Dog crates are cruel

Leads are cruel because you can strangle a dog with one.

You could go on forever with that sort of logic.

Literally anything can be bad if it’s used for the wrong purpose.

Where in the article does it mention crates?

Ours had a crate when they were puppies, 16 square foot, enough room for their beds, their water and to get up and move around. They loved it and would often sleep inside in the evening with the door open before we went to bed. Even now they replicated it by sleeping under the kitchen table.

Now at night they sleep in the kitchen with the door shut, with water.

The majority of these abandonment stories I see are people who lock them in the kitchen and bugger off on holiday, should we ban kitchens?

My dog is crate trained because it’s the safest way to transport her in the car.

We crate trained when Ddog was a puppy, crate was inside a playpen with the door left open and she wandered in and out. Gradually we started to close the door and built up closed door time very slowly.
Crate is now only really used in the car, although she has it available with the door open all the time (along with her squishy cushion bed and the bottom step!). She normally sleeps on her bed but I came down this morning and she was fast asleep in her crate…

They’re fine and harmless if people know how to use them. As with most things in life.

@KaleidoscopeSmile people put small children in cots with sides.
The same as a dog crate, in my opinion.

A child left alone in a cot for hours during the day and neglected would be cruel.
The same for a neglected dog.

Used correctly as a safe space to encourage sleep? Excellent choice.

However, many people don’t understand how to use a crate.
They will put a small puppy in there and leave them to cry themselves to sleep. That is not crate training.
But I consider the majority of owners to be unsuitable to have a dog. Most people don’t understand or care to understand dogs’ communication and needs.

@StrathSellsFlats you say you removed the doors I’m on your crates, so they are never shut in there? A crate with an open door and one that is closed is a very different thing. Sounds like you use your crates as we used to, but I know my dog gets very cross/ upset if the door is closed .

I had one when my dog was a puppy and he used it overnight mainly. When we got the hot weather I didn’t think he would be comfortable being in it and not being able to move around. Since then he’s not been bad in and I have took it down .

dogs shouldn’t be in them

sal

Are you really though 😂 mine taps at me 9.15 every night to go to his crate so off I go.

Op i am not going to click your link but dog crates are fine when used correctly animal abuse happens sadly regardless of crates.

The problem isn't the crate. The problem is a shitty owner who seriously neglected their dogs. Therefore YABU crates are find if the owner is fine.

Replace the word crate with shed/kennel/ etc and the dog would still be dead if left in one and no food water etc.

I actually think it’s a good idea to crate train your dog so that they are happy to be in one. We had a crate for our dog as a puppy but didn’t crate train, crate door was left open so he had the run of the kitchen which seemed a better option to me. But because he isn’t used to it, if he does need to be in a crate, such as the vets, then he makes sure everyone and thing around him knows he’s unhappy. So in retrospect, I wish we’d done the proper training when he was younger.

When my dog was a puppy we had a crate. During the day she would often take herself in there to nap as we had a very excited 3 year old who constantly wanted to play with her. She was kept in it at night once we went to bed because I was worried about chewing the TV wires or something.

Once she got by the puppy stage I just got rid of it because it was a big crate and took up too much space (we had a divider thing to make the space bigger as she got bigger).

She either sleeps on her bed or on the couch with the cat these days. At no point did it cause her distress and she willingly went into it.

My dog loved his crate. It was enormous and cozy, covered with blankets and his bed and toys inside.i got rid of it when we had our kitchen done.
He looked for it for a couple of months

No they aren’t. If they’re cruel, they aren’t being used correctly. HTH.

The dogs died because the owner abandoned them by the sounds of it, they were crated but if he abandoned them in a flat/house without food/water the result sadly would have been the same.
Crates if used correctly can be useful, these dogs don’t sound like they stood a chance because of who their owner was, not because crates were invented.

YABU.

Correlation is not causation.

Leashes can be used to abuse a dog, should we ban leashes?
Collars can be used to abuse a dog, should we ban collars?
No, we should actually crack down on abusive owners and ban them from owning animals.

Once again, correlation is NOT causation.

oh yea 😬 my point about the day still stands though 🤣

"8 hours overnight while their parents are in bed they’re not."

umm?

Not for 8 hours a day while their parents are at work and 8 hours overnight while their parents are in bed they’re not.

A fully grown adult dog with all of its senses isn't meant to live in a cage.
Temporary use- yes that makes sense.
But all the long descriptions of how a dog can be trained to enjoy being locked away just prove that it's not in their nature.
We train dogs to behave against their nature e.g. not pooing inside the house, but have to accept that sometimes their nature will win out.
Unless the dog was showing severe behavioural issues, I'd never train it to go in a cage because the chances of it feeling trapped are too high.
Taking on a pet means understanding the animal not just moulding it to your every need. I get it's difficult though.

Edit: this refers to crates with locked doors. One without a door is practically just a den...

People who put their babies in cots shouldn't have babies.

Cots are safe places for babies to play and sleep

My 2 previous German Shepherds had crates ( so big I could get in them!) We removed the doors completely so they were more like a den. Blankets, toys, odd bits of hidden food and bones went in there! Both dogs sloped off into them at random throughout the day to chew toys or go to sleep out of the way, and went in them (without me telling them to) when they saw me getting ready to go out. Please explain how this is cruel??

Current GSD is my first rescue and has to be near me 24/7 so I wouldn’t bother with one for her.
Crates serve a purpose
their place in dog & human living.
Or is this the now - weekly moan about dogs and dog ownership?
Last weeks was
“ dogs in restaurants”
Wonder what next weeks will be?? 🤔

Crates aren't cruel. Owners are.

Banning them is an over-reaction, do we ban everything that gets misused then?

My DDog loves his crate. It's his space, it's safe, dark, cosy, and he pops in and out as the mood takes him. He's never shut in, unless we are travelling in the car.

Responsible pet owners care about the wellbeing of their animals. Saying that they are overused, using them is complete laziness does not apply to the majority.

My boy is crate trained, he sleep in his crate at night and it’s left open during the day for an escape/little den for him. He occasionally goes in it for a nap during the day, or trudges off with a treat in there when the kids are being a bit on the hyper side 🤣 he’s got a crate mattress, anti-anxiety bed, pillow and a couple of blankets in there.. he’s got it good I swear 😆

A dog in my town has been left unattended (apart from one visit) since Friday. It's almost destroyed the front door, it's barked, it's howled, it's trashed the house. The RSPCA have been called multiple times (as have the police) but they won't do anything until the dog has been unattended for 72 hours straight.

The crate is not the issue. Shit owners will be shit owners regardless.