When did you stop using a puppy crate for your dog?

[ThespianTendencies]

Just wondering really. My pup is 16 weeks but totally clean in the house and 'asks' to go out for a wee/poo. She is not destructive at all and I only go out when she is tired after a walk so she is generally sleeps. I have an adult dog who she adores so she never feels alone (I have a CCTV thing installed so I can watch them). I am not intending to get rid of the crate any time soon as I like her there overnight because occasionally - maybe once a week - I will come down to a wee on her puppy pad which is in the other end of the crate. I like that she is confined, especially overnight, as I am confident she is not coming to harm and she does clamber in there of her own accord randomly during the day so she is clearly happy to go in. I just wanted to know what is the cue to get rid of it really.

When it suits you really.

I no longer take 8 month old Elfpup's crate when we go away. He does sleep in it at home (door has been always left open for him since he was 12 weeks old) because it's his "den" and we have a cold draughty house so it's a lot warmer inside (I cover it with a fleece).

I expect we'll retire it soon now it's getting warmer

I got rid of ours once BiteyDog had fully grown up at 1 years of age. By that time he had got over his adolescent behaviour and I was totally confident he would not chew anything etc.

It's up to you when you get rid of it but your dog is still young and is still in the puppy stages and having the odd accident at night so you might need to consider that before you remove the crate.

I started-to-stop when he was about 5 months old. Like elphame I started to just leave the door open and sometimes he would sleep in the crate and sometimes on the floor. More and more he chose the floor so about 3-4 weeks ago I removed the crate entirely. He was 7 months old by then.

So far, so good. No accidents, no trouble.

I like that he had all that good crate experience, though - just in case it ever needs using again for any reason.

I should perhaps add that he sleeps on my bedroom floor so I am in the room anyway....

It depends on the individual dog, but personally I would wait a bit as 16 weeks is very young and they have another chewing phase to go through. In our case, we kept the crate until our dog was about 18 months old. He's a large dog, and can easily reach things off the table and kitchen sides, so I didn't trust him not to steal and destroy stuff! Also the crate was really helpful when the kids had friends over, and we had food out on the table or wanted to give him some peace away from kids.

My dog is 5 and still has hers, won't sleep anywhere else. We don't shut her in anymore though but she takes herself off a few times a day for peace and quiet

I think I got rid of ours when she was about 6 months. When I realised that she was going in there less and less and, more importantly that she could be left alone without doing herself any harm by anything that was lying around the house. Up to then, on the rare occasions I had to leave her I always felt happier knowing she was safe in her crate.

She wasn't a chewer of random things so I think this made it easier for me to decide she was safe loose in the house.

At 16 weeks I'd still want a puppy confined, not necessarily because of possible weeing accidents but more the chance of a small puppy coming to harm if free to roam around the house.

Thank you all, I am not intending to take the crate away yet as she is very happy in there overnight and she will often pop in there in the day to sleep (though she will also sleep on the floor, her cusion or the settee). It was more a general query really as I would like to get rid of it eventually and wondered what others had done. I see there as many variables with raising a pup as there are with raising a child - it's interesting to know though.

Play it by ear OP. As you say there are many variables and you'll know if and when the time is right for your dog. My dog's mother was still using her crate when my dog was born. When I went to visit, mum and the puppies would often be in the crate asleep.

Handy for me because when I got her she was already crate trained.

My parents kept their dogs crates forever, the dogs knew which one belonged to them, doors didn’t get shut but they went in every night

I didn't get rid of it for years, but after the first few months it was left open all the time - the dog (and the cats) just used it as a bedroom when they felt like it. I still take it with us if we go on holiday so the dog has somewhere comforting to sleep in a strange environment - he trots into it very happily.

Eric never had a crate, he was clean within a fortnight and was never a chewer so it never seemed necessary. He has a basket and he sleeps in that or on the sofa. No small children here to disturb him anyway but generally if he wants some space (rarely) he goes for a snooze in his basket but he's always happiest snuggled up to whoever is seated.

I stopped shutting my boy in his crate at 5 months. It is still up with the door open though, so it may well be that he still goes in there at night. I have no idea - he's up and about before me most mornings!

Our 1 yo still sleeps in his over night but if we leave him alone now he has the run of the house or parts of the house (doors to bedrooms and living room are closed)

It's in our utility room so not in the way so I think we're keeping it as his little den

We bring it if we go away with him as it's his home from home

The advice I read was when they display behaviours when your present and they are out of the crate that you would want when you are not present. So whether it's seeing chewing what ever. Different digs stop at different times, younger dogs have a shorter adolecense, you'll notice all of a sudden someone doesn't need to be there to watch them then it's time.

How funny And opportune that someone should flag this post up again! My pup is sleeping in my son’s room for the first time this evening. She fell asleep there with him and I have not returned her to her crate, where she usually sleeps overnight, I’m a bit nervous but I’m sure it’ll be fine 🙄. she is around 23 weeks – clean in the house and not a chewer. I do occasionally get downstairs to a wet puppy pad in her crate, this is only once every 10 days or so so not a regular occurrence. We shall see....!

Hi, Just wondering. I am a dog trainer and have recently got an 8 week spaniel pup. I run classes at the local village hall and wondered if he could potentially catch anything. I know that all the pups at the class are vaccinated but I don't know if it is safe. I was planning on exercising him for a lot of the day and then putting him in his crate to sleep while I am running the class. Any takes would be appreciated

I have a dog crate but have never used it as my last two dogs hated it. I would have persevered if I had a destructive puppy but didn’t need to.
I can’t bear to think of all the dogs who are shut in a cage all night and much of the day too.
People had lived with dogs for thousands of years before the fashion started to keep them in cages. They are rarely necessary.

We tried without ours too early and she got destructive when left alone, brought it back and she goes in there if we are out and at night, she is much happier and more content. It is there with door open and she often takes herself off for naps there. Will probably always be her den as it's out of the way in our hall. My sister's 6 year old dog still uses hers as her space and at night.

6 months
But we had a quiet room she used as her "crate" after that. I think in a busy household a very large crate might be worth keeping. My dog sleeps everywhere now except floor, so I think he likes sofas or baskets or rugs, where he can stretch out. Crate was too.claustrophic for him (10kg dog)

All my dogs sleep in their crates when they go to bed !!! Six dogs and the eldest was 13 and still using her crate . Do what suits you though my dogs find them safe And secure and they all know which crate is theirs