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The doghouse

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

Original poster

To crate, or not to crate?!

43 replies

burntoutmum · 07/08/2017 11:21

Hi

We pick up our puppy next Monday so are in the process of setting up the house ready for her arrival!

We're torn on the idea of her having a crate! Is it a good idea? Would you go for a small one then move on when she grows? Is it a temporary thing ( I could borrow one) ? Would you put her crate in a room that normally wouldn't have people in it - so maybe utility/kitchen, and then a soft bed in the lounge?

Any tips would be great! Thanks

OP posts:
GreenTulips · 07/08/2017 11:23

Our pup was a farm dog - he was used tobefollowing mum around the farm - so he never settled in a crate -

Some people swear by them - think of it like a cot and them move on - if they can have their own space so much the better -

What breed is the dog?

TwitterQueen1 · 07/08/2017 11:23

Dogs love crates IME. it's their space and refuge and you can put them in it when you want them to sleep. Doesn't matter whether it's in a family room or a utility. People talking won't keep the dog awake!

BiteyShark · 07/08/2017 11:26

I bought the biggest crate possible so for my small cocker spaniel he has an XL (48 inch) crate. This is because I didn't want to crate for toilet training where they recommend one for the size of the dog. Instead I wanted a secure area where he can sleep and also be in when I need him to be safe (e.g workmen about, doors open, mopping the floor when he wants to kill the mop Wink).

The other advantage I find in using the crate is that when we go away then taking his crate is a 'familiar' place for him to sleep as well as the fact that he sleeps in a crate when he is boarded.

Original poster
burntoutmum · 07/08/2017 11:28

She's a poodle crossed with a schnauzer. I'm not worried about the noise waking her, I'm more thinking if she's had enough of us would she like somewhere to be on her own Grin

We don't have very small children though so she won't be pestered - unlike the family with the golden retriever pup on that 10 puppies programme ShockShockShock. So I'm hoping she'd be happy in the lounge with us

OP posts:
Kursk · 07/08/2017 11:31

It's personal choice, I know if a dog trainer in the U.K. That keeps dogs crated 22hrs a day which I think his horrible.

We don't crate at all

BiteyShark · 07/08/2017 11:31

Should also have said I have the crate in the kitchen but normal beds scattered throughout the rest of the house.

GreenTulips · 07/08/2017 11:34

Ours has his own chair and goes under the table or usually slopes of in the afternoon in DDs bedroom floor -

Original poster
burntoutmum · 07/08/2017 11:44

We bought her a fancy bed this morning, I'm guessing she'll ignore it in favour of somewhere else Grin

OP posts:
CornflakeHomunculus · 07/08/2017 12:16

Being happy in a crate is a useful life skill for dogs to have and it's easiest to introduce them when they're puppies.

We use them for puppies but only when they need to be left. Initially it's to keep them safe when we pop out for brief periods then as they get a bit older and we can leave them longer it's so they can be left with the older dogs without being able to pester them to play constantly.

Usually the crate is no longer necessary once they're past adolescence and gets put away unless one of them needs it for whatever reason. Most recently DWhippet1 needed to be on strict crate rest for quite a while due to an injury and the fact he was already comfortable in a crate made the whole process so much easier.

There's an excellent guide to crate training on this list of articles, all of which are really useful reading for new puppy owners.

llangennith · 07/08/2017 12:30

We found crates very useful when puppies were small. In a quiet corner of the kitchen with a thin blanket over the top and sides. It was somewhere they could retreat to for peace and also useful to shut in for short periods and overnight. Just one dog now, a Cavalier aged 4. Never shut the crate door now and about 9 each evening she puts herself to bed. Her favourite day napping spot is on top of the crate!I've put a pillow on top to make it more comfortable.
If we go stay somewhere we take her crate with us.
With previous dogs, before we discovered crates, we'd come down in the mornings and hunt the wee and pooConfused

Floralnomad · 07/08/2017 13:15

Mine had a huge pen when he was first home , then had a section of room gated off when we were out / overnight for a few months and then had the run of downstairs until we were sure he was completely house trained and now he does as he pleases. He generally sleeps with ds overnight and then goes downstairs at about 6 after he's been in to wake me up .

