What the hell is with putting puppies/dogs in crates?

Question

I'm posting this question though it is pretty much rhetorical to me. After reading and responding to a crate training question I found I had more to say about it. I'm sure most owners have the best intentions when putting a dog in a crate, one even likened a puppy to a toddler to point out how such restraint is necessary. Restraint may be called for but there is a huge difference between sectioning off a portion of the home and a freakin' CAGE. Even in a playpen toddlers have much more room to roam compared to what dog's have in a crate. Confinement is required at times but there is absolutely no way I will accept that keeping a dog (especially an adult dog) in a crate for any extended length of time is good for the animal. I'd say 8 hours absolute MAX if completely necessary (such as going to work or what-not) is o.k. but anything from 8 hours on is straight up abuse. Like I've said before, if you want a caged animal get a hamster, gerbil, guinea pig or a bird.

Look people, I know a long paragraph looks all daunting and stuff but please stick it out and READ THE ENTIRE THING. In some of the responses it is utterly obvious that certain individuals did not read my entire comment before typing their own decidedly long retort. The toddler analogy was not mine and the whole point of my mentioning it was that it was indeed a bad analogy.
Pshaw on the den thing, yes dogs (wolves) employ dens but they are also SOCIAL. Also I do believe I tried to make it clear that I don't think ALL crate training is bad, just extended stays in a crate to me is abusive. Telling me it is necessary to transport a dog somewhere in a crate is moot and isn't remotely what I'm talking about here. Dogs aren't for everyone it's as simple as that. I'd love to have a monkey but I don't think I'd be able to care for it properly. Oh hey, what the hell, I'll just get one anyway and when it gets too much for me I'll just leave it in a cage!

Answer 1

I think leaving a dog in a kennel for 8 hours is neglect. If you can't take the time to train your pet, you shouldn't punish it by leaving it in a cage all day. They're living breathing beings. They can't just be shoved in a cage and left alone because you don't have time. If it tears things up, figure out a way to make it stop. If it has accidents, train it to go outside. When you get a dog as a pet, you take on all the responsibility for the dog for it's life, not just when you feel like it.

Answer 2

I kind of agree that if you leave dog in for like 14 hrs straight that is a little excessive. But a crate can be good thing if you make it that way. A dog can see his crate as his place to get away from people etc. When i had a roommate and he another dog mine would go to his crate just to get away from the other dog so he could sleep and have some down time. Now i don't use my crate all the time only when i have to work an extended day at work. And a crate can help in house breaking a dog. When mine has to go into his crate he gets lots of treats and is happy when he is in there.

Answer 3

You cant compare the two. Dogs are created to keep them from harm yes, but also to house train. You don't put a toddler in a playpen to potty train. A dogs natural instinct is to not soil its den (which the crate represents) the fact that it keeps the animal safe in your absence is an added bonus. Even when a child is in a playpen you don't leave the house. But, when people work or run errands they need to know the pup will be OK. I don't agree with allowing a dog to spend all day in it either but, I would much rather see someone crate their animal then allow it to run loose in a house. I've seen too many dogs come to the shelter due to "Destructive Behavior" a simple crate could have prevented.

Answer 4

Crate/kennel trainging is not wholy a bad thing. Granted, to keep anything caged up for an extended period of time is cruel to the animal. My dog is kennel trained, as a puppy he would stay in while we were at work, never more than 4 hours at a time b/c we would be home from work. As he has gotten older he is hardly ever confined to his kennel, and never as a punishment. We do still have his kennel though. We have found that when he is tired, worn out, or just wants to be alone he will go and sleep in his kennel without any verbal recommendation from us. This is his space, and his space alone, and he knows this. If trained correctly and used for the propper reasons then I think the kennel can be an effective training tool. Unfortunatly, most people think of it as a way to put their dog away and not have to deal with them, which is horrible.

Answer 5

I totally agree with you. My dog is crate trained because he would destroy my house when I'm at work. And yes, eight hours (plus my drive) is the max he should have to be in there. It does make me feel guilty though. I don't even like the fact that he can't go pee or poop for that long, let alone be cramped up in the crate, but there isn't anything I can do. He's a destructive little bugger! (he's a stafforshire). I'd like to be able to leave him outside (in the summer, not winter) but it's too risky. If he got out, I'd be in A LOT of trouble as they are banned in Ontario. I could go to jail for 6 months and/or be fined $10,000 so in the crate he goes. My aunt makes her dogs go in a crate when she is at work. When she comes home they are let out. When it is bedtime, they go back in. This makes me soooo sad. What is the point right? As you said, get a hampster!

