Crate schedule?

When Scout was 14 weeks and up, we crated her from 7-11:30 and then 12:30 until 3:30. It is not ideal, and I felt bad, but she seemed to sleep throughout the time (judging from her 'sleepy eyes' when I came home at lunchtime). I made sure she was tired so she wasn't going stir crazy while in there, and always left her with a kong full of goodies. The crate was what we needed to keep her safe and our house safe while we were at work. Around 8-9 months old, after having no accidents for a long time and showing no interest in chewing stuff up, we started giving her short home alone times out of the crate. As of January, she has the run of the house while we're at work and I still let her out at lunch. No problems so far!

Personal preference - I only use the sit, stand up, turn around guideline for young puppies during the crate training and housebreaking periods. The adult dogs get the largest crates available.

When we were kids, the term "crating" was not heard of.  Pups and dogs had to be taught but were not allowed to run free in the house. At least til properly trained and safe (from themselves!).  They were free outside though.  What a good life for those dogs.  Wish it could be so now, but the lives we lead and the amount of open spaces diminished, the laws that must be abided by...well times have forced us to change a lot of previously comfy habits.  Today, leaving your dog out in a fenced yard is not truly safe.  Some passers by can be abusive.  Just like you would not leave your child out alone all day, would never do it with my beautiful beasts.
 
Crating sounded cruel to me when I first heard about this.  But, as a few have already mentioned, some will do it the best way and others will abuse this.  We did crate our pups, and what a great idea.  They love it like my babies loved their crib.  A respite from the areas where people and other pets are walking, a place to recede from the regular things and to relax.  If a dog is sick, it is a safe place where they won't be bothered.
 
For puppies, it is a place where they will be protected from the dangers in the home, just like a toddler in a play pen! Add soft blanket, a favorite chew toy...well it is not all that different. Limiting day time in it with lunch and walk after about 4 hrs sounds right.  Don't like to leave my older dogs in it long either.  At night, they sleep right through.
 
For travel, they are a life saver.  Remembering an episode where I was only gone for about 20 min. and the dog seemed calm and settled.  When we got back, it was amazing. As though a whirlwind came through:  Entire box of kleenex shredded, pkge of gum completely chewed - some swallowed, some imbedded in the rug, paper cash shredded into minute little pieces, map- place travelling completely destroyed...Unbelievable and unsafe!
 
I sure would have loved to have had a film of that.  The dog was resting quietly when we got back in!  He had a lot of fun, but he could have gotten himself into trouble if he were into something poisonous or electric cords or something.
 
Crating should be done with care, like anything we do.  And it is not bad but actually pretty good.

Again, my crates are sufficient size for TWO german shepherds to share and still have plenty of moving around room.  And they don't have to share.  Granted that is ALL that fits in that particular room....dog crates.....but they are not confined to a tiny space for any amount of time.  I DO use the turn around, stand up, etc rule for little ones who are in housetraining but once that is accomplished, the sky is the limit....or the size of the room to put the crates in at least!

Thank you everyone for your advice and input.  I've read through what everyone has said and it helped me realize that I need to crate my puppy.  I've only had him for a few days and he's been so good that I thought I could trust him to wander around the first floor of our house during the day.  Now I realize that this was very wrong.  He's only 6 months old  (he's a pomeranian) and is doing really well with going to the bathroom outside - but he's definitely not ready to be left alone to wander.
Here's what I plan on doing after reading what people have said - although I still have a few questions:

I leave for work between 8-10 every day and come home for a lunch break at 1.  One of my room mates is home most mornings so she spends time with the puppy while she's studying.  From 2-6 the puppy is left alone and then I come home from work and spend time with him the rest of the night until we put him in his crate for bed.  I heard that it was good to put a blanket over the crate during the night time, so I've been doing that and he's sleeping through the night just fine.  As soon as I wake up in the morning I let him out and it's another day.


Here are the questions that I have:
Right now his crate is downstairs in the kitchen/living room and my bedroom is upstairs.  He always whines and barks for a few minutes when I put him to bed at night.  Would it be better for him if I moved the crate up to my room?  The only problem that I have with moving the crate is that #1 my room is small and it might be hard to find a good place for it and #2 I like having his crate in the kitchen/living room because it's right by the patio door so I can let him out as soon as we wake up in the morning - and I spend my evenings in the kitchen/living room as well playing with him, eating my dinner, watching tv, etc.    He likes to take his treats/chew toys to his crate while we're playing.  if the crate were in my room, it might complicate things . . . but he is suffering from seperation anxiety when I put him to bed and when I leave every day.  I'm just not sure what to do.  He will even whine a little bit when I leave the room.

Thanks in advance for your advice.  I never knew I could love an animal as much as I love my puppy! []

Hi elmoemily,
 
I think the setup you have now is perfect. It's nice to have the crate in the room where you spend most of your time, so the dog doesn't see it as the 'isolated, lonely place'. And if your pup whines and cries a bit at night and then eventually settles, that is the norm. As long as you don't respond to the whining in any way, it should fade over time. Always remember that the only time the dog gets your attention or gets let out of the crate, is when he is quiet. In any case, I wouldn't move the crate.

