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?

Should also say our rescue dog did end up not using the crate over night, he slept on our bed. But it took him a year to get used to us leaving during the day. We always kept the crate where it was as a den for him until he passed away of old age.

Lots of unnecessary judgement on this thread.

Nobody who uses a crate has judged those who don't. They've accepted different things work for different dogs. Why can't the non-craters accept that not everyone does things the same way?

Good for you if you had a puppy who could be trusted not to open doors or cupboards, or if your puppy was happy to just sleep on their bed at night without wandering around. Not all puppies are able to be left with the crate door open because they'll wander and get into mischief. Likewise lots of adolescent dogs go through phases where they regress in their behaviour, particularly larger breeds or dogs like labradors and beagles.

There's nothing wrong with wanting your dog to be safe. If you can achieve that by leaving them in the utility room, for example, then good for you, but some dogs (especially puppies) need to be contained in smaller spaces for their own safety as much as anything else.

It's normal, especially for working dogs.
Maybe he doesn't like animals in his home, not everyone does.

“A destructive dog is not a happy dog, it’s either under exercised or under stimulated”

Depends what you mean by destructive... I don’t crate the dog because he’ll cause damage to things... there’s just not enough time in the world to check that no-one has dropped a coin or that my furniture doesn’t have loose screws (another of his favourites) and given that by teaching him to do things like empty the tumble dryer I accidentally taught him where the socks live... he’s just safer crated.

He is under exercised tbh, but that’s for his medical reasons, he’s definitely not bored though, he has jobs round the house to do, he does scentwork and trick training...

He just refuses to have it that certain things aren’t for him..

I think crates and very useful tools if used correctly, but they’re too often abused.

My dog is crate trained and genuinely does see it as his little den. He shoots like a rocket from the back door to in his crate after he’s been out for his last wee at night, he gets put to bed with a biscuit and I don’t hear a peep again from him all night.

Dogs don’t need to sleep on human beds, they are perfectly happy in their own beds and crates, and alone over night. When I got my current dog, I vowed not to slip into the habit of letting him sleep on the bed like my previous dog. Absolutely fine the vast majority of his life, but truthfully a bit of a nightmare once he got to 12/13/14+ and I had to worry about him falling off and not being able to get up/down on his own. Much prefer knowing this one is safe and comfy settled on his own.

Entirely unfair to have a dog crated all day as well as all night though. It’s no life. Can the kitchen or a utility area be made dog proof? It doesn’t take much to do. At least then would have the freedom to move round a little bit, play with dogs, be left with good puzzles/stuffed Kongs etc.

Ddog has party sized crate, like Biteydog. She goes in it over night and when I am out (no more than a few hours). She is properly crate trained, she is happy, calm and safe in there.

I think the dog in the op spends too long alone, crated or not crated. It wouldn’t matter to ddog if she had the run of the house or just her crate, she wouldn’t want to be on her own that long.

It's normal, especially for working dogs. Maybe he doesn't like animals in his home, not everyone does.

Then don’t adopt one!

Lots of people here seem unable to differentiate between crate use for dogs and or for puppies and if your dog is destructive whilst you’re out the chances are it IS experiencing separation related behaviour - it’s sad that so many owners assume this is ‘normal destruction’. It isn’t. Unless you’ve used videotape/cctv and had it assessed by a professional then you have no idea what is driving your dog’s destructive behaviour, but whatever it is it is very likely NOT normal, no matter how ‘happy’ your dog seems (and how are you assessing this when you aren't There?)

Regardless OP you’re Correct. Crates should only be used for a max of 3 hours
www.apbc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Advice_Sheet_4_-_Using_an_indoor_kennel.pdf

I could understand day OR night but not both!

So @Veterinari are you saying puppy destructiveness and chewing isn't a real thing, then? Are all puppies who chew destructive and suffering from separation anxiety? What if they do it when you're right next to them - just because they can? Mine has a huge variety of toys and chews but he is still a puppy at the end of the day and he still likes to explore and eat things he shouldn't do!

It's surely understandable that puppies and rescue dogs who perhaps haven't had the best training and start in life could be destructive because they're not used to living in homes, for example, or because they were simply never taught to self settle or how to behave correctly?

There are very very few owners out there who have never experienced their dog chewing something they shouldn't. Most grow out of it but not all dogs are perfect and some will always require additional measures to stop them chewing or eating things they shouldn't do.