Answer 6

If the dog needs to be confined during the time when there is no one home (they're at work, etc) then it's appropriate to crate the dog. After that, they need plenty of free time and exercise. It's unfair to keep a dog crated night and day. My own rescue came from a situation where the dog was crated during the day. When the kid came home from school he was supposed to take the dog out but what happened was he went to potty and then right back to the crate. No fun, no play time. Luckily the family quickly decided he was in the wrong home.

Answer 7

This is humorous...if you've ever had an energenic puppy - you would know exactly why crate training is necessary.

Many years ago we picked up a beagle puppy and although I was all for crate training, my now ex husband insisted it was cruel. Housebreaking was hell as he would slip behind the couch and pee and he caused HUNDREDS of dollars worth of damage. Chewed clothing....ruinied drywall...tore the blinds off the window once when I went in the front yard...he even got up on the kitchen counter once and ate A DOZEN donuts when we had a garage sale! Hello! This was NOT his fault - it was ours for not crating him and training him better. (he is now living the good life on a farm)

Now when I get a puppy he is in the crate for the first few weeks unless he is outside or on a short leash at my feet. The dog is housebroken and learns what he can and can't do. If I let him off the leash and he misbehaves, it's back on the leash he goes. This is only for a week or two. The dogs are in the crate at night and for the first 4 hours I am at work. I come home for lunch and play with them and then they are in the kitchen/backyard till my daughter gets home from school...when they want to nap by themselves,they go in their crates with the doors open BECAUSE THEY LIKE IT! They feel safe...no one can bother them...

Also -- full grown adult dogs should not be crated if they are housebroken - I di agree with that. (they have to prove themselves to be trustworthy first) I don't feel is is good for their bones, however the door is open if they choose it.

Answer 8

Adult dogs generally don't need to be crated unless there are health or behavior issues that prevent them from roaming free in a home. Crate training is meant for dogs up to 2 years old so that they don't chew, urinate and do other unwanted behavior while they are left unattended. It works wonders. Dogs are "den" creatures and love their den. It gives them a quiet space to chill out and feel secure. It should never be used as punishment.

As long as the crate is correctly sized, there is nothing wrong with crate training, in fact, it almost always makes for better behaved pets if done properly.

Answer 9

Although I agree in spirit with your contention, I have to initially point out that most people work eight hours, and allowing for a minimum of thirty minutes each way to work, that means at least nine hours for a dog in a crate. My son and his wife, have three dogs, the dogs sleep in their crates, with the doors open. While my son and his wife are away, the dogs roam the house. There is dog hair over all the furniture, urine and feces have to be cleaned each night upon return, and several pieces of furniture have been almost eaten by the dogs. Most people will not return after the first visit. It would be nice to have a run built outside, but we are in New England, and the weather, would not permit this. Each of the dogs has their own crate, and each is big enough to accommodate an individual dog, with extra room. My son and his wife agree with your philosophy, and refuse to crate their dogs, and prefer to live this way.

Answer 10

I agree with you 100%. I'm not one to crate, never was and never will be!!! I've had numerous Dobermans over the years and a few at one time and I have never felt the need to crate any of them. Yes, I work 12 hours a day and still I feel no need to cage them up!! By the way, they are inside dogs. Whoops.... I said I agreed with you 100%, I have to take that back since I feel 8 hours is WAY too long!!! I know everyone has their own opinion on this subject, this is simply mine. I, myself wouldn't want to be in a cage for hours on end!!!! If dogs are trained properly there would not be a need to cage them!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 11

This si what I beleive:

It is ok to use a crate for training puposes if you must be away from home for puppies. I will NOT allow my puppy to be left for longer than 2 hours in the crate. I do not beleive in using the crate for sleeping either. I do not think a crate is a godd option for adult dogs either-I agree with you. To put an animal in a crate longer than4 hours-I consider abuse.
I do beleive there are positive points about the crate-such as learning to hold bladder/bowels when owner not home to let puppy out, and the fact that a crate trained dog is easy for the vet to handle should the puppy/dog ever need to stay overnight for emergencies.

But in fact YES you are right, if your puppy/dog needs to be in their crate for eight hours eveyday, maybe your choice should have been a hamster.