here's a question...

ORIGINAL: mondayblues

How long (maximum amount of time) can you crate a one-year-old dog? And would you rather crate a dog or tie up a dog if there is no safe space (like a yard) to keep him in?

I would never tie up a dog and leave the dog unsupervised.  Sometimes the dogs in my home have to be by themselves for a much as 11 hours in a day.  My 3 dogs have free reign of the house and they do hold it in.  I set up an area where the floor is lined and covered with paper for the just in case.  This area is very rarely used unless one of the dogs isn't feeling too well.  It took time, some training, and houseproofing to get them to have free reign. 

For the fosters, I have large kennels set up in the basement.  The kennels are large enough where if they need to p or poop, they can.  Through the years, a majority of the fosters learn to hold it in.  I will not crate any of my dogs for that period of time.  I do crate the fosters for a couple of hours now and then so that when they are adopted, being crated will not be that traumatic.

What I don't understand is the need to crate a dog during the evening.  I can understand puppies and young dogs.  But this should be part of a training process with the goal of having the dog have free reign and the choice to go his/her crate.  I just don't get this.

DPU

What I don't understand is the need to crate a dog during the evening. I can understand puppies and young dogs. But this should be part of a training process with the goal of having the dog have free reign and the choice to go his/her crate. I just don't get this.

 
Well, I do it by my choice.  I wouldn't want to leave Harley to his own devices.  I don't want my dog in my bedroom nor the kids.  I love letting him have access every place else when I am around.  But this is what I do.

ORIGINAL: Firestorm

Well, I do it by my choice.  I wouldn't want to leave Harley to his own devices.  I don't want my dog in my bedroom nor the kids.  I love letting him have access every place else when I am around.  But this is what I do.

 
Harley is 2 years old and I would think you would be able to trust him by now or maybe he needs a little more training.

then to you what is the difference between crating when away and crating during the night?

ORIGINAL: janetmichel3009

then to you what is the difference between crating when away and crating during the night?

 
My presence.

true. but if you are sleeping, then what good is your presence? i don't know. maybe you are a light sleeper... i'm not.. just if anything were to happen (chewing on a cable or whatever dogs sometimes get into) i know, there's a good chance that i would sleep right through it..

DPU, not that I have to answer to you..but I got him in March 2006.  I did not raise him from pup.  He was a rehome because his original owner could no longer keep him. 
We as a family here have decided this is what we wish to do in our household.  You do as you wish and I will do as I wish.  Harley is happy and content to sleep in his crate at night.  BTW I am not the only person here who crates their dog at night.  I have my reasons.  If you don't like what I do then oh well.  Our home is very harmonious this way and everyone is happy with this situation.
As far as his training he has had obedience training and I work with him everyday.  He is well mannered while someone is here, but I do not feel that any dog can be trusted alone and left to their own devices.  Leave them in temptation and at some point they will be tempted.

Crate the dog, don't tie it outside.  Go read the post about the Basenjis that were almost stolen...and the owners were HOME just in the house!    

I don't lock the dog's crates at night, but honestly if I did, I don't think they'd notice. Conrad sleeps in his crate pretty much all night (though he does like to get in bed with us in the wee hours of the morning). Marlowe doesn't sleep in his crate, he usually sleeps on the couch, but he doesn't move an inch during the night. If I were to ask him to crate up at 11 PM, when he's all groggy and tired, he'd lie down and fall asleep and would remain there until prodded to wake up the next day. If I shut the door on him, he wouldn't care.

When we first got Marlowe and we didn't trust him yet, he slept in our bedroom in his crate (with the door open) and we just shut the bedroom door. I'm a very light sleeper, so that was just fine. If he got up in the middle of the night, I always knew.

I always have that moment of "huh?" when someone tells me they crate their adult dog at night, but then I realize that frankly, both my guys would be pretty much oblivious if I also shut their crate doors. The only thing they'd be prevented from doing that they normally do in that case is get out, shake loudly (jingling tags), wake me, then crawl right back in again and continue with the snoring.

ORIGINAL: Firestorm

DPU, not that I have to answer to you..but I got him in March 2006.  I did not raise him from pup.  He was a rehome because his original owner could no longer keep him. 
We as a family here have decided this is what we wish to do in our household.  You do as you wish and I will do as I wish.  Harley is happy and content to sleep in his crate at night.  BTW I am not the only person here who crates their dog at night.  I have my reasons.  If you don't like what I do then oh well.  Our home is very harmonious this way and everyone is happy with this situation.
As far as his training he has had obedience training and I work with him everyday.  He is well mannered while someone is here, but I do not feel that any dog can be trusted alone and left to their own devices.  Leave them in temptation and at some point they will be tempted.

