Anyone NOT crate their puppy at night?

[monkeywithacowface]

6 month old pup has always been crated at night time since we got him at 12 weeks. He's always slept pretty well in there from the off, although has always consistently woken around 5am which has been a bit knackering to say the least!

Over the last couple of weeks though he has started waking at 1am/2am every night and once I've gone to him has refused to go out for a pee but then cried once I've left him again. If I sit for a few minutes he settles back down by which time I'm wide awake and then he is awake again at 5 am. Once he's been out for his 5am pee and poo he likes to curl up and snooze on his beanbag that he uses during the day (never chooses the crate for daytime sleeping).

He's a lurcher and his favourite sleep position is stretched out on his back legs in the air! He has a large crate but I'm wondering if he just isn't as comfy?

The other night when woke at 2am he got out the crate and made beeline for his beanbag so I left him to it and he slept there until 7am with no accidents. Last night I let him sleep all night in the kitchen on his beanbag and he slept through until 6am. I'm tempted to ditch the crate at night but use it for when we go out with a view to ditching it altogether.

Is this going to be a mistake? I'm so tired from 3 months of 5am wake up call and now on my knees with the additional 2am wakings. Anyone not use a crate at all that can reassure me it's the way forward?

[JaimeLannister]

Me. I used my crate for about 2 weeks with my 15 week old golden. The crate was in my bedroom but he settled better on a dog bed with my older dog.

[smashbake]

We never crated any of our dogs. They had the run of the kitchen with a stair gate at night when little.

[BiteyShark]

I ditched the crate just after the 1 year mark. To be honest around that time he started to be resistant to going in it at night and I struggled to get him up for a pee when we went to bed as he knew he would have to go in it. I decided that as he wasn't destructive and was at an age that I could trust him not to get up to any mischief or pee any where I just packed it away and he is much happier.

It sounds like yours was happy in the kitchen so I would trial that for a few nights and see how he goes.

[DramaAlpaca]

I've never crated a dog in my life & never will. It just doesn't feel right to me.

Whenever we've brought a pup into the family it's been to join an older dog and they cuddle up together at night downstairs. They've always settled quickly.

We've never used a crate when we've been out without them either, just left the dogs together in a room where they are safe & can't do any damage.

[missyB1]

We didn’t crate at all, she’s always slept on her beanbag in the kitchen.

[monkeywithacowface]

Thanks good to know that others don't use one. He has become reluctant to go out for his last wee of the night. I thought it was a cold weather thing but now I'm wondering if it's a not wanting to leave his beanbag and go in the crate issue. Fortunately he's not a destructive pup and as long as there's nothing left on the kitchen counter I don't think he'll get up to mischief.

[RicottaPancakes]

No, I think it's a fairly new thing.

[NachoAddict]

Our pup is about 14 weeks (I think) she sleeps in my room with the older dog on the dog bed.

She sometimes chooses to go into the crate during the day for peace from the children and she is crated while we are out although once the christmas tree is down I am planning to ditch that too.

[BiteyShark]

Yes sounds the same as mine. Now I have ditched the crate he happily gets up for his last pee of the night before trotting back to bed.

If you are not quite sure you can trust him you could get a baby monitor or camera to listen in on him at night but given what you have said it doesn't sound like he will do anything other than sleep.

[Thedietstartsnow]

Pup is 8 months,no crate ,all is fine😁

[monkeywithacowface]

Our bedroom is right above the kitchen where he sleeps and you can hear even the most pathetic whimper so I think I'll know if he up to no good!

Right no crate again tonight and we'll start leaving him with free reign of the kitchen for short spells when we go out. I won't be sad to see the crate leave the kitchen it's bloody huge!

[TealStar]

I didn’t crate my ddog. I got a crate in but she hated it and I figured that I didn’t want the ugly great thing in our house anyway for the next 14 years so we started as I planned to go on: a bed by the Aga! Suits her just fine

[madasamarchhare]

Agree with everyone above. Crates feel v unnatural to lock a dog up. For most people they are a member of the family, I just don’t understand locking them up. We had a dog 17 years ago and crates were unheard of. He slept in the kitchen. No problems. New pup arrived this year and we did crate for various reasons. However, he did the 5am wake up call too and we decided to ditch it when he was about 6 months. He isn’t a destructive dog and like you the crate took up a huge space in the kitchen. Doggy couldn’t be happier. Goes to bed when we do and sleeps til we wake. Best thing we did was ditch the crate.

