Crate Training pros/cons

Denise90

Myself and my partner are moving to a bigger house soon, but the house we have chosen is coming with some pet terms. We are going to be getting a dog but the landlord (albeit a pet person) is worried about a puppy chewing the house to bits and is unsure if she wants to let us get one. We talked to her about crate training and she seemed to think it was a solution but she seemed uncomfortable with the idea of us "locking the dog in a cage".

I work nights and my OH works days, there's always someone in the house so the crate would literally only be for sleeping. A bed for the puppy and some reassurance that I won't come home in the morning to a wrecked house.

I can only seem to find threads about how to crate train but my question to people who crate train is how do the dogs seem to take to it? A few people have said to me it would be totally unfair and can create behavioural problems? Anyone experienced this? Is there any cons to it? I'd hate to think that it might cause any distress.

kylith

My dogs were well grown when I adopted them. I had to get crates for travelling with them and, after some teething problems, they love them. I can barely put them together when we're going somewhere because the dogs are so keen that they'll climb on top of them.

If introduced correctly you will find it harder to get the dog out of the crate than into it!

cocker5

I haven’t used “crate training” on my dog, but I have heard some good reports. Its not a method I would use ... but some of my friends find it great.

I just wanted to say, you need to be 100% sure about getting a dog and whether your landlord will change her mind etc… lots of dog are currently being rehomed door to problems with renting.

To be very honest if it were me I wouldn’t risk getting a dog while renting only to be told in 6 months it has to go. Personally it would be too much of a risk, a risk the dogs future may not be secure.

A dog is still a dog and even with crate training they can still damage the house, no matter how much you try to prevent, accidents will happen.

Whispered

It shouldn't cause distress if it's introduced properly. As a puppy will be young, it wouldn't take long at all. The people who told you it would cause behavioural problems, do they have dogs? Have they experienced problems? The only way I can see crating causing problems is if it's used as a puppy sitting device, instead of training, or if you use it excessively.

There have been some posts lately saying it's cruel etc so I'd love to see what those people have to say (the thread I last remember it coming up in was on another topic so that conversation didn't go too far).

On a side note, I know it's none of my business, but I worked nights for 2 years with dogs, while it's great that there is someone there all the time, I found it incredibly hard at times. Please be sure you'll have the energy for a puppy after a long night shift. I wouldn't have been able to manage a new puppy, thankfully my boys were adult when I was sleeping most of the day.

EDIT: after reading Cocker5's post I wanted to add that despite having a crate, we still have chewed chairs and skirting. (Yep still, like that 4 years now)

andreac

Crate training is fab and i highly recommend it.

I only wish id had my camera on the other eve, when my male rottie actually opened the door of his crate with his nose and climbed in to go asleep.

So that will show you how some dogs actually love their crate.

Denise90

cocker5 wrote: »

I haven’t used “crate training” on my dog, but I have heard some good reports. Its not a method I would use ... but some of my friends find it great.

I just wanted to say, you need to be 100% sure about getting a dog and whether your landlord will change her mind etc… lots of dog are currently being rehomed door to problems with renting.

To be very honest if it were me I wouldn’t risk getting a dog while renting only to be told in 6 months it has to go. Personally it would be too much of a risk, a risk the dogs future may not be secure.

A dog is still a dog and even with crate training they can still damage the house, no matter how much you try to prevent, accidents will happen.

Thanks for your input, that was something we had talked about already and we made it clear to the landlord that she would have to be sure that she was ok with it because if at any point she changes her mind and wants the dog gone, we're gone. At the end of the day there are other houses and an animal is more important

Whispered wrote: »

It shouldn't cause distress if it's introduced properly. As a puppy will be young, it wouldn't take long at all. The people who told you it would cause behavioural problems, do they have dogs? Have they experienced problems? The only way I can see crating causing problems is if it's used as a puppy sitting device, instead of training, or if you use it excessively.

There have been some posts lately saying it's cruel etc so I'd love to see what those people have to say (the thread I last remember it coming up in was on another topic so that conversation didn't go too far).

On a side note, I know it's none of my business, but I worked nights for 2 years with dogs, while it's great that there is someone there all the time, I found it incredibly hard at times. Please be sure you'll have the energy for a puppy after a long night shift. I wouldn't have been able to manage a new puppy, thankfully my boys were adult when I was sleeping most of the day.

