How long do you crate?

Usually I come home at lunch but if I don't Neiko is crated for 8-9 hrs. Sometimes I crate him at night but that's only if he's acting like a chewy puppy, which isn't often anymore. He usually sleeps in there on his own anyway (with the door open) 

We train from the start, our pups can if need be handle a 10 hour day in a crate. We don't make them do this as it is never necessary. I  would guess the longest with our family schedule would be about 5 hours. Average 2.5 before a break and rotation. When in season they are crated unless out for exercise or potty breaks.  Jasmine is rarely ever crated and even at 12.5 she still gets eve with me when I leave her out too long.

Payback is a b*tch!

Bonita of Bwana 

i crate when i'm not at home, which isnt very often, since i do most of my job from home. i also crate during the night when i sleep in my bed. i often sleep in the living room with the dogs though. they're just not allowed on the bed, cause of my bf's allergies....

I don't crate at all (no crate in the house), but Kenya sleeps on a dog bed in our room at night.  If I have a crate out, she will go in it, and I can crate her if I need to. 

Casey doesn't use his any more, but when we did it was from anywhere form 4-9 hours. Lucy (foster pup) uses it when no one is home for more than 4 hours. The most she is in there is 5 hours.

She sleeps in there at night, her choice. The door is open, she loves it. =]

we've just started crate training with our new pup.  since i'm home all day, we try to crate for about 1 - 1.5 hrs at a time before a trip to go potty and a li'l play session before being crated again - unless she doesn't go potty, then its right back to the crate.  she also spends her nights in there (and is sleeping thru the night now - woo hoo!)

there are walkies at least two times a day (short ones as we are still being leash trained) and a trip to the dog park, weather permitting.

Conrad must be crated for his own mental health issues, and that is any time no one is home. A normal work day (and we don't have super-long commutes so it really is usually pretty close to 9-5). Any time anyone at all is home--asleep or awake--he is out of his crate (though he does elect to nap in there or just hang out and cast judgmental glances on everyone else in the room quite a bit!). He gets walked both before and after his time in the crate.

For Honor, it really depends.  If my husband and I happen to work the same shift, then she's crated for 8 hours during the day.  But we often have schedules that overlap by a few hours, so she's usually only in her crate 2-4 hours during the day.  Because she's still not fully potty trained, she's crated at night, but Honor loves her crate, and goes in it without complaint at night. 

during the day at most an hour or two (they're in and out via dog door tho)...but I'm home all day. They are crated to sleep at night...so that's their "big chunk" of crate time.

I'm uncomfortable with crating for more than an hour at a time, day or night. If I have to confine for longer than that, I either use a tether, an x-pen, or a puppy-proofed room. Really don't understand people who think it's fine to crate their dogs all day and then all night.

It depends on the mind set up of each dog, Rumour was crated until he finally over came his sever SA........never make negative comments about dog owners with SA dogs and the need for crating.......you haven't seen what they can do when left alone and suffering from this.....

My dog was crated at night for about a month when he was a puppy. After that he was moved to the mudroom for sleeping or when I left the house. I guess I was lucky because by 6months he was reliable enough to have free range in our home. I do believe being a stay at home mom helped. I was able on a 24/7 bases to watch and train my dog what he could and could not do in the house. Although intellectually I understand the need to crate for extended periods  (dog's safety & property damage), but emotionally it make me sad to think of dogs sitting in crates for more than a couple of hours. I agree that a dog room or an xpen is a better solution.  

i just wanted to add that a dog room or x-pen might be ideal but it doesnt mean everyone has that kind of space...