Where should I keep the dog during the day? In its crate? That seems so sad! Should I put it outside?

Question

When I get a dog, it seems kind of cruel to leave it inside in a little crate all day....how would it eat or drink? But I don't want the little pup to rip up the house, although if its a small yorkie i dont know if it would do much damage

Should I put it in a room with food and water and kind of fence off the room so it can't run around? Or should I keep it outside? We have a private yard but I'm afraid it might run away or get cold or something...

Where do you put your dog when you're not at home? What works best?

Answer 1

Crate training is the way to go. Remember the rule of one hour per one month of age plus one. That means an 8 week old puppy should only be in the crate for 3 hours. A 12 week old puppy goes 4 hours. It is the best way to do this, and you will have a happy dog in the end.

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Answer 2

It sounds like your parents are doing the right thing by having her sleep in a crate. No one needs a dog that barks all night while roaming the hose. - Problem: The dog whines until someone takes it outside. - Solution: Never go down to the basement and let the dog out when it's whining. Never. After a week or two it will learn that whining doesn't result in a human letting it out of the crate. - Problem: The dog thinks being in its crate is punishment. - Solution: First, you don't know what the dog is thinking. But you can prevent the crate being a negative environment by feeding it there. Leave it there for 30 minutes and then take it outside. - Problem: The dog refuses to go in the crate and treats don't help. - Solution: You should be feeding the dog in its crate. But if it won't go in for even for food, just remove the food, put the dog in, and try again the next day. It doesn't hurt a dog to go one day without eating (remember that you already gave it the chance to eat) and on day 2 it will go into the crate to eat. If your parents will let you move the dog's crate to your room, that is an ok too. But don't ever let her out of the crate for whining. If she whines all night long in your room, just move the crate back to the basement for a week or two.

Answer 3

I let my dog have the run of the house, but if you have a destructive dog, you can limit it to a room it can't mess up, with a baby gate. You can get a water bowl that attaches to the inside of a crate, and if properly trained most dogs will not be bothered by staying in one. You shouldn't leave your dog in a crate so long that it needs to be fed. Leaving your dog outside is a bad idea as it can get loose and hurt itself, is more likely to pick up parasites, can get stolen, or about hundred other things that can go wrong. If you do leave it outside, make sure there is a very secure fence around the yard and that your dog has a good quality dog house, especially if you live in an area with colder than average tempertures.

Answer 4

I have 3 dogs. One (ger. shep) runs the house. Our spaniel mix stays in a crate because he will pee on the furniture if he's loose. The last one is a 2 yr. old mix, she is a large dog so we keep her crated when we're gone so she won't destroy the house. She's still got a lot of puppy in her. I don't work away from home, so they aren't locked up too much. My Shep. still goes into the mix's crate to lay down, even when we are home. She was crate trained as a pup.

If you have a room you can confine the dog to, that is best. That way they can have access to food & water. If it's a small dog you can just use a baby gate to block off the room. Keeping a dog in a crate is not a bad thing. It gives the dog a place to feel secure and safe.

Answer 5

It's not cruel at all to keep it in its crate during the day, provided someone can come home at their lunch break to let it out to potty. All most dogs do while you're gone is sleep, anyway.

While you're potty training it, the best thing to do is really to keep it crated when you're gone.. it's going to make the process go much quicker and you're not going to have as many accidents. You can leave food and water in the crate if you like, I always did. If you keep it in a room, I can almost guarantee the puppy will go potty in there, because Yorkie puppies are so small -- there will be plenty of room for it to potty and have another spot to sleep and eat, etc.

I kept mine in his crate when we were not home, but only until he was potty trained. Once we felt he could be trusted not to potty or destroy the house, we allowed him access to small parts of house at a time. If he was OK in those areas, we opened more up to him the next time we were gone. He now has full reign while we're gone. :)

Answer 6

All the dogs in my home are crated for up to 6 hrs a day, except the GSD ( German Shepherd Dog). The small ones are terriers and can demolish a house in 10 minutes with their play! The GSD is 4 yrs old, has a leg defect and has taken on the role of guarding the home and other dogs.
When I give the command "crate up", everyone, (including the GSD) runs down the hall, into their perspective rooms and crates.

Do they mind going into their personal bedrooms ?
Heck NO! They get a treat reward for doing what I asked of them, and they have all stashed stolen toys and treats in their bedrooms. If you train properly, crating your dog makes life easier on you, keeps them safe and they have their own space, much like a child has it's own room to play in with their toys.

The dogs in my home are never outside unless under direct supervision. Even with a secure privacy fence, I watch them to assure their safety. I wouldn't turn a bunch of toddlers loose in my home or back yard without constant supervision, nor would I treat dogs any less important.

Answer 7

This is a hard question to respond to since I don't know what kind of dog/age, etc. you are planning to get. I'd start with the animal crated (especially if it isn't potty trained), and then, slowly give it more freedom... If it misbehaves... back in the crate it goes. If the dog is older, it will usually be past the whole puppy chewing phase... If not, then I'd be very careful.... Even little yorkies can do lots of damage....

Don't keep dogs outside... You never know what could happen... If it is a small dog, a bigger dog could attack it. IF it is a bigger dog- a bee could sting it, a bird could attack it....

Please do lots of research on dogs/obedience training/potty training before getting a dog.

Answer 8

Crates don't have to be a negative thing for your dog! There are many things you can do to make your dog love its crate. Feed its meals in the crate, feed high value treats (smelly tasty stuff, like roast beef!), and leave toys in it. Think of the crate as a den, rather than a cage.

It is normal for a dog to cry when first left alone in the crate. They have to learn that it's okay to be alone, and that you will come home. The crate provides a safe haven for your dog. He or she will not be able to get into trouble.

The crate should only be large enough for the dog to stand, turn around, and stretch comfortably. If it is any larger, the dog can have an accident in one corner, and sleep in the other. A proper size crate is great for potty training because there won't be any messes when you come home.

When your dog is totally and reliably potty trained, you can gradually stop using the crate. You can use an exercise pen as a safe area for your dog to play, without getting into trouble. If you choose to give him or her the run of the house, make sure it is "dog proofed", so your pup can't make any messes for you to clean up! Close doors to rooms like the bathroom to avoid coming home to shredded toilet paper.

I would avoid leaving your dog outside. If it begins to bark, it can annoy the neighbours, and you will not be home to quiet him or her. Your dog could be easily stolen, or if a wild animal comes near, it could be killed.

Good luck, and remember that crates aren't a bad thing! My dog would spend much of her day in hers, sleeping, with the door wide open!

Answer 9

I hate the idea of crate training. Would you want to be kept in a cage for that many hours in a day?? No, well, why would a dog then?

My recommendation is, that no matter how big a dog is (small or large), they like to be outside. They like to run around, explore, smell the fresh air, and that is what I do. I have two boxers, who prefer to be outside.

However, if you keep a dog outside, make sure that everything is safe and he can not get hurt or run away. Also, you have to provide some sort of a shelter where he can sit in, and eat and drink in. So buy a dog house (doesnt have to be too big).

Answer 10

Depending on how long you are going to be gone for you can crate them. My Boyfriend has a great dane puppy and he is crated with a few breaks while he is at work from 7-4 and he is also crated at night. The dog actually will come to love there crate and find it to be a safe plac and if you leave to door open and store toys in there you will find that they tend to go in and play or hang out...