Correct use of a crate

[colin]

Can someone please advise me of the correct/incorrect use of a crate for Buddy?

I read here Crate Tips that it is not "a place to lock up a dog or puppy for long periods especially whilst you are out of the house".

To help toilet train him, stop him eating/pulling the curtains at night etc. we've put him in there with the 'door' locked when I go to bed.

Today I went out the house a message for about an hour and a half and put him in there and was told that I shouldnt be doing this by a friend tonight - googled this evening and came up with the link mentioned earlier.

The thing is, Buddy is going in to it on his own accord (with no encouragement) when someone is in the same room but comes out when said person leaves the room, but put him in at bedtime and he barks and barks and barks and...

I dont know if this is scarring him and I have been using it incorrectly - up until my friend told me this I thought I was doing the right thing, the vet even said so - although I am not sure if I told the vet that he is in it overnight.

Looking a little further ahead when I go back to work next week (I work flexi time) I thought about putting him in the crate at 09.30am before setting off for work; letting him out at about 12.20pm when I come home for lunch before putting him back in at 1.40pm before going back to work; my other half is usually home about 3.45pm and then he would be out of the crate until he goes to bed.

Obviously when he gets his second jag he wont just be let out of the crate I'll take him out for a walk - but until that happens he will have the freedom of the living/dining rooms kitchen and the garden.

When he is in the crate I was also going to buy a water dispenser that I believe can be bought that attach to the crate much like the water things that attach to hamster cages - so he will not go thirsty.

So... can someone please advise.

Thanks

Colin

[John Thomson]

If you need to leave the house the crate is the safest place to leave a puppy ( Tico was left in hers for 2 hrs on Saturday....everyone was out and I had to go to work)

Treat the crate as normal......don't even talk to the pup when you put him in..same when you take him out.......act calm and aloof.......lots of people have opinions on crates.......to humans they look like a prison....to a dog they are a 'den' a safe haven.........stick with what you are doing Colin.
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John Thomson
www.cumbernaulddogtraining.co.uk

[Ashley]

I wouldnt worry to be honest... I read a lot about crates before we got Holly. If I go to work then the dogs are put in their crates (3-4 hours), and I dont care if people disagree with that. If I need to go out for that long, then the dogs are going to be in on their own, and I would rather them in their crates (where they just go to sleep), than running round the house or sleeping on the sofas where they may chew goodness knows what, or annoy each other!

When it was just Holly we had, then we used to put her crate in the kitchen and leave the door to it open, so she could go in when she wanted, but could still stretch her legs, so to speak.

You're proposed routine sounds fine whilst your at work!
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Ashley with Holly & Murphy.
I hope to one day be as great as my dog thinks I am right now!!

[Janis]

our two are crated every night for bed time!

when i go out whether it be for 10 mins to 4 hours they go into their crate!

our crate is in the porch and there is a tv and rocking/swivel chair which kendal occupys en the evening and like buddy inca goes in of her own accord when the door is open and gypsy likes to lie at her feet!

stick with it ...........people who have never used crates tend to think of it as an imprisonment..............as john says it's the safest place and becomes a haven for them!.......NEVER PUT HIM THERE AS A PUNISHMENT !
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Cockapoo's...a little of this, a little of that..........
the perfect combination!

[Jack]

I echo all of the above. A crate IS your dogs safe haven. It keeps THEM safe AND has the added bonus of keeping your home safe from puppy destruction. Your plans sound perfect to me. Buddy is just testing you at night because he KNOWS you are in the house yet ignoring him and he doesn't like it so he's pushing you until YOU cave in and he wins - DON'T!!! Keep up the good work you have started and he'll sharp realise that you are the boss and mean business. I also use the crates if I have visitors who I don't want them jumping all over or to calm them for the initial hellos....I pop the girls in there with a treat so they know they're not in trouble and they are then much much calmer. NEVER use crates as a punishment, this defeats the entire object of them and will result in your dog becoming increasingly stressed about going in there and potentially aggressive when attempting to resist your efforts to entice him in.

I choose to have my dogs in my room with me at night because I am at work all day and miss them like mad (Mark's at home so it's not so bad for him) but if I'd gone down the route of crating them at night I would have stuck with that too and I would have won. Staffies "tenacity" has nothing on mine!

Good luck & keep us posted how things go.
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Staffies are my life! Visit us at www.staffies.co.uk

[Suzanne H]

Echo all of the above. Whenever you are unable to supervise the puppy/dog then in the crate. With the door shut. At other times, just leave the door open. Up to 4 hours is fine, overnight it can be longer. They just sleep.

We had to endure barking till 4am at first, but we just ignored him and he settled down.

We also used baby gates when Otto was very young and we were in but were busy eg cleaning so he was in the kitchen (piddle proof floor) but could see what was going on. We kept them until he could jump them.

As a result we have never had anything chewed or destroyed. An unsupervised puppy just learns bad habits. He's 15 mnths and we still use the crate - in fact he now reads the signals for leaving/bedtime and usually goes in without being asked and gets a reward if he does that.

Just don't make a big deal out of leaving...we used to give him a kong with peanut butter in it to distract him when we left and or lure him into it. He was more interested in that than us leaving.

Also, don't go straight to the crate when you come in, especially if he is barking...don't look at him or talk to him, have a drink of water or whatever and only open the crate if he's quiet. that way you coming back is not a big deal either, they need to learn that you come and you go regardless of them.

Just don't leave anything that could choke them and not TOO much water when they're young unless it is really warm...some icecubes do the trick. A kong or a nylobone are good for chewing.

It is tough to begin with, but honestly, they just go to sleep.