Anyone NOT crate their puppy at night?

[monkeywithacowface]

6 month old pup has always been crated at night time since we got him at 12 weeks. He's always slept pretty well in there from the off, although has always consistently woken around 5am which has been a bit knackering to say the least!

Over the last couple of weeks though he has started waking at 1am/2am every night and once I've gone to him has refused to go out for a pee but then cried once I've left him again. If I sit for a few minutes he settles back down by which time I'm wide awake and then he is awake again at 5 am. Once he's been out for his 5am pee and poo he likes to curl up and snooze on his beanbag that he uses during the day (never chooses the crate for daytime sleeping).

He's a lurcher and his favourite sleep position is stretched out on his back legs in the air! He has a large crate but I'm wondering if he just isn't as comfy?

The other night when woke at 2am he got out the crate and made beeline for his beanbag so I left him to it and he slept there until 7am with no accidents. Last night I let him sleep all night in the kitchen on his beanbag and he slept through until 6am. I'm tempted to ditch the crate at night but use it for when we go out with a view to ditching it altogether.

Is this going to be a mistake? I'm so tired from 3 months of 5am wake up call and now on my knees with the additional 2am wakings. Anyone not use a crate at all that can reassure me it's the way forward?

Crates are fine at the very beginning if you have other dogs, it gives a safe place for the pup to go for peace (and safety if you can't trust them all together at the start). I have never ever closed a crate and only use for first week if I have to go out.
But, once they start growing and settling in, they're not ideal, especially for a larger dog - and yours will have long legs he needs to stretch out!
Ditch your crate, sounds like he doesn't need it anymore - and it'll free up space for you!

No crates for us. Always had a dog bed next to mine (although youngest dog sleeps on my bed with me and the cat, old boy likes his own bed). Both my dogs were house trained really quickly and both will stay snoozing until I get up (even after a long lie in). Dogs want to be near their family not shut in a cage. People call them crates to make them sound better but they are definitely cages.

2nd night out of the crate was a complete success. No wakings, no accidents so I think he just wasn't able to stretch out comfortably in there and well who wouldn't sleep better on a large bean bag under a fleece blanket?!

Looks like the crate is being packed away for good then monkey

I used a crate for the first year then put it away. Got it out again last Christmas when I realised my dog was happier with a safe place to go especially if we have visitors. He takes himself off there at about 9pm every night and doesn’t even come out when I come in from work. He’s the first dog I’ve ever crated and it’s been great.

We crated our dog but stopped when he was about 6 months. He was waking at about 5am and only becuase he was lonely. He would go out for a pee - which he could totally have held longer - then come and sleep beside our bed. He just now sleeps beside the bed, and puts himself to bed if we are inconsiderate enough to want to stay up later than him.
I am absolutely not anti-crate, it was a god send when he was little and also to teach the children to leave him alone, and he was happy but he is a very social chilled dog so it just wasn't needed at night.

Have a 5 month staffie cross who sleeps in bedroom with me. She sleeps from 8 pm till 5 am wakes me for her jobs then goes back to sleep till her 7 30 am walk. She has never been crated, in fact no dog I have had has been. She creeps up on bed sometimes which is fine by me!

I have lots of fashionable outfits my mum has made or bought for me, but as I am a lady I'm not impressed with this common Xmas outfit, especially the hat! Merry Xmas all!

I have never crated any of our dogs I personally don't like them....all our dogs sleep on the sofa downstairs we do have fluffy throws over them for protection never had any problems...I think crates are cruel...line being in prison...,

Well the crate has been packed away altogether. He was fine in the kitchen for an hour or two the last couple of days when I needed to pop out. He has been waking at 5.30 for a pee and poo but then comes upstairs with me and sleeps on the bed until I deign to rise. Which now the kids are off isn't until well after 8am!

Good for you I am sure he will be happier....merry xmas

Ours is 16 wrrks and sleeps on our bed..has done since we got him. He sleeps through no problems from 10pm until 7/8am depending on when we get up.

We tried putting him in a bed on the floor for a few days. But he would wee and poo on the floor in the night...yet on our bed nothing. Weird dog

Using a crate in the correct way is not cruel and is not 'locking your dog up'. Totally understand why you might not want to use one OP but please don't listen to those who imply it's cruel. If used properly the crate is a safe place associated with comfort and nice things. We crate our puppy because she would literally chew everything in sight if we left her with free reign of the downstairs overnight. I would also worry that she wouldn't let me know in the same way that she needed to go outside for a wee. She is perfectly happy in her crate, she actually takes herself into it when she's tired or wants to have a break from the kids - it most certainly is not cruel or unnatural.
That said, if she grows out of the biting and chewing stage we will probably scrap the crate and let her sleep in our room in a basket, the only real benefit for us with the crate is that it made house training very easy in the early days and stops the house getting chewed up.
Could you move the crate upstairs to your bedroom? That might make a happy medium?

Sorry op - cross post, just seen you have packed the crate away and it seems to be working for you, all good x

At night I made a little run by putting the dog crate at end of bed against the wall to form a barrier, sheeted the floor with puppy pads and put basket right next to bed with a water bowl to boot. She slept there quite content and when she cried during night I just leant out if bed to stroke and reassure her. The crate only served as a barrier, she was never put in it, though she was dsppy enough to think she was in one and would stand at the crate in the mornings till I moved it lol!

A crate is a cage in any guise. I would not want to be in a cage..........

I wouldn’t want to wear a collar and lead either but I’m dam sure I’m not going to risk my dogs safety by letting them run free.

Lead and collar a different thing altogether. A lead and collar us not only for your dogs safety but for peoples safety. A crate is unnecessary, its just convenient for people, that's all. If your dog gas to resort to a cage for safety then perhaps the humans could do with a bit if training on his to respect and give space to pets?

So you tricked your dog into thinking it was in a crate but you hate the idea of if crates?! Even though you obviously went to the trouble of buying one and making your dog think it was contained in one? That actually made me laugh out loud! I bloody love Mumsnet, it's hilarious.

No I didn't buy a crate my daughter did. I refused to use it. The ' run was used for 2 weeks as I rescued my pup at 5 weeks. She had to be fed every 2 hours with formula for 2 weeks. It was convenient for me. Most of the time she was in bed with me. Which was fine! Never any accidents in bed and now she goes all night and is just 5 months. When I got her she weighed less than 2 pounds. Pic is her at 7 weeks.

She now weighs 12 kilos and will be classed as a large dog.

P.s not my fault my pup is dappy lol!

Thank you for putting this post on, I've been made to feel like I was an awful dog owner for not crating my puppy! So reading this has put my mind at rest.

I don’t think Giant lurchers suit crates - as you say they like to stretch out (although I’m sure some like it). My massive one (Wolfhound x) I tried to crate her first night but she just cried and cried so I let her out, she leapt straight on the sofa and slept all night . In my experience they like to sleep up off the floor - they are very regal dogs! When I got the pugs (I have dogs at both ends of the scale) I never bothered with a crate and all the dogs just sleep in a big pile and are very happy to be left until I get up in the morning.

I think crates serve a purpose and it was useful in the early days. We are still crate free and monkeypup is rather pleased about it. The only bad night we had was new years because of fireworks so I slept on the sofa with him on his bean bag next to me. He is currently stretched out and hogging most of my superking bed. I'm sure he'd be even happier spending the night here but I suspect I wouldn't get a great deal of bed or sleep to myself.