Crates - we want to stop using ours - any thoughts?

[doggiesayswoof]

Little dog is 2 now. She never uses her crate of her own accord - she has a bed in the living room which she prefers. I thought she might use it as a refuge from the DC but she has never ever gone in there without being asked. She does happily go to her crate at night - it's more a habit than anything else now.

I'm confident she won't chew furniture or get up to mischief and of course she is toilet trained, and we'd like to use the space under the stairs for wellies

So - what do we do? Just stop using it? I can picture her wee confused face the first time we go to bed and leave her in the living room - if she wakes up that is...

my dog was in a crate. Mainly cos he is a little terrier and any amount of boredom led to DESTRUCTION!!!!!!! We waited till he was over 12 months and did a phased approach. He went in his cage during the day when i was at work (i get to come home for lunch so he got a walk at dinner) but at nighttime he stayed in his dog bed. Then when that went well he went in his dog bed at night and in the morning then went in his crate for the afternoon. Now he's out all the time. Ok sometimes i have come home to a chewed sky remote or the odd pen but that's my own stupid fault and providing he has some toys and a set routine so he knows i'm leaving the house he's fine!

Our first dog just refused his crate at bedtime aged about 18 months - we think he wanted space to stretch out. We bought him a bed then (just a flat mattress type one) and left him in the kitchen overnight from then on.

Although since our last holiday he occupies the floor of our bedroom...