Going out and leaving dog in the evening

[TheBodyPiercer]

Please help me ease my guilt. Longest the dog has been left alone is 4 hours due to work emergency.

I'm supposed to be out tomorrow evening. My plan would be leave work early and pick him up from daycare at 4 and take him to park for an hour (he also gets walked twice at daycare).

I would then need to put him in his crate at 7.30, I'll be back around 12.30.

Hes fine holding his bladder and usually sleeps through the night (10 months old). He doesn't usually go in his crate until 10 for the night.

Will he care? Am I evil? 😭😂 or am I allowed one evening out.

@medievalist I don't believe you care for my opinion, you're just looking for an argument.

Of course I would love him to have free roam of the house, but I'd also rather him be safe and asleep in his crate than potentially injesting something he shouldn't or chewing through a wire. And before you say train him, we have a trainer, he had a very difficult start and this is the safest situation for him right now.

Instead of being judgy why not give some helpful advice? Show me research that shows crates are the devil?

If he's used to going in his crate and happy there I'm sure he will be fine .

Have you got a smart TV op? Youtube have ddog calming music available!! We use it for dpuppy 10 months..

I'm not just looking for an argument op. I happen to believe there is no need to lock dogs in cages. I think it's cruel and unnecessary.

FYI I currently have 3 dogs which were rescued at 9 months, 6 months and 11 weeks - all from difficult circumstances. We've managed just fine without locking any of them up and they haven't come to any harm. On the contrary, they're all thriving.

Ignore @Medievalist. She's allowed an opinion, of course. Doesn't mean it's informed. You're doing fine, op.

@medievalist

Then surely you would understand that all dogs are different and that lots of top trainers promote the safe use of crates?

Apart from telling me they're cruel you've not provided any helpful information. If you've had such success not using them then please share your wisdom. Save my dog the suffering!

I'd just like to know op, what you think would happen if you didn't lock your dog up? And also how you think people managed until the very recent arrival of the dog cage?

It's not that I need to impart any wisdom to you about how to manage without a cage. Why do you think you need one? Is it just to protect your cushions?

At 10 months, dogs can be belligerent arseholes (said with affection, before anyone shoots me).

Crate training is not cruel. Clear boundaries for dogs are not cruel. Crate training is not 'caging' a dog. Dogs need kindness, calmness and consistency. When they are young, they don't always know when to switch off. A crate gives them a safe space away from the rest of the household, and the snug, cosy space, which is a dog only zone, becomes a haven. Even when the crate is open. If you've had success without a crate, where you haven't endured weeks or months of soiling, inability to settle, standard bitey puppy behaviour that persists past puppyhood then good for you. Just like children, every dog is different and every good dog owner will be vigilant for signs that their dog is thriving. Rather like OP is doing. She's clearly a caring and attentive dog owner. It's good to have different viewpoints and opinions. Accusations of abuse (I'm paraphrasing) because YOU don't agree with a particular method that is quite widely accepted, is unhelpful.

I know lots of people who leave dogs for hours and shut them in crates but it doesn’t mean it is best for the dog. We have a crate and a pen all the way round so he has room. We have never shut the crate door and we only shut the door to the pen when he is in his crate sleeping. We are going to get rid of the pen soon as he is in a routine. If we are out we don’t shut him in the crate/pen and he has the run of a big kitchen diner. He will usually have a wander around and then go in his crate anyway. We are going to keep the crate as it is covered up and nice and snuggly for him and as we don’t shut the door he sees it as a nice space and doesn’t have any negative feelings.

I did read somewhere that you can leave dogs for 8-12 hours! Which is just crazy. Ours will only be left for a couple of hours when both of us are at work at the same time but even then that isn’t all the time. I wouldn’t be comfortable leaving him for more than 4 hours, but even then the longest is likely to be 3 hours.

@medievalist

What will happen is he will destroy then injest those cushions (amongst other things). Potentially leading to emergency surgery.

So yes why he is still destructive when left alone I will crate him for his own safety. Trust me if I was that precious about my cushions I wouldn't have rescued an EBT with behavioural issues.

So please unless you have something helpful to say or would like to offer your training services then I no longer need your judgement considering you've never met the dog.

