Keeping a Dog in a cage?

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My boyfriend has just got a beautiful dog from a rescue centre but on a night he has it sleeping in his cage and also when he is out during the day.
I don't like it,I have a dog and he is free to wander where he likes,he sleeps in my room and jumps on the bed etc.
I just don't like it,is it just me that thinks a dog doesn't belong in a cage?

A lot of people use a crate for their dog. You don't like it but it works for him.

How long is the dog left in the cage during the day?

It's normal.

Lots of dogs are destructive when left out as they get anxious. Ours isn't crate-trained either but I know plenty that are.

Nothing wrong with it if done properly.

About 5 hours on morning then 4 on afternoon.
Then all night from 11pm to 7am.
He shuts the cage too so not like he can get out.

If used correctly crate training can be a very positive thing. It provides the dog with a safe, secure place and is good when you need them to be kept separate from perhaps young children visiting or other dogs. Keeping a dog shut in a crate for the majority of the day unable to freely come and go is not good.

Putting a new rescue dog in a crate when you are out and at night as your boyfriend is doing seems fine and a sensible thing to do until the dog is happy and settled.

Some dogs like to be crated. We crate ours during the day, we mash sure he is well walked before and dog walker comes in during the day. He sleeps on our bed at night

Is it a large crate with the door left open, maybe he doesn't want the dog to destroy any furniture, I wouldn't do it, I'd rather keep the dog in one room while I was out. How does doggy get to his food or go to the toilet.

That's too long during the day, poor dog spends more time in the cage that out.

Why is he doing this?

Poor thing was probably happier in the rescue centre. That’s far too long to be in a cage.

He doesn't want the dog to make any kind of mess.

Overnight I get (though it wouldn’t be my choice because I’m sentimental AF and I like the cuddles ) but all night AND all day seems a bit much

Dog is fed before he goes,lunch time then tea time.
He has a water bowl in the cage.

He's being cruel to the dog. I'd be inclined to phone the rescue centre and tell them what he's doing.

I like cuddles too ha ha.
I love my dog in the bedroom with me,he feels safe and I've got his bed and blankets on floor.

My dog is crate trained. She loves it and hates not being in it over night.

But honestly that sounds far too long during the day.

I am lucky in that my dog is shared with my best friend. There's usually someone in and the dog stays with them during the day. She may be in her crate for an hour or two at the very most, a couple of times a week.

I don't think there is an issue with the over night crate. But it does sound like a very long time to crate the dog during the day.

Crates aren't cruel. Its about how you use them

I would tell the rescue centre. Poor dog

9 hours in the day plus all night is ridiculous. Why exactly did he get this dog? As someone else said, the poor thing was probably happier in kennels.

Dogs should NOT be let crates for more than 2 hrs Max. If he can’t cope with the dog the kind thing to do is rehome it. This is not kind and giving the dog no quality of life. Confining the dog to a single room when he’s out is a suitable thing to do but crating for several hours a day IS NOT!

Sorry should read “should not be kept crated..

All night is absolutely fine, as is upto four hours in the day (maximum time adult dogs should be left alone) but 9 hours a day is ridiculous.

If he can't look after the dog properly he needs to rehome it or at the very least send it to doggy daycare during the day.

The problem isn't so much the crate and the time. The dog is left alone way too much.

We have kept our dog in a crate over night since he was a puppy. It was recommended by the breeder as that's what he was used to and can help them feel secure. He loves being in there at night now. We leave the door open these days but he never comes out. It's like his bedroom!

But the day time does seem too long, could your partner not look into getting a dog walker or perhaps even daycare for him?

Our dog goes to work with DP most days however on the day's he doesn't, he goes to daycare for half a day which tires him out and stops him from destroying the house the rest of the day!

I have to say I really really don’t like crates. I’ve heard all the arguments but when I see the way my dog moves around the room both day and night to find different places to sleep I don’t think she would be happy being forced to sleep in one spot all the timem

I don’t think she would be happy being forced to sleep in one spot all the time

But not all dogs are the same. Some get very anxious being left "in charge" of lots of space, for example, or as puppies get very destructive if given the opportunity. Crates can be amazing if they're used properly and for appropriate amounts of times.

Deadbudgie I always thought that way but when we got ours as a small pup he was quite nervous and being in his crate at night with his mum's blanket really calmed him down. He felt safer in there.

Since then we've left the door open and he chooses to sleep in there, it's his secure place which he knows is his.

I don't leave him in it in the day time though, he has far too much energy in the day to be cooped up.

I can't recommend daycare enough if you have anyone in your area who offers it OP. Even just for the socialisation aspect. Ours has improved so much with other dogs since going, he was slightly nervous and shy before. Our local one offers half a day and they drop them back off at lunch time so it doesn't have to be ridiculously expensive. He's absolutely shattered and sleeps the rest of the afternoon so no chewed up mess for me when I come home and no need for a crate for him!