I have the same setup, crate is downstairs near kitchen & family room and the door where they are let out.  Bedroom is upstairs, but we leave the bedroom door open and can easily hear them whine/cry if there's any emergency potty needed.
 
Both my pups cried a little while at first when we when upstairs to bed, but settled into sleep after a few minutes.  Now they never cry, in fact when I say "bedtime" they both run to their crates happily.  I think your setup is just fine, it works for us!

I actually have a two story house also, so I use two crates.  The one downstairs is larger.  The one upstairs is smaller (enough to get up, stand and turn around in) and I use that one as a travel crate also so it serves "double duty".
I like having the dog in our bedroom just in case of an emergency that would require us needing to leave in a hurry where getting to the crate downstairs would require a "detour".

I like having the dog in our bedroom just in case of an emergency that would require us needing to leave in a hurry where getting to the crate downstairs would require a "detour".

 
Good point, JoAnnDe.  I'm hoping to get a travel crate soon . . . just wish I had more money at this moment  . . .
 
I guess once my puppy gets to the point where he is *truely* potty trained and can let me know when he needs to go I'll be able to put a bed or something in my room.  I'm still so new at this!  Thank goodness for this forum.

Sounds like you're doing all the right things! Our puppy is definitely getting used to things - she is now 16 weeks old and we have been leaving her in the crate for about 3-4 hours at a time. She's only had a couple of accidents (both cases she had water and had not peed before going in the crate). We used to keep the crate in the bedroom but moved it into the living room (just next to the bedroom) so she could be with us while watching TV. She's really used to it now and almost never whines when being put in the crate ... in fact ... she RUNS happily in there when we ask her to and especially when we have a special treat to give her.

Just be patient and realize it takes puppies time to get housebroken and crate trained. Good luck!

I'm a fan of using crates for house training.  But, afterwards I think if there are behavioral issues that don't allow the dog to at least have one room with a gate that they should be addressed.  I'm not a fan of adult dogs being crated.  And, I hate cleaning up accidents in them.
 
As for travel, I can't imagine why I'd bother to bring her anywhere if she had to be in a crate.  She's got a seatbelt and can move around and lay down on the back seat.  She can look out the window and sniff out a slightly cracked window if she wants. 

Some dogs just can't cope with all the visual stimulation they get travelling in the car, it's just too stressful.  A crate can be covered and provide the dog with some respite and help to calm them down.  The times that I have gone places that wouldn't have allowed dogs unless they were crated is countless - and if they are with me I think they see that as being far preferable to being stuck home on their own, even if they do have to be crated.

Willowchow, ideally I'll want my dogs to be free in the house once they are adults.  That's the setup I had with my previous dogs who have both gone to the rainbow bridge.

However if I find that as adults they may still be getting into things that could harm themselves or something else (dogs are individuals), I'll still confine them to a small dog-proof area or even crate them if necessary.  You could have a room with absolutely nothing in it except for the dogs, and some dogs will still find something to chew on that could hurt them  (baseboards, doors, carpet, etc.).  And if that's the case for their own safety (and our sanity) I wouldn't hesitate to keep them in a crate as an adult dog, albeit a nice roomy one.
 
Heck, my Tucker managed to chew a hole in the drywall while INSIDE his crate for only an hour!  The crate was pushed up against a flat wall, but he squeezed his nose between the bars and used his front teeth to grind a 3"x4" oblong hole in the wall.  And that was with a nice stuffed Kong in there to chew on!  Now we keep the crate pulled away from the wall.

ORIGINAL: Edie

I would say NO crates at all at this stage.They would have to be the most abused,overly used dog accessory ever invented [&o]  No dog should be crated for longer than the owner can last without needing the lavatory.
Alot of people want a dog because they love having it to come home to, and the love and companionship it gives, yet don't seem to give a thought to its needs for love and companionship when they leave it locked up for hours and hours on end while they are working, then again for hours of an evening if they have a busy social life, same at weekends if the dog dosen't go with them. Every dog has to learn to be left for some time during the day, there are times when it happens and nothing can be done about that. But to have one knowing you are going to leave it locked up on a daily basis for hours on end, and I mean 8 hrs plus traveling, well I can't understand that.

As for a crate schedule,well all i can advise is anyone who wants to crate their dog all day should find a small closet, just big enough to stand and turn, then spend the day in it with no books, TV, games or other entertainment. And no toilet of course.,and then decide if this is still the best option for their dog????
 I think the 'modern' dog owner see the dog as being like a car or a toy - ie when you've finished with it, you put it away in the garage/toy cupboard and forget about it... [&:]

I've used crates in the past,but only with new pups,only overnight,right next to my bed withing touching distance,with outside toilet trips regularly,and i use this regime for as shorter time as humanly possible!After that the crate gets put away and is never again seen by that dog.

Juneaudog-Listen to your gut,crating a dog for up to 6-8 hours per day,or 16 hours if they also get locked in at night is not condusive to caring pet ownership,and IMHO amounts to abuse.It seems Great Britain also thinks along the same lines as there is a new law coming in over there to BAN the crate,other than for transport to shows,car rides etc.Dont know how they are going to police it,but i think it's a step in the right direction.

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