I didn't need my crate past 9 months. My dog had then made appropriate associations with sleeping/toileting etc and it was also a place for her to go that was hers alone when she needed down time. My children were instructed never to bother her in her crate, never to bother her when she's asleep or when she's eating.

Effectively at 9/10 months the crate was a structured den with an open door. But at night, after a full day of exercise, where their natural sleep rhythm kicks in, a few hours will be fine. The problem would be if that were a permanent solution. Which it's not.

OP YABU.
An EBT and no pictures.
I have an 11 month old and use a pen. If I didn’t she could chase the cat or eat the mattress that is the bed of my older dog. Not worth putting her in danger. She’s quite happy to go in the pen. In fact she was tired last night and I was watching TV so she woofed at me to tell me to put her to bed.

@candylebonbon thank you. For the most part he is perfect. Good with dogs, children, past the bitey stage, house trained from the get go!

But unfortunately he does not know when to rest, even after a full day at daycare, 2 or 3 walks he does not rest unless in the crate, even when visibly tired. He responds well to traing but does not like to be missing out. His crate is the only place he relaxes, no snuggly sofa dog for us! (Not that I would have him any other way).

Crate training is not 'caging' a dog.

Oh come on!!! 'Crate' is just a euphemism for 'cage'. A crate has bars and a lockable door. Of course it's a cage!!!!

@TheBodyPiercer is a small pen area surrounding the crate an option if you're worried about the crate being closed? That might be an option that makes you feel less uncomfortable?

What will happen is he will destroy then injest those cushions (amongst other things). Potentially leading to emergency surgery.

What on earth makes you think he would actually eat them?!

My reference to the kong toy wasn’t about suction, there are other dangers with them. Someone I know had serious problems with their dog having a very large kong that they got over excited about and nearly choked on, they don’t know how he managed to get it in his teeth but, dogs! I once had a vet tell me there was ‘absolutely no way’ my girl had swallowed her rubber ball. Well I watched her puke it up on the carpet a few hours later! Dogs are something else. Up to you of course and absolutely not judging, but there have been several incidents with dogs and kongs so I’m always vocal about it!

Ignore anyone who is blasting you for creating, lots of dogs love their crates, it’s a safe space. You are the only one who knows your dog, so it’s whatever is best for your little one.

@Medievalist are you a dog trainer, or just someone who thinks that everyone who doesn't do what you do is wrong? You've had successes with dogs without crates. That's great. But crates are still recommended by progressive dog trainers who have degrees in animal psychology. So unless you have credentials to suggest you know otherwise, I'd imagine that, having stated your case, you can probably allow the op to draw her own conclusions.

For those wanting pictures! He's actually a cross but he's pure EBT in mentality and stubbornness.

What on earth makes you think he would actually eat them?!

Only someone who doesn't understand EBTs would say this. They're not known for making sensible decisions.

@Medievalist

What will happen is he will destroy then injest those cushions (amongst other things). Potentially leading to emergency surgery.

What on earth makes you think he would actually eat them?!

Because dogs eat shit that's not good for them. Duh!

@Medievalist
Some puppies WILL eat things they shouldn’t.
Crate training is NOT trapping a dog in a cage and shutting the door. It’s about creating positive associations and making the crate their safe space. Perhaps have a look at dog training advice and support on FB to see how to do it properly.
I once forgot to shut the door on my older girl’s pen. I went to bed. She started whining because I hadn’t done bedtime properly.

@medievalist

Because he's my dog that I live with and he tries to eat everything? So far this evening hes attempted to eat my lip balm and a receipt even though he has toys and a yak chew out and has been sufficiently fed and exercised.

Please tell me how my dog who you've never met would behave perfectly if I left him out his crate all night tonight?

Accusations of abuse (I'm paraphrasing) because YOU don't agree with a particular method that is quite widely accepted, is unhelpful

I do so hate this argument. The fact that something is widely accepted does NOT make it okay. I'm completely sick of reading posts on here from people who think it's okay to leave a dog alone all day (or even worse, caged) while they go to work all day - because they know lots of people who do it. The fact that something is common practice doesn't make it okay!!!

OMG! That face.
And for those who ask what people did before crates? A relative of mine had an EBT years and years ago. She left him. He didn’t like it. He ate the stairs. No. Not the carpet. The actual stairs. They had to climb a ladder to go to bed for quite a while I believe.