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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

To cage train or not to cage train a puppy

37 replies

Gfplux · 11/04/2015 07:48

We are due to welcome in to our home a male King Charles puppy at the end of May. The dog will be our grown up daughters but for the next few years will be I imagine "our" family (three adults) pet.
We are all excited about this new addition to our family but we are little light on puppy (and dog) experience so are gathering as much information as we can before he arrives.
As my heading suggests we have no idea wether a cage is a good thing or not. My daughter I think is a little anti cage but the rest of us have not formed an opinion.
Advise and help please, thank you

OP posts:

NotLoveActually · 12/04/2015 17:42

I've had my pup for 3 weeks now, and we've got a crate, however it's left open almost all the time. I have a playpen which is around the crate and has a wee mat and a bowl of water inside, but the only time he's in there with the pen locked is at night or if I have to go out. He seems to go in the crate quite happily, and I've told the dc that if he ever goes in there they must leave him alone as it's his space to get away from them should he wish to.

wemadeit25 · 17/04/2015 23:43

My Staffie LOVES her cage, she was obviously trained with her previous owners and we just got her one as a trial, if anyone knocks on the door she immediately runs to the cage now and sits there until we say she can come and say hello ( she then goes a bit mental at that freedom!!), she loves her space, but I think it absolutely has to be just her space so she / he feels safe in there. In the winter I cover it with a blanket to keep out drafts. would not be without it myself.

popcornpaws · 18/04/2015 15:20

I have a lab and have previously had two before him, i swore after the second one that i would never ever get a pup without a crate, it works, he loves it, he is safe in it and my house has not been eaten like the last twice.
I am in all day with him and when i am upstairs doing housework or whatever every time i come down he is lying in the crate.
Its his "bed" and he loves it!

kippersmum · 19/04/2015 22:50

I have an 18mo old collie. I have never used a crate simply because due to the odd layout of my house I have nowhere to put one. I used stairgates instead. Dog has his own zone, I close the stairgates when needed. It has worked really well

NKfell · 20/04/2015 17:02

I love crate training and so do my dogs- the kids don't bother the dogs when they're in their crates- they know it's the dogs own space...although DD2 can't resist tempting them out!

I think they're great and tbh they're never really closed now although I closed them when my 1 year old niece was round and the dogs took the opportunity to nap!

On an evening they'll take themselves off to their crates and go to sleep.

I also cover the crate with a blanket in the winter.

LokiBuddyBoo1 · 23/04/2015 07:45

My ddog hated the crate tried from when he first come home at 8 weeks.
He would cry and become frantic and distressed so I stopped trying after 2 days and have never used the crate since.

Fudgeface123 · 23/04/2015 11:14

Another lab owner here and my girl loves her crate. She sleeps in it at night, has to have the door shut though otherwise she won't settle. She's free to roam when we're out but quite will go in the crate for a bit of doggy downtime. We also take hers away with us so she feels safe in a strange place.

Have tried leaving the door open at night so she can stroll about but she just won't settle and cries until the door is shut

merrymouse · 25/04/2015 18:10

We used one for our dog in the early days - now he just sleeps on the sofa.

The big benefit is that when we visit people who aren't so happy to have a dog on their sofa he is still happy in his crate.

ArtyKitty · 25/04/2015 23:38

Our wee lass found her own space. Its by our bed, she can move if she wants, we hear her get up to go to the front door when she needs out. (Her actual intended bed is about 2.5m away in the hall!) But I grew up with uncrated gundogs and 'let sleeping dogs lie' is my mantra and with no children she isn't disturbed when she goes for quiet time. She is part collie tho so she does sort of round us up when she decides its bed time.. She knows her bed is her safe place.

MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig · 26/04/2015 00:05

We are on day two with our pup. He will happily take himself off to his crate during the day for a nap but seems to come alive at night and howls his head off if we shut the door and leave him.

I am currently sitting on the floor of the kitchen next to his crate. It was the only way to get him settled without whining. He seems to be asleep. I am debating whether to try and move or not. And if I do, should I take the crate with me? It's quite big and heavy.

Thank god my phone was in my pocket and the wifi reaches down here.

ScorpioMermaid · 02/05/2015 15:15

We have an 8 month old staffy, had her since 6 weeks. She was in a crate with her siblings when we got her so we used a crate at home too as she was already familiar with one. It's in the living room and she goes in it at night time when we go up to bed or if we pop out. she goes in of her own accord when told too and is perfectly happy to be there, usually just curling up and nodding off. shes quite bouncy when we have visitors and if she's being too much, because obviously some people don't want a dog all over them, then we pop her in her crate for a little while with something to chew on and shes happy as Larry.

dont think of them as bad things, they can be very good to have.

honeyandfizz · 03/05/2015 07:10

We had a Cockapoo puppy nearly 2 weeks ago now and was strongly advised by the breeder to crate train him. After 4 solid nights of him howling ALL night long i couldn't stand it and removed the crate. He has then slept every single night through on his fleece blanket in the corner of the lounge. At around 9pm he takes one of my slippers over to his corner and falls asleep and there he stays until around 6am.

In hindsight, if we had decided on continuing with the crate i would have slept downstairs with him in the lounge until he felt safe. We are complete novices with him though so it is trial and error. His is still having quite a few wee accidents but goes in the garden every morning for his wee and poo. He is such a beautiful little thing and i didn't think a dog would ever add so much to our family.

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