Crates on hot nights

[Excitedannie]

22 degrees here - doesn't feel too warm to be honest but what do you do about crated dogs when it's warm? I'd rather not leave her out of it because she'll think that's the norm but it's got her comfy bed and cover over it to keep it dark

Any advice?

Depends on your situation... one of mine is currently crated overnight.

He’s an adult, but only been living in a house since he got here 2 weeks ago, so he’s not fully housetrained, hasn’t worked out what’s edible and what’s not and we have an existing dog with some behavioural issues that we don’t want him to be unsupervised with and a cat.

So a crate next to my bed is the best solution and when he wakes up he can be taken outside for the toilet.

2 dogs ago had medical and behavioural issues that meant periods of crate rest after operations and that he wasn’t safe to have round people he didn’t know, so was crated as part of the introduction process to new people... he also insisted he be crated overnight, he could open the door, it wasn’t locked but he wouldn’t settle unless I pushed it over, lol.

The existing dog we’ve had for 2 years, could honestly do with being crate trained, he’s very anxious and reactive, but, he panics with the door closed so he still isn’t. So it’s just based on what each dog needs and can cope with.

More than one pet and complicated dogs mean crates are pretty invaluable tbh.

@WoofWoofBeachLife you’re talking absolute utter nonsense! Dogs are not supposed to be caged where they can’t even walk around.

This. The ignorance of some dog owners is really upsetting.

They will have gotten Covid puppies OP and are now the dog experts

Was actually thinking very much the same about those who are clearly misusing cages on here and getting very abusive in defending their behaviour.

Even the RSPCA (which I don't rate on much) has guidelines on cage using and dumping a dog in a cage and locking it in for long periods is definitely NOT how one uses a dog cage.

They are on import from the USA that we could have done without.

Even the RSPCA (which I don't rate on much) has guidelines on cage using and dumping a dog in a cage and locking it in for long periods is definitely NOT how one uses a dog cage.

Has ANYONE said they do that???!

No just a massive knee jerk reaction to the word 'crate'.

People definitely misuse crates, but people mistreat dogs in many ways...

Both articles linked to in this thread mention dogs being crated while people are at work, I don’t think dogs should be left that long full stop.

I’ve known dogs to eat their way out of a kitchen through the wall while being left for work, or locked in bathrooms or utility rooms - I don’t think they were any better off than a dog being crated.

The crate is a red herring when you’re talking about dogs being left really, people who don’t have the lifestyle for a dog shouldn’t have a dog.

Often to keep them safe.

This makes me laugh. It's all good until you're at the vet because your dog ate half the kitchen while you were sleeping. Not all dogs can be trusted to safely be alone in a room so sometimes a crate is necessary. Provided you're not over using it and the dog is properly acclimatised to it and sees it as their safe space and have a positive association with it then it's fine.

Op we use blankets in our crate instead of fleecy bedding and we don't cover the crate on warm weather to help with air flow. We also make sure our boy has access to water with a heavy base bowl that's not easy tipped and we use it the bare minimum and only at night when it's cooler. During the day when it's warmer I'd leave the crate door open and leave the dog alone for shorter periods but our boy has only just learnt not to eat everything in sight when his door is open.

My friend’s working cocker is an extreme chewer. She’s 10 months now but still chews everything. If she wasn’t confined in the crate, when left, she would eat everything she could get at. They are still using the crate to protect their pup and their house.

I chatted to a guy about his beautiful black lab pup. He said the dog was a living nightmare as it stole stuff, including food, and chewed everything up. I asked if he was crate training him, to which the guy replied haughtily, that he would never do that. He said it’s the dog’s home and he can go freely wherever he wants. This included getting on the table at Christmas and scoffing mince pies and Christmas cake, all before anyone realised. A costly, worrying trip to the vets and an stay in overnight was the result. And that’s why crates can be a good idea. To protect the dog, not just for the owner’s convenience.

My pup is in a crate, he has water and it's covered with a proper crate cover but I have left it unzipped and have a fan on a gentle setting wafting towards his crate and he has been fine over the last two very hot and sweaty nights, I can easily hear him, so if he got/gets upset then I can easily get to him, but he cannot be trusted to not chew or chase the cat overnight, so until he can be trusted, for his safety and ours he is crated overnight.

I think crates are great for puppies and for some dogs, but yes they can be mistreated like most things, but crating a dog or puppy overnight is very different to leaving your dog in crate all day whilst the owner works.

Of course crates have their place - especially with anxious dogs or puppies, but there's a big difference between using them out of necessity and using them out of convenience.

Dogs are naturally polyphasic sleepers - unfortunately using a crate typically means they can't sleep as they would "naturally" because their simply isn't the space.

Ultimately some people need to prioritise safety (which is absolutely the right thing to do) but personally I would argue that if your dog isn't destructive or anxious, it would be kinder to let them have a bit more choice as to how/where they sleep - especially when it's this warm.

This included getting on the table at Christmas and scoffing mince pies and Christmas cake, all before anyone realised.

I’m not anti-crate in the right circumstances, but I think the answer to that is doors!

Depends a bit on the crate as well, the whole - big enough to stand up and turn around should IMO just be for travelling, that’s too small for regular use.

The smallest I would ever use would be big enough to sleep fully stretched out without touching a side, and only then because it’s a large dog and that’s the biggest crate I could get.

Current one can sleep like that on half the crate, so getting up and moving about a bit is also possible.

Exactly

Or having the common sense not to leave mince pies out around a dog!

You guys are seriously not right in the head 🙄 FYI my crate is huge and the dog can comfortably walk around and has a separate area for bedding. It's what she's used to before she arrived with us and she gets stressed of she can't use her crate when she wants peace. The door is always open.

Then you're not the kind of owner that's being talked about, are you?

@WoofWoofBeachLife with the filth coming out of your mouth I can now see why you crate your dog !

You are just here to derail and antagonise the OP. Don't comment if you have no advice. What you have said is complete nonsense and you probably don't have a dog!

Some seem to think so.

WTF is going on on this board at the moment? So much judgement on this and other threads. I thought this was a helpful place.

*uncaged dogs !!

Yep me too I think the heat has turned people into monsters.