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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think pet dogs don't belong in cages?

90 replies

mrmump · 08/08/2012 22:43

Yet another friend has got herself a puppy, I met her today, a dear little thing, in a cage in the hall (the puppy, not the friend). Since when did the family dog become a caged animal? I even see "cage trained" on adverts for puppies now. I'm sorry, but a dog does not belong behind bars and it really upsets me to see it becoming the norm.

OP posts:

Toughasoldboots · 08/08/2012 23:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Kladdkaka · 08/08/2012 23:54

The only time my dog has ever been locked in is when he's in the cage one that goes in the back of the car. That's because he's a bugger for legging it to explore new places. Busy service station carpark on the M6 is not the best place for a mad a cheese terrier to explore on his own.

TheQueenOfDiamonds · 08/08/2012 23:55

Its the equivilant of an indoor kennel.
I have a crate. Its for the dogs own safety travelling, and she goes in it at night time because I don't see the point in having the crate and another bed. Much better that she is familiar with the crate as her resting space as then she is at ease in it in the car.

She also used to eat her food in it, because she was too scared to eat in open spaces due to her previous owners treatment of her. It has helped her feel safe eating again and she can get through a meal without shaking, cowering or wetting herself in fright.

akaemmafrost · 08/08/2012 23:56

Mine was only ever locked in when I had to go out. I believe it sped up the house training process and I know he felt safe in there. Also he was tiny as a puppy and I really worried about him getting hurt if he wasn't contained somewhere.

mrdarceych · 08/08/2012 23:57

Kladd- im totally with you!
I just hate all this fannying around with words!
I have had animals all my life( and cannot see a day in all my future without them) and totally get that used in the right way( and with the right animal) they can be very beneficial for all concerned!

Kladdkaka · 08/08/2012 23:59

Because my terrier is nuts, we use a cat carrier as his crate. It's way to small for him. He has to squeeze in and can't stand up in it or stretch out. We have a dog one, which is the right size, but he doesn't like that one and won't go in it.

midori1999 · 09/08/2012 00:00

Ghostship, yes, you can see from my picture that they are cruel and my dogs are desperate to get out of it...

Like anything they can be used correctly or incorrectly.

Of course, you can train a dog without one, but they make life much easier for both the dog and the owner, unless of course, the owner never has to leave the dog or take their eyes of it for a second.

redpanda13 · 09/08/2012 00:02

I know of a breeder who loans out crates with every puppy she sells. This was after one of her pups (beagles) choked to death on a sock. She had always crate trained her own dogs and realised she needed to educate new owners about them. Crates are returned after owner no longer needs them. She has had far more owners buy their own crates than decide to do without them.
Every dog I have met that has been crate/cage trained has been a far more secure/confident animal than my 12 year old chew monster. I would not hesitate to use one on a new puppy. Oh and no my dog is not left for long periods on her own and never has been.

fuzzypicklehead · 09/08/2012 00:06

IME "crates" are the type of enclosure found more often in the US, made from a hard plastic shell with wire mesh doors to the front and the rear. They're used in vets and kennels because they limit visibility to either side, making it easier to line them up next to each other without the dogs worrying. Then the top and doors can be removed at home to create a standard pet bed.

In the UK cages (kennels) seem to be more common. And of course you teach the dog that it's a safe place! It's just like you should teach any dog that it's bed is it's safe place. That way their default response when unsure about a situation is to lie down in bed--instead of chewing on your sofa or peeing.

And yes, you can train a dog without putting it into a cageand you are still imposing your will on the dog to achieve the desired behaviour. The effect on the dog is the same. When you say "go to your bed" the dog doesn't care whether the bed has bars on it or notthat's a human concern.

I'm sure cages are misused by bad owners. But a cage itself (when used correctly) is not a bad thing.

mrdarceych · 09/08/2012 00:14

Exactly fuzzy... Its human concern that it is a cage rather than a crate!!

PenisVanLesbian · 09/08/2012 00:17

Crate and cage are not interchangeable words.

Kladdkaka · 09/08/2012 00:27

They are when used in connection with this type of dog training. It's called crate training whether you are using a crate or a cage.

iago · 09/08/2012 00:29

I socialise Hearing Dog puppies. They are crated from a young age to aid house training because dogs choose not to soil their 'den'. Our 9 month old still chooses to sleep in her crate or take herself in it, as did our previous pup, because they feel safe or don't want to interact with annoying humans. It is not cruel!

feckingnora · 09/08/2012 06:01

I dont use one and probably never will but some dogs do need their own space. my lab likes small dark places and has not been happier since we got a bed with space underneath! that is his place. my other dog could care less and happily lays across the middle of the lounge/kitchen/bedroom. my dogs are part of the family and no room/ no where is off limits to them. we love having snuggles on the sofa and sitting in bathroom while i have a wee bath. unfortunalty my DH is mean and wont let them on the bed, but they do sleep in my bedroom. they also dont have a 'bed' they just sleep where ever they want (except the lab who spends all his time under the bed!)

