Adult dog sleeping in a crate

[SumAndSubstance]

Our lovely dog is about 18 months old now and he has always slept in his crate at night. He goes in there happily and we never hear a peep out of him until we let him out in the morning (except on the odd occasion where he's had a stomach upset...) My question is, is there any reason to stop crating him at night? I've seen quite a lot of things which seem to suggest they should stop at about 6 months, but is there any reason to do this if we're all, including the dog, quite happy with the situation?

No reason not to.

I would just leave the door open at night instead

Most dogs find it their safe space to go and will still go in it with the door open

Our dog is 18 months old and still shut in his cage at night. We got rid of it for a couple of months but he was really unsettled and just paced the house all night like he was guarding us, barking and howling at the smallest thing (usually the cat). Now he's back in the cage and loves it. He takes himself there during the day when he's had enough of us and asks to go to bed at night. He is a lot more relaxed (and the cat can once again roam freely)

I have to say that I find it pretty odd behaviour locking a dog in a cage in their home!?

So from my POV I would definitely leave door open from six months. Ive never known a ddog be anything other than relaxed and ahppy to sleep anyway (except the caged ones that is, as it makes them fearful of being anywhere else) just like those raised or living on puppy farms.

Ours is six and still lives his crate, although never locked in since a few months old. Could you try it door open and unlocked as a compromise?

My 7 yo labrador loves her crate. It is in the boot room and cosy. She will take herself to bed when she has had enough and is tired.

Our lab 4 today, won't go to sleep until you bolt the door in her crate. It open during the day so she can come and go but if we don't shut the door at bedtime, she'll keep coming to us until we do

Our rescue came crate trained and we still shut her in at night as she's a terrier and shares the room with our cats, usually fine with them but not prepared to take the risk!!!

We've actually put her to bed early tonight as she's clearly overtired and barking at tiny noises thinking it's the front door or something!

Only reason we stopped is because I underestimated how bit ddog would get and he outgrew his crate at 8 months!!
I probably would have left the door open though if he still fitted in there

My border collie is 3 and still goes in a crate at night and when we go out. We tried not having it but she was happier and more settled with it. It's her space her bed.

"except the caged ones that is, as it makes them fearful of being anywhere else"

Yours or in general? Because while if yours have been scared of sleeping elsewhere obviously that's true, but it's not true of crated dogs.

OP, there's no reason to remove it, but assuming your dog has finished chewing (which it probably has at 18 months) then there's no real reason to be shutting the door either.

Thanks everyone. Shriek, I can assure you that he's perfectly good at sleeping in all sorts of places, currently asleep on the floor at my feet, but I'll add it to my long list of 'odd behaviour' in which I engage.

I agree it seems a bit unnecessary, and he's never been a big chewer (just likes to suck worn socks if he can get hold of them), but he does have tendencies like Slothlikesunday's dog to prowl around the place woofing if he's not in shut in his crate, whereas in his crate he just goes to sleep happily. We'll try leaving the door open, but will go back to door shut I think if he keeps up the prowling!

I do think there's definitely a place for caging up rescue ddogs in need of the security that can provide to them and safety to others. Do however think its odd to cage a family animal otherwise.
Yes in general. Ive never caged animal apart from for its own safety like rabbits outside and horses fenced in fields.

But they all have room to roam aroumd and resettle during the night like all animals do.

We crated ddog until he was 18 months because he was a chewer. Once he stopped chewing we got a nice bed for him and opened the crate door so he had a choice, then when he stopped using the crate we got rid of it.

Glad to get rid of the crate as being a Labrador it was 46" so huge!

I'm with shriek , I find it very strange to lock a dog into a small area and it's quite sad that people report that their dogs cannot settle unless they are locked in a cage , I'd feel badly that my dog felt so unsettled in his/ her own home .

There is a time and a place for crating. Not all dogs like it and if mine didn't he wouldn't be. He's unsettled as he feels he needs to protect us whilst my partner works away. Not because he doesn't like living with us. He isn't crated during the day but will often take himself there as it's his space and no kids are allowed on his bed. I totally disagree with it if he was crated for hours a day whilst we were at work like a lot of people do but he's not. He gets 3-4 walks a day and is happy in his crate 11-5 at night, in the morning open the door and he often doesn't surface until his breakfast is made. It's the inappropriate use of crating that makes it wrong- people crating for too long, with crates that are too small.

Sorry Flora but that's rubbish. My dog will sleep anywhere during the day but she wants her crate at night because she's been in it since she was a puppy and for her it's normal. It's a massive crate, has memory foam mattresses in it, cushions, teddies and is her space. We've tried leaving the door open but she cries until it's closed.

It's not cruel and until my dog tells me otherwise we'll keep doing things this way

Also worked brilliiantly after her various operations when she has to be kept still and quiet.