Pups and crates

[Flowerofthefen]

My nearly 8 month old parsons has always been crated whilst we are not there. She jumps straight in and settles immediately once in. For the last few days, in the morning, she has been reluctant to go in, preferring to snuggle up to our other dog. She will still chew the odd cushion on the settee but in general is quite good. What age do you trust your pups out of the crate? Or is it better to keep the routgoing so she is always safe? X

 

[Errin Paddywack]

I like mine to be crated until I am sure they are past the chewing stage.

 

[Marnie]

Bunny is 18 months and is either in her outside run (large stone outhouse with attached outdoor run) or in her large indoor crate when I am not there. I would like to give her free rein but she can't be 100% trusted with my old pair and is also a terrible chewer. My cushions have no corners, I have lost 3 remote controls, she has chewed electric leads and lots of other things - and doesn't seem to be getting any better yet.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

She is in a medium crate. She can sit up, lie down and stretch but wondering if a large crate would be better?

 

[Marnie]

My inside crate is like this - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272203651507?var=571009352156. I have put a 'lid' on it. It has room for a bed that she can stretch out full length plus an equivalent sized area for other activity, bowls etc.

The outer pen of her outside run can be seen in the picture, the inside area is as big but can't be seen on the right. It has the advantage of being really cool in the summer due to the stone walls.

 

[splashgirl45]

I allowed my lurcher to be out overnight at 9 months when I thought he wouldn’t bother the other 2 or chew any wires I still crated during the day if I went out for about another month and now he doesn’t go in the crate at all , it’s in between the 2 armchairs and has a covering on the top and he sleeps on that a lot of the time

 

[malwhit]

When I have a puppy, I only put it on a puppy pen for the first few weeks, until I know the older dogs have accepted her. She then had access to the living room only, as it has a tiled floor. I then used the panels from the puppy pen to put around the sofa

Any other furniture I sprayed with vinegar to stop chewing. Luckily I love the smell of it. She also had the company of a sensible dog. Plus plenty of toys and chews which the older one didn't bother with.

Depending on the pup, I start giving it freedom of the house for longer periods of time after it is around six months.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

We crate all ours overnight, or if only our 3 are here and we are going out. If Daycare Dog is here, the 2 younger ones are crated next to each other and the older pair sleep on the settee. The older ones (4 yrs old) are well past chewing but our youngster is very unhappy if she is crated with no-one next to her.

 

[Annette4]

Ours that are crated are crated all the time. I've got one who panics if she's left out but settles lovely if in her bed, one who I wouldn't trust as far as I can throw him and a fiery terrier x who would bully the boys.

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

Last 2 were out of the crate by 8 months. Current 2 had crates taken away a few months ago so probably well over a year. Can you trust him?!

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Mine is a 10-months Dachsie, the other is round about 11 (rescue so not sure).

They are both crated at night, with me in the bedroom, but crated (I'd never get any sleep if they were to sleep on the bed!). Their crates are adjacent to each other.

They both get a little treat when they go up for the night. Both settle well and pup settled in his crate right from the first night with us. Had to do a few 3am piddles & poo sessions in the dark and the wet, but he'll happily go right through the night now.

 

[Morwenna]

Mine is 11 months old and has just got the freedom of being allowed loose while I am out. She is loose in the house while I am working and has got over her carpet chewing phase. She quite often takes herself off to her crate during the day but does like to sleep on the sofa and, with it getting warmer, I wanted her to be able to take herself off to a cooler spot if needed. She is still crated at night but leaps in happily.

 

[conkers]

I think it depends on your puppy and your situation.

Granville was always crated when we went out, probably until he was around 8/9 months old. He was left out of the crate overnight when it started to get cold, so when he was about 6 months old. He just came up onto the bed with us instead.

With Cedric, it was different. He slept in his crate until he was around 7 months old. He never questioned it but then started to get upset that he wasn't with us so we let him up onto the bed with Granville and thats where he has slept ever since.

Re leaving him out of his crate when we went out, we left him out when we weren't home within a few weeks of us getting him - around 10 weeks old. This wasn't the plan and it did feel far too early but we had 2 other dogs to keep him company when we went out. We had tried leaving him in the crate but he got really upset, mainly because the other 2 left him on his own whilst they went and snuggled up on the settee. So we took the plunge and started to leave him out with the other 2 and never had a problem. He just joined them on the settee and went to sleep.
I do have to say though that we only went out for half an hour and he has never been a chewer. If he had been a chewer or we were going out for hours then he would have been back in his crate.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

My JRT was only crated until about 7 months but she was never a terrible chewing dog anyway, she chewed her blankets and 1 bed slightly but that was it, overnight she was left in the kitchen bed near aga and nothing left out she could chew and she was fine.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

My JRT was only crated until about 7 months but she was never a terrible chewing dog anyway, she chewed her blankets and 1 bed slightly but that was it, overnight she was left in the kitchen bed near aga and nothing left out she could chew and she was fine.

