often find them passed out in their crates, with the door wide open. They feel secure in the crate because they have never been teased, taunted, or punished with the crate.

Just like ANY tool, it COULD be used improperly and would be to the detriment of the dog.

Answer 2

Crate training is absolutlly the best favor you will ever do for your dog. The crate is there "safe" place just as a "den" is to a wild dog. The dog being in it's crate for 8 hours is exactlly the same as you being in bed for 8 hours. And it will need to do exactlly the same things you do when you get out of bed.
I leave the crate doors open, and anytime one of the dogs wants to take a nap it will get into it's own crate. The last real dog fight we had here was caused by a dog going into another dogs crate.
Here is a great article that a friend wrote a few years ago about how and WHY to crate train.
http://www.retrievertraining.net/crate/kennel.htm

Answer 3

Crate training is not cruel. I crate trained two of my dogs when they were puppies. After a while I would leave their doors open while I was home, and they would go in on their own and lay down. My mother also thinks that crate training is cruel, and only half-heartedly crate trained her dog. Now he is three years old and tears up the furniture while she's at work. The funny thing is, he LIKES his crate - SHE is the one that has a problem with it - HE's fine with it.

Answer 4

Hi there!
I have 3 dogs and work full-time as well. I crate my dogs while I am gone. I am able to come home at lunch and let them out for a bathroom break. There have been times when they had to stay in there the entire day. I have felt bad about this, but I don't think it is inhumane by any means. I think it is normal to question this approach because of the guilt that is felt initially. I am not sure how old your dog. A dog's bladder size grows as they grow. I am not sure if you are concerned about your dog holding it's bladder or just the fact that is confined for long periods. By 5 or 6 mos. of age a dog can usually hold it for an 8 hr period, but I wouldn't push it much more than that. Once a puppy reaches 1year of age, 8hrs. shouldn't be a concern. If you are worried about your dog getting bored and restless while you are at work and it is crated, just put a favorite toy in there with him/her. I am very careful about what I leave with mine. The soft plush toys with a squeaker come apart very easily if your dog is a chewer as most pups are. I don't trust leaving rawhide chews with them unsupervised. I am affraid of choking. I also read that rawhide chews are rough on a puppies stomach so be careful how many you give them. The toy that I feel most comfortable leaving with my dogs to occupy their time is called a "KONG." You can check them out at dog.com. They come in various sizes and you can fill them with treats. I put anything from peanut butter to dog biscuits in mine. Occasionally I will cut up a hot dog and stuff little pieces in there with a biscuit. The Kong stimulates their mind and usually takes them a while to work on. All of my suggestions come from experience. My dogs are 1 1/2, 4, and 5 years old. They don't whine when I leave although they are very happy to see me when I get home. I think a crate is an excellent idea and I think every dog should have their own crate. My dogs often go in their's optionally. Every dog needs a space that is all their own. Hope I could help.

Answer 5

No it isn't cruel. My dog was crate trained when we got her and she would be left that long in there on a daily basis while her owners were at work, etc. She loves her crate and finds her safety and security there. She goes there when she doesn't feel good or at night when it is bed time, it is her house. Just make sure that they have toys and a blanket. The dog will be fine.

Answer 6

My problem with crate training is that should the house catch fire while we're gone the poor dog is stuck with no means of escape.
I've never crated a dog for this reason nor will I ever.I've heard too many people tell of how they lost their dogs in such horrible circumstances and every one has told me how they'll never be able to forget the horrible cries of the dog who no one could get too.I could never do that to my animals.
I've always put them in the smallest room that had a window when training them with the hope that should such an accident occur while I were gone they'd be smart enough to go thru the window to escape or someone could get in the window to rescue them.
Many will tell you crate training is the only way to go.And I suppose it's a good thing in some situations but I can't help but feel like it's the lazy way of going about teaching your dog to keep his paws and teeth to himself.But that's my opinion.

Answer 7

If the dog is crate-trained as a puppy, it thinks of the crate as it's space as it gets older-its "den". We crate-trained our dog as a puppy, and even now if we tell her to "kennel", she'll go in there with no hesitation. Sometimes we even leave the door open and she goes in there to sleep. We kept her in there as a puppy because she chewed things up when we were gone, now that she's a year old, she is a lot better about that and we feel comfortable leaving her out.

Answer 8

Crate training provides peace of mind for you and helps housetrain your pet. Crating will keep your dog safe, say from, chewing wires, getting into something that could hurt him and save your furnishings. Just remember the age of the dog generally determines how long it can hold it's bladder. Two months old, two hours, three months old, three hours and so on until between 6 and 8 months old. So if you're asking your dog to say in a crate longer than is physically possible due to it's age, you're going to have accidents in the crate.

Answer 9

Congratulations on the new dog. No it's not cruel but here's what I did when I got my dog, I first went out and got one of them fence (almost like a play pen) and picked a corner close to the door where my little bundle of joy would spend some time, At one end I put paper down and at the other she had her blanket and a safe stuffed animal. 99% of dogs won't go where they sleep so make it a half sleep area and half paper area, now let the dog get used to going on the paper and praise him/her ever time it happens and after a week or so make the area bigger and see if the paper is still being used, now open a room up with the paper in one corner (still not far from the door) and once all this is working move the paper closer to the door inch by inch and in time you will catch the dog wanting to go on the paper (at the door) and this is when you spring into action and take the dog out and don't forget to bring a small treat when he/she goes where they are suppose to go..... I know I know this is a lot of work lol but the love they give you is priceless..

Good Luck :)

Answer 10

It is definately okay. Don't feel badly about it. As long as you're spending time with him when you are home. He will be fine and just as happy to see you when you come home. We've had dogs ever since I was born and most of them we have kept in crates when we left or every once in a while. Believe me, it won't hurt them, and in fact, the crate could become a place of security for them and they may like it after a while. It's definately okay. Just be sure that he gets let out and that you are continuing to spend time with him.