Catch583 · 07/08/2017 21:22

I don't like dogs in cages but you need somewhere safe to leave a puppy until he grows out of chewing everything.
Puppies seem to accept it if you start as soon as you get them but older pups or rescue dogs hate a cage and it's not necessary if they are not destructive.

dudsville · 07/08/2017 21:26
  1. I've never had a puppy and 2) I hate cages. That said my two are well behaved and biddable so easy to manoeuvre if need be re workers in the house or whatever.
ToothTrauma · 07/08/2017 21:29

Crate! Crate! Crate! Honestly it is a lifesaver. Security for you AND the dog. Really helps with housetraining and leaving them alone for short periods. Gives them their own little den. Wouldn't be without it!

Wolfiefan · 07/08/2017 21:31

I used a crate for naps and overnight. I did sleep next to the crate for three weeks though! Now she's bigger we have a big whelping pen. I know she's safe and she feels secure. I didn't shut the door once and she sat behind the kitchen door crying.
I always put a treat in the pen when she goes in.

MotherPie · 07/08/2017 21:39

Kursh 22 hours a day? No different from a dog in kennels then. What a miserable existence Sad

nooka · 07/08/2017 21:52

We didn't use a crate for our dog. He had a (hard floored) bedroom to himself when he was very small and sleeps in one of our bedrooms at night now but otherwise can go anywhere in the house. I think the only time he might like a crate for a den is when we have a thunderstorm. The other day he tried to get into the bath he got so stressed :(

Kursk · 08/08/2017 02:24

MotherPie

Yes it was horrible of them, their use of crates was probably the basis for my intense dislike of them

BocaDeTrucha · 08/08/2017 08:28

If you say he is half schnauzer, there's no way he'll want to get away from you and have his own space. I remember when our schnauzer was about 3 months old and the house was full of 3 children under 5 all over him. At one point I took him upstairs for some peace and quiet and he just followed me back down. He will always want to be where you are!

We don't have a crate and I was torn about whether to or not and in the end we haven't needed one. He literally sleeps anywhere near us. Although he's about to stay with friends for 2 weeks and I'm thinking this would be the perfect opportunity to use one, to give him his own little space at the new house.

Rubberduckies · 08/08/2017 08:37

I bought a decent sized crate so my springer could continue to use it when an adult. I found it incredibly helpful for toilet training and keeping her safe when I couldn't supervise her chewing. I haven't locked her in there apart from workmen visiting etc since she was about 4 months old. She absolutely loves it, takes herself to bed in there at night and will settle fine in it if we travel somewhere. She sulked when she couldn't use it when the kitchen was being done - no space for it with all the boxes!

user1492692527 · 08/08/2017 08:43

Absolutely crate! Dogs loved it, older dog got back in when I got it out for new pup and housetraining done in 2 days! What's not to like!!

MissBax · 08/08/2017 08:47

IF you do, then please leave the crate door open - anyone saying they "love it" 😕 - if they did then they'll go in themselves won't they. I have a massive issue with any caged animals being locked in. Just envisage yourself locked in a box with the door shut. If they love it, leave the door open at all times and they can decide when to use it.

Wait4nothing · 08/08/2017 08:50

We crated our poodle as a puppy - she loved it and slept in it at night and went in if we were out of the house. It was very useful during the chewing stage. She then had it with door always open and now we've got rid. She sleeps overnight in our room and in day day on multiple beds/comfy spots away from the toddler through the day. When we're out she stays in the kitchen with the door closed (very safe) with multiple beds for swapping and changing. Vets and groomers use crates occasionally and she is still very content in them.

Fatjilly · 08/08/2017 09:28

Definitely agree with previous post re schnauzers needing to be near their family. My schnauzer has a bed next to mine. I tell him its bedtime and he goes straight to bed and doesn't stir until I do. I really dislike crates. Dogs aren't meant to be kept in cages, they're meant to be with their family.

Floralnomad · 08/08/2017 10:02

You can not house train a dog in 2 days using a crate , what absolute rubbish .

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