[SESthebrave]

We have a 5mo cocker spaniel puppy and she's our third puppy over the years. We don't use a crate and she sleeps happily on a dog bed with our older dog in the utility room. Both our dogs sleep the hours we do.

[monkeywithacowface]

The crate had it's positives in the beginning for sure and I'd always planned to ditch it eventually. Good to hear positive experiences of not crating and the prospect of saying goodbye to 5am wake up calls is very heartening!

[ChardonnaysPrettySister]

I've never used a crate and don't intent to in the future.

[BlackPeppercorn]

My big dog sleeps on the sofa (open plan to kitchen). He does need to be shut in though because he wanders at night and stares into people's faces. It's not nice, you suddenly wake up and you're aware that something is watching you from about 3 inches away. I think he worries about us. Once he's shut in (behind a babygate, not a door) we don't hear a peep.
Now my little dog - she has to go into her crate or she worries all night long, patrolling the kitchen. Once in her crate, she's sparko apart from the occasional dreamy 'wuff'. She barks once in the morning when she thinks it's time for a wee and breakfast, it's a special little bark that nobody but ME hears, funnily enough.

[rightsaidfrederickII]

I've never crated a dog - and I was brought up on old school dog keeping. My grandparents kept dogs almost all their lives and wouldn't know what a crate was for, but had a succession of unfailingly nice dogs that slept in the bed with them. I know people sing their praises but I can't look at one without realising they're usually smaller than my hamster's cage.

PestDog gets a short walk last thing (11ish) and first thing (7.30ish) for the sake of his bladder, and sleeps through.

[rightsaidfrederickII]

PS PestDog sleeps in the bed with his favourite human that evening. Ideally snuggled up next to you. It has the dual advantage that he can't start missing you and on the rare occasion you have a long lie in and he needs the loo, he can lick your face to let you know (ignore that warning at your peril!)

[baxtersmum]

Never crated my golden retriever. Had tiny kitchen so he slept in there for first year behind baby gate (kitchen right next to main living room). Door never shut. After that he had run of house but not allowed on sofas or our bed (sleeps on teenagers beds if they stay over). Very happy dog!

[CornflakeHomunculus]

I don’t crate my puppies at night (I just sleep downstairs with them next to me) but I do use them for when I need to go out. It means the puppy can be left in the same room as one/some/all of my adult dogs without being able to cause trouble. Once they’re old enough to not be a pest then they get left loose.

I do like to know my dogs are happy in crates on the off chance they ever need strict rest post surgery/injury. Thankfully it’s only ever been necessary for mine twice but in both cases the fact the crate was somewhere they enjoyed being made the whole recovery process much easier.

[Greyhorses]

I crated for a few weeks with the latest one who is now 7m but she never settled and constantly weed/pood in it.

Now both dogs are loose, sleep together and no accidents or destruction. Plus I don't have a great big ugly crate in my kitchen so everyone's happy

[Lookingtothehighlands]

I’ve never felt the need to use a crate. Never had a problem with puppies settling.

[LittleRedWagon1]

We didn't crate our previous dogs, until towards the last couple of years of their lives as they got quite destructive. However we have had to with DDobie, now 10mo, as she tries to kill herself at every opportunity if she isn't watched (it's exhausing). Just the other day I caught her munching on a bauble from the tree and smashing it in her mouth and then continuing to chew on the broken pieces when I'm running towards her screaming like a banshee.
Her crate is in our bedroom and she walks straight into it as soon as we go to bed, also when we have to leave her alone while we are out.

[ruthsmumkath]

Crated our large doodle but our Frenchie cross used a crate for about a week and was awful so she slept with DC1 (teenager) and wore a nappy. After a couple of weeks she didn't go in her nappy and now 4 months on she sleeps well in bed with no nappy.