It really frustrates me when people say all destructive behaviour is a result of behavioural problems. Yes, some of it is but some of is normal behaviour for dogs who are either still learning or who were never trained as puppies to be on their own. Plenty of dogs can be walked for hours and given frozen kongs or brain games and will still want to chew the Internet cable - because they can!

He needs to rehome the dog, crating it for 17 hours out of 24 is cruel. I'm afraid he would be my ex boyfriend, there's no way I could be with someone like that.

adaline if your dog is carrying out this behaviour whilst it is right next to you why are you not correcting it? You say yourself that most of the problems stem from the dog not being trained correctly from a young age so clearly the solution is train your dog not put it in a cage. I’m not saying this is easy by any means but if you choose to make this dog part of your family you must put the effort in, caging it to stop the problems is not the solution.

TruffleShuffles it isn't train or use crates. They aren't mutually exclusive. You can use crates to help keep dogs safe whilst training.

Crate training is absolutely fantastic when used correctly, especially for toilet training.

He isn't using it correctly.

Shutting a dog in a crate overnight is fair enough, but all those hours in the day as well? Disgusting.

In a society where more couples both work a crate is more common. It’s not ideal as let’s not kid ourselves dogs are pack animals, but it’s also not the end of the world (depending on time alone during the day).

17 hours out of 24 a day locked in a crate, how is anyone defending that?!
That is not what using a crate correctly looks like.

if your dog is carrying out this behaviour whilst it is right next to you why are you not correcting it?

Where did I say I wasn't correcting it? Of course I correct it but beagles are notoriously stubborn so it's not going to happen overnight.

He's not left alone so he's never allowed to become destructive or unruly. He's either with us or at daycare while we work. He's a very contented dog but at 10 months old his behaviour is far from perfect!

Keeping a dog locked in a crate for 17 hours out of 24 is disgusting. How incredibly unfair on that dog. I don’t particularly like dogs but reading about this has upset me a little. That animal.

I would be reporting him.

I’m never going to advocate the use of crates for dogs biteyshark but that’s just a differing opinion. It seems a lot of people though use a crate to prevent a dog destroying things rather than try to find why it is being destructive or train the dog to not be destructive. There has to be a point where you can’t use the dog being a puppy as an excuse anymore and address the destructive behaviour.

17 hours out of 24 a day locked in a crate, how is anyone defending that? !That is not what using a crate correctly looks like.

Nobody is defending that

People are saying that crates can be used in a positive manner and that crate training can be an excellent thing - if you have a dog that can't jump or run due to an operation or surgery it can be very reassuring to know they can be left in their crates to ensure they recover properly, for example.

Some people here are saying all use of crates is bad when that's clearly not the case.

There has to be a point where you can’t use the dog being a puppy as an excuse anymore and address the destructive behaviour.

But what do you do in the meantime? You can't be by your dogs side 24/7 until they're fully grown! So do you leave them lose and accept the destruction and the fact that they may well eat something that could kill them, or do you use the crate as a positive thing and place the puppy there for short periods while you shower or so the school run so the puppy is in a safe space and cannot harm itself or destroy your home while continuing to work on the behaviour the rest of the time?

That is cruel, basically the dog spends all day and all night in the crate. Does your boyfriend walk the dog, and how often? Does the dog get any exercise during the day? Like others said, if you are concerned contact the rescue, and tell your boyfriend that it is unacceptable. Why get a dog in the first place.

There has to be a point where you can’t use the dog being a puppy as an excuse anymore and address the destructive behaviour

Yes, and most people who use crates and have commented here have gone on to say that they now leave their crates open as their dog is no longer a puppy and can be trusted.

Training takes time, even longer with certain breeds, there is nothing wrong with using a crate (properly) as a training tool whilst teaching your dog correct behavior.

Back to the OP, it is totally not okay to crate a dog for that length of time. It's cruel and your boyfriend should look into a dog walker/daycare if he has no other options and if he really doesn't want to do that then the only kind option is to re-home the poor thing to someone who will make the effort.

My dog loves her crate its her own little space where she can relax but I wouldnt leave her shut in it all day it isnt meant to be used as a prison.
Sounds to me like your boyfriend is leaving his dog in the crate too long sounds unfair on the dog if it isnt allowed outside of it most of the day.
Have you actually spoken to him about it?