Crate Train or Not to Crate Train

[bendog]

We have never used a crate. Ben never even really liked Dog beds, although he will occasionally sleep in the one in our room now if the bed is too crowded.

Pop, sash and Charlie all seem happy using their beds, so I am assuming (big assumption I know) that if I did have to crate them I would just put their bed and a kong in there and they'd be fine. My OH is dead set against crates, I can see the use of crates for housetraining and as "dens" but I wouldn't be happy confining a dog to such a small area for even an hour. Ours are usually split "upstairs, downstairs" so they have the run of 2 or 3 rooms at least, although I am fully aware that they probably just jump on the bed or sofa and sleep for the next few hours. Aside from anything else we don't have room for 4 crates!!

Even our family dog when I was little was only ever crated after he had surgery on a luxating patella.

Only poppy really has a "den" which is under the sofa. Sasha likes her beds, either the kitchen one, or more often her beanbag in living room.

Ben and Charlie just seem to stick around on the sofa or else wherever I am.

If there's someone come to do work on the house, or a guest who dislikes dogs we just shut the dogs out of that room.

[dontpugme]

We didn't use a crate to potty train, and we don't have the crate out in our house. It stays in our garage and is only used when we travel. My parent's don't allow him on any furniture because we'd have to vacuum multiple times a day with our allergies to his fur. Max has beds in dark areas away in his own corner but also one next to my dad's desk or the sofa so he can be closer to us if he wants. If a plumber or cable guy comes and he/she doesn't really want a dog eyeing their work, we just tell him to go to his bed. If we have a party and it is getting a little too crazy in the house or if a kid is screaming because he/she is scared of dogs, we'll put him in the garden. We normally have people in our garden (because they always want to see how in the world my mom grows this certain vegetable and the weather is amazing on the patio during spring and fall) during parties so it's not like we're shutting him away.

[ladybug1802]

Dylan adores his crate! I never actually shut him in it to be honest, alhough I could do....but its more a den like area for him to go to (as well as his comfy bed that he has in livingh room and another comfy bed he has in my bedroom!). Its at the back corner of my living room, covered in blankets with the only side uncovered is the side he uses to go in. It has an old duvet and a fleecey crate pad in it so its really cosy. its nice and dark over there and he often takes himself off to sleep in there...he is in there right now actually. I also have another crate at my parents for if he stays there and he goes in it a lot - chooses it over his beds.

So while I never used it for house training or anything like that,m being an anxious type of dog I think its nice for him to have somewhere cosy and safe and hidden away.

As far as car harnesses go...the bergen ones are great - they are crash tested and are (as far as I klnow) the only really safe and tested ones.

I want to get a crate or a tailguard gate for my car....but cant work out the best place to get one from, plus i may well be changing my car in the next year or so...b8ut when I get a new car I will definitekly get a dog guard and a tailgate guard fitted for security reasons. Or get a crate secrurely fitted in the boot dependiong on what car I get.

[JudyN]

I had a crate for Jasper but he never really took to it and preferred to sprawl in the middle of the floor. We managed house training without it, he isn't a great chewer, and I was able to make my study dog safe, though I did have to put my work away every time I left the room at first! In the end it went in the loft as a Jasper-sized crate takes up a lot of room.

Despite that, I can really see the advantages - if he needed crate rest it would be great for him to be used to it. If we took him visiting and he was OK at being left it would be useful to leave him in a crate rather than make where we were dog safe. But again, it's awfully big to transport and set up in someone else's house.

If I was getting a new smaller dog then I think I'd put more effort into crate training.

We had a Bergen car harness but he somehow managed to chew through it on the way to Cornwall, so have a Clix one now.

Wilkie, I'm not sure what you mean by training a dog to use the car harness. it's tethered to the car, at a length where the dog can't get into any trouble and won't fly too far in an accident before being restrained. Not sure what you mean by an emergency when the dog's in its crate, either. The dog should be as safe in there as if it's been left alone with the run of the house.

[Wilkie]

Wilkie, I'm not sure what you mean by training a dog to use the car harness. it's tethered to the car, at a length where the dog can't get into any trouble and won't fly too far in an accident before being restrained. Not sure what you mean by an emergency when the dog's in its crate, either. The dog should be as safe in there as if it's been left alone with the run of the house.

Oooooh ok *slaps forehead* . Nevermind, your explanation is good .