LST · 09/08/2012 06:29

Our staffy loved his cage. He only needed it until he was 2.

If more people had cages when they had problems. Less dogs would end up dogs homes.

theodorakis · 09/08/2012 06:55

It sounds like you don't really approve of dog ownership in the first place. "Yet another friend".
I don't know why people who don't have dogs care what the people who do have them do.
You don't need a crate to be cruel.

adeucalione · 09/08/2012 06:59

Of course you can train a puppy without one, but training is quicker and easier with a crate/cage/kennel so why wouldn't you use one?

The dog couldn't care less that there are bars, and sees it as his safe den - yes, conditioned to do so by the owner, as with many other aspects of puppy training.

We used ours at night and if we had to go out for a couple of hours, so that he didn't injure himself or wreck the house - he had water, blanket, chew toys etc and would choose to go in at other times too.

Nowadays it is mainly used if he is scared, or needs his own space, such as when visited by a grabby toddler - he makes a beeline for it.

The rest of the time he has the run of the house/garden, has lots of attention and a couple of hours off-lead walking every day.

I don't doubt that they can be abused, like anything, but on the whole they are a tool that make the puppy months a lot easier.

rogersmellyonthetelly · 09/08/2012 07:58

Most people use crates for dogs in the same way as they use playpens and pushchairs to restrain toddlers to keep them out of mischief. Its hard work having a puppy, they are as quick and into everything as a toddler, and likewise have no sense of danger. My puppy was crated overnight and still is at 16 months, initially because she crapped on the floor in the middle of the night which I then walked in on my way to the loo. Now she is crated at night because otherwise she would end up asleep on my bed (probably in it actually!) and I dont wish to wake up with either a dead leg or her tongue in my ear! we only use it at night now, but when she was in her chewing phase we used it if we had to go out and leave her for any length of time as she was massively destructive and would have caused huge damage to whatever room she was in in a matter of minutes.

seeker · 09/08/2012 08:08

My pils dogs have a much happier life because they love their "cage". They can go to all sorts of places they wouldn't be able to and would have to go to kennels- for example, they can come when pils visit us. We have deep water, ladders, cats- all sorts of dog- dangers. It would be impossible to supervise two active dogs continuously while they were here, but because they are happy to lie in their cage after we have walked their legs off, they can come rather than having t go into kennels.

Catsmamma · 09/08/2012 08:15

We have a cage for our current puppy, he uses it overnight and for any alone time in the day.

Nothing at all wrong with them if they are used properly.

If some idiot is going to shut the dog in somewhere it makes little difference if it is a cage, a crate or a shed.

mangomadness · 09/08/2012 08:36

My basset has a cage to sleep in at night.....during the day when he has the run of the house/garden I'll often find him in there with one of his toys! We leave the door open apart from at night. He has a water bowl which clips onto the side.

With the arrival of a new baby and the house being taken over by her, his cage is very much his den.

mangomadness · 09/08/2012 08:40

Also if you saw his cage you wouldn't think it's cruel....he's got padded bed, vet bed and a blanket to nest in, a selection of bedtime toys (he has a thing for soft toys), bedtime biscuits and a resident hide chew to gnaw on during the night.

LurkingAndLearningLovesCats · 09/08/2012 08:43

My dog sleeps in a crate. She even goes in there on her own during the day for naps.

YABU.

Dogsmom · 09/08/2012 08:47

I don't agree with them either, I've raised 7 dogs from puppies without any coming to harm by not being shut in a cage, I believe in giving dogs freedom and allowing them to be dogs, the whole 'safe place' argument is a bit of a cop out, they feel just as safe in a nice dog bed, it's not natural for them to be shut away, they are 0.1% away from a wolf and you don't see a mother wolf shutting her pups away.

I also don't expect them to perform silly tricks or put them in ridiculous outfits.

I currently have 4, aduly, happy, healthy, well behaved dogs who have never been shut away.

Also, pet cages in the boot of a car are not safe, i have known 3 dogs who have been killed in a rear end accident, squashed in their cages, if you want them in the boot then fork out for proper dog cages that wont bend under impact.

seeker · 09/08/2012 08:51

"I also don't expect them to perform silly tricks or put them in ridiculous outfits.

I currently have 4, aduly, happy, healthy, well behaved dogs who have never been shut away."

First sentence I agree with completely. But as I said, pils dogs would spend lots of time in kennels if they didn't happily go into thir cage. What's your solution to that?

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