Crate training question

Twizzel

Twizzel

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Rosie is 8 months old and from day 1 she's had a crate and loves it. She still fits in it but we tend to leave the door open now so she essentially has free roam of the kitchen both day and night, I can't remember the last time we left her in the crate with the door shut.

So I'm wondering whether to lose the crate completely and just buy her a nice waterproof bed (looking at Tuffies as they seem the toughest) or would you keep the crate? The main reason we got it was to help with house training and keep her safe if we popped out but she's gone past the chewing stage (well, she still chews her bed but not furniture) and totally house trained so I'm wondering whether to get rid, it's very big in our kitchen and she has a duvet/cover as her bed which is trashed so I need to get her a new bed...

Have those of you that crate trained puppies just had it for the first few months or kept the crate permanently?
 
Personally i would no longer see the need for a crate. She's left to wonder around with the door open anyway and no trouble is caused so i would just get her the waterproof bed :)
If you want you could just remove the crate for a few nights and see how she is, if she reacts badly you can just put her back in it.
 
Weve kept our crate, it is so handy to be able to pop them in there and take out in the car. Also if she has to stay in the vets at anytime its not so daunting for them. We have bought her another bed and she decides which one she is going to sleep in at anytime.
 
I kept it till H was over 1. Then this year I had a few SA issues and got it back out and he just LOVES it. If the door ever accidently gets shut (with him outside) he stands by it wagging his tail!! So think it's here to stay now.... will just have to buy a bigger house! ;)
 
Horses for courses, if you feel she can do without it, do without it.
Mine still overnights in his (because he is a chewy little sod) and has one for the car too for safety.
 
I might suggest to OH a Tuffies bed... the problem we have with her duvet in the crate is when she comes in wet (which is pretty much every day- see pics lower down on this forum!) it gets smelly and yucky. Plus the crate isn't actually ours, we commandeered it from OH's friend ;)
 
Yeah that is another good thing about the plastic crates - I have three or four towels on rotation for the ditch-diving bogbeast! I normally leave him in his kennel to dry out a bit before I bring him in but it is good for getting him properly dry.
 
I quite like the look of the Tuffies beds and the wicking cover they do, so may buy the bed first then save up some pennies for the cover. I'm fed up of washing at least 1 towel a day!! :)
 
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