Getting rid of a crate

[Beggingforsleep]

Our dog is 1 now but she still loves her crate. I’d really like to get rid of it now but it feels a bit cruel. She goes in it multiple times a day and sleeps in it at night.

But I’m probably projecting. I won’t hurt her feelings getting rid of it and replacing it with a bed will I?! She already has a bed in a different room but I can get another for the kitchen. She’s a flattie so can look so sad anyway.

Here she is now…

Our puppy is one this month and I would very much like to get of the crate - he neither loves nor hates it, so I don't think he'd be bothered - I'm a bit worried about what he might get up to at night though. Our older dog was out of the crate by this point.

Are you thinking of sterilizing her soon? In that case I’d keep the crate in case she needs to spend the night safely at the vets under observation.
Our mini Schnauzer (18mo) still goes to his crate for the coverage. Like most dogs he’s afraid of attack from above.

We got rid of our dog's crate and she pined for it so badly we let her have it back. It's her own little safe space and she loves it (when she's not on my lal on the settee).

We waited until our dog was 2yrs and she was ready then and happy to sleep on her bed in kitchen. It just naturally happened she stopped needing naps in it, stopped going in there herself in daytime and in the evening wasn’t bothered about moving at bedtime. I’d wait until your past the teenage phase if it was me.

If she still uses it and likes to go in there, I don't think it's fair to get rid of it.

You could move it's location and/or get one that's more integrated into your home though?

Right. I think you’re all right. I’ll hold on to it for a bit longer. I’m not planning on getting her spayed until closer to two and I hadn’t thought about needing it then, it’ll probably be a good place for recovery.

There isn’t really anywhere else for it to go. But I might be able to size down slightly. She didn’t get as big as we were expecting. The door is always open.

I left the door open for ten days and nights with no issues and replaced it with his deep plastic basket with his vetbed from the crate and a fleece blanket. He loves it. He's nearly a year old.

We had to get the crate out again when our old dog had surgery. I belatedly realised it actually didn't take up as much useful space as his bed, because I could put things on top - now he, and the crate are sadly gone I don't know where my seedlings can be put this winter.

If I was you I'd maybe see if I could get the door off so that's not in the way (and hopefully it could go back on if/when needed) and leave it.

Put the new bed inside the crate in the same location.

See if she is happy to go into the bed in the crate. If she is then leave it in the crate for a couple of weeks.

Remove the crate leave the bed in the same location and she if she is happy with that.

If not you will have to bring back the crate I guess.

Often it is the location of the crate or bed that is important to the dogs. So keep the location the same and the dog should be ok.

If it's a fold up one, I'd hang onto it. They're really useful to have

Thanks all. I didn’t think we’d chuck it or anything and it’s as tucked away as it can be, it’s just big and in the perfect Christmas tree spot. I didn’t really think beyond house training and general puppy containment when we got it, i assumed it would go when she was grown.

But I just gave her a yoghurt pot to lick and she grabbed and took it in to her crate (den), she chooses to sleep in it most of the time… She’s happy in it. And she’s a great dog so I’m going to live with it. If she abandons it then great but I won’t force it. I might get her a second bed anyway, to try and lure her away subtly.

A dog is for life, a Christmas tree really is just for Christmas. she's much more beautiful than any tinselled greenery.

You can move it to somewhere else. The brilliant thing about a crate is that it's their safe space anywhere. So if you go stay with someone or take your dog travelling, they are instantly at home.

I might try temporarily swapping the bed and the crate around so you can see if it's the spot or the crate she's attached to. With our first dog, it turned out to be the spot, not the crate. Between flatties, however, mine recommend a sofa 😁

@Flat04 oh god they’re gorgeous 😍. I’m so tempted to get another next year. Mine is so overjoyed every time she meets another flattie.