My pup is a chewer but fortunately she hasn't touched her fluffy blanket in her crate!! She has been left out of the crate the last 2 nights and has been fine. Not sure I trust her enough in the daytime yet!

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I don't leave my dog the run of the house never have she is either put in the kitchen or in our long hallway when it's really hot as aga heats up kitchen too much to shut the door.

I think kitchens are relatively safe for dogs to be left although I have known some to chew the edges of cupboards and furniture legs, so I suppose it depends how bad they are and what they are likely to chew.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Depends on the dog. I live in a rental property so mine are crated in kitchen or in a dog run when I can't supervise. I can't really afford for any of the fixtures/fittings/furniture to get trashed.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

I've never used a crate for puppies, I use puppy pens made from sturdy green compost net. As the puppy gets older I can increase the puppy pen size, or use it to section off parts of the room, and/or place individual sections in front of things I want to protect from gnawing.

The only times my adult dogs haven't been left free in the house when they're alone is when there's special reasons for it, like last year when my new cat Fröjdis needed to be separated from my old cat Cilla, and Blomma had to be in either Fröjdis or Cilla's part of the house.
In fact I used the same compost net I use for puppy pens to make us a net sliding door, to keep the cats apart the last period before we let them live completely together. I first taped together 2 compost net, and then a 3rd over the taped together area on the first two.

I pulled it out a little to take a picture to show you how it looks when in use

But I'm not sure that picture really shows what it looks like, so I tried taking a picture showing all of it laying on the floor as well, but then HHO image size restrictions meant I still can't show all if it, and I just realised the bottom part where I've taped some cotton to the net at two places, to lift all of it up a tiny bit from the floor so it would slide easier, doesn't show.

Anyhow, I'm thinking I might also want to use the net sliding door to keep a future puppy, or another new cat sectioned off in a certain room/part of the house for a period of time, maybe later this year or the next year, so I haven't bothered with taking it apart.

By the way, crating dogs indoors is illegal in Sweden, unless it's because of veterinary orders, or if you're at a dog show or similar. If you have a crate put up as a safe place indoors for your dog, the door must be removed for it to be legal.

 

[Xmasha]

I’ve been thinking the same . Stirling is 7 1/2 months now . So I’ve been leaving him in the hall for longer periods during the day . Just testing him to see what he does . It seems to be his favourite place for a nap as it’s tiled floors . So far all has gone well . I’m hoping to try him over night soon

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I don't leave my dog the run of the house never have she is either put in the kitchen or in our long hallway when it's really hot as aga heats up kitchen too much to shut the door.

I think kitchens are relatively safe for dogs to be left although I have known some to chew the edges of cupboards and furniture legs, so I suppose it depends how bad they are and what they are likely to chew.

Our kitchen should be a kitchen diner but we use it as kitchen and snug so have a corner sofa and tele in there. It saves using the 'best' room. We have been in this house for 4 years and have never even sat in the 'best' room!!

 

[dottylottie]

rory only slept in his crate until he was about 4 months…i got him at 16 weeks, but one night we fell asleep having snuggles on the bed and i felt too cruel to go back to putting him in

during the day, he was just left in the kitchen rather than the crate.

could you try a pen with the crate in?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Our kitchen should be a kitchen diner but we use it as kitchen and snug so have a corner sofa and tele in there. It saves using the 'best' room. We have been in this house for 4 years and have never even sat in the 'best' room!!

That really is a best room then if it's not been used for 4 years a sofa might be a bit too much temptation then at the moment.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

That really is a best room then if it's not been used for 4 years a sofa might be a bit too much temptation then at the moment.

She's allowed on the sofa in the snug. When she first got in to best room we had major zoomies!! Now she's sort of allowed in there she's not interested!! All I use it for is to air my washing on a free standing airer so she is literally in there 2 mins tops!! We've got covers on the snug sofa which are now sporting a few holes.............!

 

[Goldenstar]

Have you room for a puppy play pen I got one for Pearl it’s a great thing .
Pearls two now and has been on the loose for ages but the cats have taken over the playpen so it stayed .

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Have you room for a puppy play pen I got one for Pearl it’s a great thing .
Pearls two now and has been on the loose for ages but the cats have taken over the playpen so it stayed .

Yes we have room, will look into getting one, thank you.

 

[Belmont]

We pick our pup up this weekend and my partner is SO against crating him. I've tried for over 6 months to convince him it isn't cruel. He's agreed the pup can sleep in his travel carrier at night for the first week, but after that he'll have run of the kitchen. I'm taking this as a win - I'm really hoping night 8 will be chaos, with chewed up table legs and mess everywhere, that he'll agree he needs to be crated again. Wish me luck!

 

[splashgirl45]

Another argument you can use is once crate trained and happy to stay in, if dog ever has a bad injury that requires no uncontrolled exercise being ok in a crate is very helpful and beneficial to the dog. Also if you take the dog on holiday it’s useful if you stay in hotels. Once my lurcher was not interested in chewing wires etc and was housetrained he has not been in the crate indoors. I do use crates for travelling in the car as I think it’s safer for everyone..