Does anyone not have a crate for their dog?

[reikizen]

Hi, we have a 13 week old lab and we don't currently crate her. She sleeps peacefully at night, but isn't fully housetrained by a long stretch (we have only had her a week). She is an absolute devil for chewing the wrong things (although we have a wide range of appropriate chewing options available!) She is currently confined to kitchen/dining room as she goes bananas and eats the carpet/coats/bags etc otherwise.
I just wondered if anyone didn't have a crate and if not why not? They are so ugly! Can we live without one?

I don't. My dog is 8 and it never occurred to me to get one.

People managed for centuries without crating dogs. I have a 5yo border terrier and no crate. When he was little I kept him barricaded in the kitchen (no door, so had to improvise) overnight and when we were out, but since then he has had the run of the house and does not destroy it.

Labs have stronger chewing tendencies, but if you have a room that is enclosed and hard for her to damage, that sounds fine to me.

My lab was about 4 yo when I got her from the rescue and it never occurred to me either to get a crate even though I had no idea how she would behave in the house (and around our four cats)
Luckily she has been an angel but if I ever got a pup I would probably want a crate.

yes, my instinct is exactly that exexpat, we never had one for any of the four dogs I grew up with over the years. It just seems that every dog owner I have spoken to has said 'oh god! you must get a crate. Best thing I ever did!' so made me feel a bit unsure about it all.

We don't have one. For probably quite a sentimental reason ( don't like caged animals). But we put a dog- gate in the utility room where her bed is, it is a bomb proof area in the house where she goes if we eat, at night or when we can 't keep an eye on her. When she is not so chewy anymore she can sleep in the kitchen if she prefers .

It depends on your set up, we can offer her a separate room which I guess for lots of people isn't an option. If we did not have that I 'd probably get a crate , despite my reservations.

We don't have one. I don't see the need. The dog sleeps on her bed at night & has free run of most of the house when we're out (not front room or my bedroom). We don't have any problems.

I have an almost 3 yo cocker, never been crated. When we're out she's left in the kitchen and we have a stairgate on this door for when we need to shut her away for whatever reason. She wasn't a big chewer but did like 2 patches of wall (stair and living room) and shoes, she's outgrown this now. She sleeps in our room (bed shhhhhh).

I've never had for my 2 dogs. The first week they was playful during the night now I can't get them up in the morning. Yes I know dogs have accidents but I took on my 2 dogs knowing full well that they will wee and poo in doors sometimes, if I wanted a perfect house I would never have got a dog.

I've never had a crate before and with this one the plan was crate him until he was housetrained and finished teething and then he could have free reign. It also kept the cats from attacking him while he was still little and they weren't used to him.

However, he's 19 months old and still chews everything, I mean everything - I'm so glad he's crated because I'm pretty sure he'd manage to kill himself without it.

It's huge, it's hideously ugly, it means I don't really like leaving him for any length of time, but he wants to chew wires, coins, he has a special fondness for kirby grips and pens, he's also big enough to reach any surface and can shove furniture out of his way...he'd just not be safe without it.

It was also handy when he had to have an operation and he was already crate trained, much less stressful than having to suddenly confine him.

He's very fond of it, but I'm sure he'd feel the same about any bed.

But, that doesn't mean every dog or owner needs one - if you don't see the need for one, you don't have to get one.

The Devil Dog ate his metal crate. We never replaced it. Whippy luffs hers but only if we have no fosters in she can snuggle with.

They do make toilet training easier and provide a safe haven for the dogs, plus it means being crated at the vets/long car trips/being left in kennels would be less stressful for the dog as they would already be accustomed to being in a crate and could take their mobile safe place to kennels with them.

You could buy a second hand one to use for the training stage and then get rid, but you might find when it comes to getting rid the dog has other ideas. Whippy did. They are not essential but are pretty much worth their weight in gold from a training/convenience POV.

I don't but I did crate train him as a puppy and I can't tell you how much easier it was than without. My boy is getting on a bit now, he's 12 and I am thinking of getting another dog to settle in with us as I can't bear the idea of a dog less home . I will crate train any new dog we get too.

I have had more dogs who didn't have crates than those who have/did over the years.

Current pup was crated until he was 6/7months old, partly because our kitchen is awkward and difficult to puppy proof, but also because he was used to one in his foster home and it served as a quiet safe place he could retreat to if he felt the need.

He's been out of his crate for a few weeks now (although we do have a gate on the kitchen doorway) with no problems at all, but I was very grateful for it when he was younger, not so much for toilet training, but to have somewhere I could put him where I knew he was safe and couldn't eat/chew anything that might cause him harm.