EDIT: after reading Cocker5's post I wanted to add that despite having a crate, we still have chewed chairs and skirting. (Yep still, like that 4 years now)

All of them have dogs but only one attempted a crate, then again I mostly dismissed her comments because her dog is barely walked so it's no shock that it's barking and hyperactive.

I only work two nights a week so after a 3 hour nap I'm good for the day but apart from that, my OH works in Maxi Zoo where they have a complete set up for "bring your pets to work". Obviously this would only be considered when the dog is house trained and old enough to handle it. I'm a bit skeptical about it but I've seen some of the co-workers dogs in there and they seem happy to get attention all day. They also have crates and runs in there for a bit of quiet time. Good idea/bad idea?

ISDW

At the moment I only have 2 crates up in the house, the other is in the van, and we have arguments about who's going in there, Darcy is fast asleep in the smaller one now, and Diesel is in the big one, both with the door open. Earlier on, Loki was in the small one, and even though there was no room for her, Tobi insisted in going in to sleep in there as well. My dogs absolutely love them, I know its different, but when we travel anywhere, I open the van doors and they jump straight in and into a crate, sometimes the wrong crate, but hey ho, they want to go in one, and thats all there is to it

carav10

Crate training is brilliant and is not cruel if used properly! I didn't use the crate with my first pup, took a while to house train etc.
But with the second pup, she was in the crate from Day1 as a puppy. She's 1yrs now and could count on one hand the number of accidents we've had in the house. The most I've had destroyed is the hem of a curtain and that was fully my fault, I thought she was chewing her toy.... This is how I did it..

From 8wks to about 12/14wks, she was crated in the house pretty much at all times. She got a treat everytime she went in in the early days so she learned to go in willingly. She was ignored if she cried (assuming I knew she had done her business!). If I was in the kitchen, she was allowed out around the kitchen. But if I was in the sitting room etc, she was in her crate. She was brought out to the loo regularly so never had the opportunity to do it in the house. Plenty of chew toys, plenty of playtime outside with my other dog when I was at home. I work 9-6, live on my own and for those first few weeks, she came to work with me so that I could start her training immediately. Again, in her crate, regular breaks.

At night, for the first few weeks, I'd let her out for her final pee (on lead) when I was going to bed, which is usually around 11pm. I set the clock on a 3hr basis for the first week, got up, brought her out on lead, straight back into her crate. No talk, no play etc. Each week, I lengthened the period by 30mins until we were eventually getting through the night. Tiresome, yes, and some people are too lazy to do it, but it is SO worth it in the long run.

After the 3month stage, she was left at home outside with the other dog during the day. Still crated at night. Was allowed free in the kitchen in the evenings but again crated if I was in the sitting room for the evening and very often she was in her crate in the kitchen while I was in the sitting room. Why? She needed to learn that it was ok to be left alone in the crate i.e. it's her bed. Gradually though, if I knew for sure her bladder was empty she was allowed free in the sitting room, but I'd bring her outside every hour to be sure.

I moved her out of the crate at night at about 6/7months, so she now shares the bed with the other dog :-) Reason I kept her so long even though she was holding her pee through the night at 4months was for chewing reasons! I didn't want her getting the idea in her head in the middle of the night that she could go chewing the kitchen cupboards! She is a serious counter surfer though...telltale pawprints on the cupboard edges every morning, have tried everything but no use!

Key to the crate is comfort and plenty chew toys. This worked for me, I found my own way with it. It was trial and error and in fairness, she's been a very easy going pup. But now I have a pup who never goes in the house, was housetrained very early, has the bladder of an elephant and is happy to be left in her crate for any reason.

If a dog causes destruction in the house, it is solely the owner's fault for bad supervision (ok harsh I know! but I only ever blame myself if something happens!). Use a crate and there will be no destruction. Eventually they'll be old enough to know their house rules and manners and not need the crate.

I doubted the whole crate thing at first but I swear by it now!! The funny thing is, my other dog used to sneak into the crate sometimes for a snooze to get away from the hyper pup so it can be a sanctuary as well for them :-)

Good luck :-)

Edit based on ISDW's post. I also have a crate in the car and my dogs spend a lot of time in the car. The crate is their bed and they are more than happy to jump in, travel and sleep!

