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?

Cannot see that any reputable rescue centre would rehome a dog that is going to be crated for 17 hours out of 24.

If some dogs "like to be crated" then how come they have to be shut into the crate? For many dogs being "crate trained" seems to mean being taught to tolerate being locked in a crate, or simply being locked in a crate so they can be bored/anxious without trashing the house.

Our two huskies are crated at night and they're often there during the day/mealtimes too of their own free will. As others have said: it's their safe place and where they can rest fully relaxed.

Such long hours aren't that great though and I'd be talking to your bf about doggy daycare or a walker.

@barbarianmum: ours will quite happily sleep in there with the door open. One of ours is petrified of fireworks so prefers to be in her crate and have it locked so it's a "safer place". She's even got a knack of closing the door behind her!

I don't think there is anything wrong with crating at night. It's like putting a child to bed. If your child woke up in the middle of the night you'd put them back in bed, you wouldn't just allow them to roam around the house doing what they pleased.

Dogs don't need free run of the house at night they aren't like cats, they should be quite happy to sleep at night time. Ours sleeps from 11pm - 7am of his own accord. Crating just encourages him to sleep and know that it's 'bed time' now. He doesn't get distressed when he's in there, he just knows it's time to settle down and sleep now.

Yes, there's nothing wrong with offering a dog a quiet space to retreat to, be it crate or basket. But that's not how many people understand the term.

OP did the rescue ask whether the dog was going to be left all day in its own?

I wouldn't use the crate in the day time personally. And certainly never for punishment as it defeats the purpose of creating a space for him to relax in.

I think of them as more of a cot stage - when they are little and able to get into trouble

When they've learnt the rules - no peeing use the dog flap etc then they are free to roam

TO add to that - if you locked a child in their room overnight at an age when they are sensible and able to access the toilet themselves or come to you if they feel unwell - then that would be abuse

The problem with cages is that they enable idiots like the OPs bf to own dogs with very little inconvenience to themselves and for all the people saying they don’t abuse the use of a cage there is someone else who does abuse it . Dogs are not caged pets and they don’t need to be shut in somewhere to know it’s bedtime and time to sleep , our dog ( who is cage trained but doesn’t have one he’s been trained for emergency purposes ) sleeps all night without roaming the house .

There's a big difference in allowing access to an open crate for a dog to use as a secure space and shutting it in there for hours on end while you're out at work all day. That sounds like an excuse to avoid any mess in your house - why would you get a dog if that's the case.

GreenTulips agreed although your child wouldn't destroy your house (questionable) if left to it and as a puppy, our dog was trained to make it known when he needed toilet at which point we would happily have taken him. Even if he was out of his crate, he would still be unable to go outside where his toilet is unless he woke one of us up.

Most adult dogs can easily hold their bladder through the night. We leave our crate door open now he's a bit older and he never comes out nor messes.

My dog could have got up and had a bloody party in his crate it was so big. It did however keep him safe so he couldn't destroy anything and or eat anything that could have harmed him.

Crates/cages are not the problem. It's all about how you use them and for how long.

This is why rescues are so strict about who they rehome dogs to; they shouldn't be alone or in a crate for more than 4 hours a day, and not every day.

We had crates for our as puppies and the younger one slept in a crate at night until he was over one year old.

I think night time crating is fine, although now ours sleep on the bed or wherever they want.

I would put the puppies in the crate for an hour or so during the day, but only whilst I was in the house. I would never put a dog in a crate and leave the house, I would be too worried about getting delayed and leaving the poor thing trapped.

So I am not against crates totally, although I don't use them now, but I think your DP is being very unreasonable locking this dog into a crate for 17 hours out of 24. It is beyond cruel and he should have left it where it was.

Please sort him out.

I not against crates at all ,never used them for my dogs but they work and are good when used correctly .But in this case it is'nt it is cruel .Poor dog has left one enclosure for another .Your DP needs to give the dog back to the centre. You are going to get the occasional mess when you have animals ,its inevitable .If he refuses to change his mindset and not crate the dog for so long then you need to inform the rescue centre for the dogs sake OP .

Crates can actually help a dog to feel safe so they don't just serve the purpose of being convenient. They can provide a dog with a safe space in the home that is only theirs.

That said, 9 hours during the day every day is a lot, in a crate or not.

It did however keep him safe so he couldn't destroy anything and or eat anything that could have harmed him

Very true biteyshark

I've had to fish all sorts out of my pups mouth before. It's not possible to completely puppy safe your house. They are sneaky little buggers that get everywhere.

I probably wouldn't have been able to sleep through the anxiety of knowing he was free in the house if I'd left him out of his crate.

Note the open door. My lot had a crate as babies, they had to be made to rest as puppies. All of them will go into the crate if we have it up, usually only for injuries these days. It was a lifesaver when one of them snapped his cruciate, one after the other.

As long as the dog has plenty of out of crate time and esefcise/stimulation, I'd say it's fine.

Crating is ONLY acceptable if the crate is unlocked and the dog chooses to stay there - otherwise it’s imprisonment

Dog’s who are destructive need behavioural therapy to address the cause of their anxiety and separation phobias, not simply locking up so that owner’s don’t have to deal with the consequences of their dog’s anxiety.

Forced Caging does not fix anxiety any more than a cork up your arse fixes diarrhoea

I think it would be much better if during the day the crate was open so the dog could go inside when it wanted to.

TO add to that - if you locked a child in their room overnight at an age when they are sensible and able to access the toilet themselves or come to you if they feel unwell - then that would be abuse

Dogs are not children!

Dog’s who are destructive need behavioural therapy to address the cause of their anxiety and separation phobias, not simply locking up so that owner’s don’t have to deal with the consequences of their dog’s anxiety.

As a puppy my dog would have eaten the whole house if he had been allowed to roam free at night. The crate kept him safe. He's an adult now and doesn't need the crate and I am more than happy for him to roam about. As a puppy I wanted to know he was safe when I was asleep rather than risk a bloody obstruction.