We had a crate for our labs. Until they were about 1ish. Were we to get another dog, a crate would be as matter as fact as the dog itself!

Never had one. I quite like the idea of one as a escape for the dog but I think this is a potential for teritorial behaviour - ive never heard of it though, so maybe not.

ive had all sorts of dogs; Chihuahuas, Jack russels, Rottweillers and crossbreeds.

The only dog that had its own basket rather than just sleeping on the floor/sofa/our bed was the chihuahua and woe betdide anyone who put their hands in his basket when he was abed.

We got one for our cockapoo as a puppy, but he absolutely hated it and would cry and cry when in it, even if we were in the room. We ended up just putting a stairgate at the kitchen door instead until he grew big enough to jump over it as there was a limit to any damage he could do in there. Now, he has a run of the house (with closed bedroom/sitting room doors) when we're out, but is shut in the kitchen at night.

No, but he has a bed wih high sides and back, and that's his "safe space".

Like with most things there are pros and cons and you have to decide what's most important to you.

Our 6 month old puppy is not in a crate but is behind ah stairgate in the kitchen with tiled floor.

Downside of no crate is he is only just toilet trained! Makes it slower but I sort of didn't mind as just changed my routine so first job of morning was steam cleaning floor while kettle boiling for my tea! Kids were not allowed down until floor steamed and they dried with towels while puppy had his breakfast in garden. As of 2 or 3 weeks ago we've had no accidents overnight so not too long.

Real upside for me is the knowledge that when I'm out dog is happily pottering in room with toys, water bowl, his bed and bit of floor space to stretch his legs. I can go out for 2-3 hrs at a time (not frequently maybe once a week) and I'm pretty sure all he does is sleep and potter. No signs of distress, like kitchen chair cushions still intact!

A crate won't prevent all chewing - our puppy chewed a skirting board in the kitchen one day when we were all in the room - I just didn't attend to chewing wood noise until too late! But I just put Sellotape over it and he stopped. You could also spray vulnerable areas with bitter apple.

We have a crate for 9 month old lab. Got it for the first few months to keep him safe at night but have been leaving the door open at night for a couple of months now and he prefers to sleep in there. He hasn't chewed much only the sofa, socks, shoes, collars, bag, chair, carpet and underlay so far.

My dog is nearly 4 and he doesn't have a crate , he had one for about a week but didn't like it so when he was small we just kept him blocked in a bit of our hallway with a stair gate . Now he just has his blankets in a big pile on his mat for night time and when we are out . Personally if you are not going to actually close the door I can't see why anyone would choose a crate rather than a bed as they are generally fairly unattractive .

I crated both of my Labs as pups. The bitch was only crated until she was about four months old, the dog until about six months. The doors were only ever closed at night and if we were out, during the day the crates were a safe place for them to escape to when they wanted to be alone or feel safe. You can get covers to go over them, this adds to the effect of them being a cave/den for the dog and giving a feeling of security. It's not really about how attractive they are, they are an effective way of training dogs to behave in the house

We have one. It was used for a few days when we got Count Staffula. He hated it so we collapsed it. The Doodle invades 6 months later and we put it up again for them to get used to each other without putting each other at harm.
They loved it. It stayed up for 2 years then, doors open, covered over so they could 'go to bed' whenever they liked.

It has been collapsed again as our house is bloody small and it took up a lot of room. The hooligan pair are now happy to sleep on the sofa together.

This is the first dog I have had that I have crate trained and it has made things so much easier. I also find its useful if she needs to be kept safe too, but it's up to you. You don't have to use one.

We have two dogs. Our older one, a terrier, doesn't, and never had a crate. Our younger, a chihuahua, does. He is housetrained, but has suicidal tendencies! He can jump from the sofa in the kitchen/family room, where the dogs spend most of their time, onto the breakfast bar. Where he is stuck, unless he flings himself off it - which would be a bit like a person chucking themselves out of an upstairs window! He also occasionally likes to square up to ddog1, who is tolerant up to a point, but then there will be a lot of barking and growling. So the crate stays.

Two boxers here and never used a crate.

We use a babygate, they have a large three person bean bag and are not allowed on the sofa.

If we got for a few hours we shut the lounge door so the dogs have the lounge and kitchen and the cats have the bedrooms (they do behave well together but I prefer the cats having the peace and quiet)

Under the kitchen table is where my dogs sleep. It is their little sanctuary. They have a bed each, but often get in together for a cuddle!