ISDW

I do have to add a caveat. One of my dogs was crate trained from a pup, unfortunately he doesn't seem to get the whole keeping your bed clean idea - he will actually go into a crate to poo or pee, then come out again. But, we've always known he is special!

DBB

OP, sounds like you have a potentially great set up for the right dog, if he can go to work with your OH sometimes. You'll need a sociable, outgoing kind of temperament in your pup, so bear that in mind when you're choosing!
On the crate, would you think about a playpen aswell/instead? Having used crates for years, and still do, the playpen is a fantastic compromise which gives pup extra space, minimising any fear of being locked in, but also protects everything from being chewed and will send a clear message to your landlady that you're taking the protection of her house seriously.
Check the crate/playpen set-up out on the puppy section of www.dogstardaily.com, just for an idea of what you can do, though variations are possible. The playpen can be made assume various different shapes, used to corner of large sections of room, or essentially made small to act like a roofless crate if necessary.

**Vai**

Crate training is great OP. My GSD chewed a table and 2 skirting boards in bits over the space of a few nights so we started crating her at night. Shes grown now so shes given full run of the house at night and never touches anything.
As long as you take your time and make the dog feel comfortable throughout the crate introduction it will work wonders for keeping your dog from doing damage, giving it a safe zone to hangout and help with toilet training. There is no cruelty involved or anything resembling it if its done properly and you seem to have the perfect setup for doing it.

meoklmrk91

My boxer wasn't crated as a pup but I had to start training him a few months ago because he will literally eat anything and couldn't be left in the house alone, we were at the vets a couple of times with upset tummies and a suspected obstruction, he luckily passed whatever it was the day he was due for his x-ray. So it was either crate him or leave him out the back, which is fine most of the time, but if I was going away in the evenings or even just had to pop down to the shop it's very handy just to be able to open the door and get him to hop in and I can go where I need to without worrying that he's cold if he's out the back or what he's getting up to if he is in the house.

When I set it up he looked a bit worried, I pointed at it and asked him to go in, he usually goes where I point, but he didn't so I held him by his collar then led him in, the first time I gave him a cows hoof filled with peanut butter and left the door open he tried to back out and take the treat with him but I took the treat and put it back in and repeated a couple of times and he realised that he was only allowed to have it in the crate, I left the door open and just asked him to stay and it worked. Now a few times a day I will open the door and just ask him to go in, he has a command which is crate, and he hops in, he gets a few treats and chills while I do what I have to for a few minutes, sometimes I close the door and sometimes I don't. It's a great asset and it gives great peace of mind, I would happily crate train any other dog I ever got.

If the landlord still isn't getting on board then maybe consider an older dog? Usually they are calmer and you don't have the puppy teething issues so it might make her feel easier about the whole thing. Lucky you finding a decent landlord who isnt dead set against animals, they are few and far between!

TooManyDogs

I've crate trained every foster pup I've had and they're fantastic. It has to be trained as a bedroom where good things happen and above all never put them in their crate to punish them. I often have to kick my own dogs out of the pups crates so they can get into their beds

Denise90

DBB wrote: »

OP, sounds like you have a potentially great set up for the right dog, if he can go to work with your OH sometimes. You'll need a sociable, outgoing kind of temperament in your pup, so bear that in mind when you're choosing!
On the crate, would you think about a playpen aswell/instead? Having used crates for years, and still do, the playpen is a fantastic compromise which gives pup extra space, minimising any fear of being locked in, but also protects everything from being chewed and will send a clear message to your landlady that you're taking the protection of her house seriously.
Check the crate/playpen set-up out on the puppy section of www.dogstardaily.com, just for an idea of what you can do, though variations are possible. The playpen can be made assume various different shapes, used to corner of large sections of room, or essentially made small to act like a roofless crate if necessary.

We'll test him/her out when it's old enough and see how he/she gets on in the shop, it's not an issue if it doesn't seem to like it, I'll be at home waiting.. not so patiently :rolleyes:
I had a Samoyed as a family pet years ago and I love the breed so will be having a look for one, I think they have the perfect temperament to be surrounded by people and children alike, training dependent.
I had actually thought about a playpen as there's an 8 foot one in the shop and the dogs seem to like it so I may go in that direction, thank you!