I've got two labs.  One is crated during the day and at night, the other is never crated or confined.

Cassie, the younger dog, is fine in her crate all day - I usually go home at noon and let her out, but not always.  Her crate is in the room I use as an office.  At bedtime, I go in to check my mail, and she goes in and goes to her crate to sleep.  She's in the exact same position in the morning when I go down to get her up!  I don't think she's uncomfortable at all being crated all night.

Our older girl, Charlie, has not been crate trained, and gets really spooked if she's locked up.  She has the run of the house.

It's not an option to leave Cassie out while we're gone, because she likes to chase cats.  Our two cats stay in there room until she goes to bed, then they come out (Charlie doesn't bother them at all). 

I should point out that both of the dogs get a 1 mile walk in the morning, and another one in the evening, no matter what the weather.  We've also got a big yard that they can go out in when we're home.  In Cassie's case, it was be crated in our home or die in the shelter.  She (and we) are happy with the decision.

If the dog is going to chew while you are asleep then the dog is going to chew while you are awake. 
 
I hope I said in my post that I have no problem with the dog going into his crate during the evening if the dog chooses.  The crate can be a secure and safe place to bed down.  For those dogs that don't want to be crated and want be at their people's side... I say why not and whats the harm...they're suppose to be family members.  Again, if you can't trust them, then they need more training.

I don't want my dog in my bed nor in my bedroom.  That's just me.  I love him but I think there is no harm in boundaries. 
 
Hell, I love my horse but that doesn't mean that I want to sleep in the barn with her in her stall.

ORIGINAL: gdgarth

I've got two labs.  One is crated during the day and at night, the other is never crated or confined.

Cassie, the younger dog, is fine in her crate all day - I usually go home at noon and let her out, but not always.  Her crate is in the room I use as an office.  At bedtime, I go in to check my mail, and she goes in and goes to her crate to sleep.  She's in the exact same position in the morning when I go down to get her up!  I don't think she's uncomfortable at all being crated all night.

Our older girl, Charlie, has not been crate trained, and gets really spooked if she's locked up.  She has the run of the house.

It's not an option to leave Cassie out while we're gone, because she likes to chase cats.  Our two cats stay in there room until she goes to bed, then they come out (Charlie doesn't bother them at all). 

I should point out that both of the dogs get a 1 mile walk in the morning, and another one in the evening, no matter what the weather.  We've also got a big yard that they can go out in when we're home.  In Cassie's case, it was be crated in our home or die in the shelter.  She (and we) are happy with the decision.

 
Cassie is use to her lot in life and dogs are very accomodating and resilient.  I can not bring myself to crate a dog for that long a period of time.  One of the dogs I fostered had one deformed leg and other leg was weak.  The vet told us Andrienne was mostly like crated for long periods of time and the crate was probably small so she could not even stretch.  Rehab on this dog took a long time.  Once I saw what can happen, then I did the accomodating.

I'm right there with you on the boundaries thing, lol...for my kids and for my dogs. Neither are allowed in our bed or even bedroom without permission, and they don't sleep with us.
 
Parents have gotta have their personal space...haha!
 
I find that many of the things that'd make my dogs most happy and content, don't always jibe with what makes me happy.
 
They are adaptable creatures...and tho they surely do lament not being able to dumpster dive, eat poop at will, and run around the neighborhood without a collar and leash attached to me...I don't think they hold it against me.
 
That alone is good reason to love em! [sm=biggrin.gif]
 

paraphrase: rwbeagles

I'm right there with you on the boundaries thing... 
Parents have gotta have their personal space...haha!

 
I remembering making the comment that after the COME command I teach my dog the GO command, meaning go about your business.  The comment that I got back was ... well if you need to get rid of your dog.  I felt guilty at first but got over it because the dogs do the same for me.  It seems when I take a day off from work and I am at home, I have totally disrupted their day of sleep and I am mostly ignored.
 
I am on my 3rd dozen of welcoming fosters in my home and they have all bedded down in my bedroom but none ever has gone on the bed.  I don't even have to tell them not to.