Thank you everyone for the great advice, I feel much more comfortable about it now, knowing responsible dog owners use them with no problems

@Carav10 : That's a great way of training, fair play! Im going to try and use that as a guideline for night time, thank you

Mark Tapley

Whispered wrote: »

There have been some posts lately saying it's cruel etc so I'd love to see what those people have to say (the thread I last remember it coming up in was on another topic so that conversation didn't go too far).

Whispered ,I think you might be referring to me here . I had a knee jerk reaction to the idea of crates without enough information . Visions of crying puppies in cages. People on here who obviously care about their pets and recommend crates are making me doubt myself. The crates seem to be used as dens most of the time anyway. I apologise for being so quick to judge and will try to keep an open mind in the future .

Good luck OP, hope it all works out for you .

ISDW

Mark Tapley wrote: »

Whispered ,I think you might be referring to me here . I had a knee jerk reaction to the idea of crates without enough information . Visions of crying puppies in cages. People on here who obviously care about their pets and recommend crates are making me doubt myself. The crates seem to be used as dens most of the time anyway. I apologise for being so quick to judge and will try to keep an open mind in the future .

Good luck OP, hope it all works out for you .

When I first heard of crates for dogs, I also thought they were cruel, thinking of cages, it is an understandable first reaction to them I think.

Whispered

Mark Tapley wrote: »

Whispered ,I think you might be referring to me here . I had a knee jerk reaction to the idea of crates without enough information . Visions of crying puppies in cages. People on here who obviously care about their pets and recommend crates are making me doubt myself. The crates seem to be used as dens most of the time anyway. I apologise for being so quick to judge and will try to keep an open mind in the future .

Good luck OP, hope it all works out for you .

Yep and I think there was another poster recently. It wasn't meant as a dig at all, I was genuinely interested in why it might not be a good idea. Dog training is constantly progressing and changing so I am always interested in different points of view.

I also disliked the idea when I first heard about it too.

borderlinemeath

We never bothered getting a crate with our first dog. She wasn't the worst chewer at all, usually the odd slipper and once a cushion. But when we got our second he was a bit more of a chewer, but moreso to protect both of them in case they didn't get on.

As it happens they get on great and I use it now for guests and foster dogs and it's invaluable. I couldn't be without it. I may even get another for the van as it's brilliant in there for securing dogs and keeping them safe but a bit of a hassle moving it in and out all the time.

paultf

With my 2 first pups I was at home most of the time so I housetrained them the normal way. I never really heard of crate training before.

When I got Kelly as a pup she was very hyper compared to the other two. She was a handful. After reading about crate training on boards I ordered one from ZooPlus thinking that would help. In hindsight I probably introduced it too quickly but it didn't work for me. The main reason I stopped was one day she somehow managed to catch her mouth/gum in one of the latches on the metal crate/cage. Luckily I was close to her when it happened.

Packing it away I didn't think I would be using it again. Then last year she strained the ligaments in her shoulder and had to be rested for a week. Thankfully I had the crate. She was alot more mature and didn't mind being in the crate. I was beside her all the time during the day but at night she slept in the utility room with the other dogs.

That's just my version. Reading all the previous posts/threads it does seem to work for alot of people.

(Maybe if I got it to work my utility room wouldn't be ruined. I was going to fix it up but what is the point at this stage. )

Hooked

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/petaccessories/4590028

Dropped u a PM op... Spotted this on Done Deal. I'm in the pro-crate camp in a biiiig way. A bargain at that money if you were nearby or could organise collection.

tk123

Hooked wrote: »

http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/petaccessories/4590028

Dropped u a PM op... Spotted this on Done Deal. I'm in the pro-crate camp in a biiiig way. A bargain at that money if you were nearby or could organise collection.

Cheaper on jebbtools! - http://www.jebbtools.ie/animal-products/dog-crates

Hooked

tk123 wrote: »

Cheaper on jebbtools! - http://www.jebbtools.ie/animal-products/dog-crates

Holy crap! I was in maxi zoo today and the XL ones were more than double those prices. Great site tk123....

Edit: though the 'large' on donedeal appears to be the XXXX large on that website which is nearly 100 euro. Best check the exact measurements if interested OP.

Denise90

OH has no patience and picked one up in work... even with the discount I don't want to know how much it cost!

Cheers everyone, really appreciate the info! Now on to the fun bit :rolleyes: