What is the longest you should leave your dog in a crate? - Page 2

[Ola_]

Originally Posted by betsyj

I would never leave my dog outside all day while I was gone. She could be barking and driving the neighbors crazy. What if someone let her out of the gate? What if she escaped? What if kids were teasing her? What if someone stole her?

A dog is safest inside. A crate is like any other tool. It is not inhumane if used correctly. It can keep a young pup safely contained. The pup can't destroy items or chew on electrical cords. It helps with housebreaking. If your dog ever needs to stay overnight at the vet's s/he will be crated so it is good to be familiar with that.

I totally agree with Betsy! Outside is not a safe place to leave a dog at all - too many things can happen. Sure, a crate can be abused, but if used correctly it can be a very good tool to keep your dog safe and comfortable.

[sagewinna]

We use the crate, but most days it's for a few hours. Once a week or so it's for 8. Otherwise I have my mom or someone else stop by, let them out, play with them for a little bit, etc.

One of my dogs will chew anything, but especially loves clothing and books. It isn't safe to leave her with the run of the house. She also has anxiety issues so if she is left outside she will bark non-stop (or she will jump over the fence!). She is safer crated when we go. She also often returns to the crate during the day to take a nap. The dogs are not crated at night, but we use a gate in the hall to keep them in the bedroom part of the house.

[samy23]

Originally Posted by betsyj

I would never leave my dog outside all day while I was gone. She could be barking and driving the neighbors crazy. What if someone let her out of the gate? What if she escaped? What if kids were teasing her? What if someone stole her?

Not sure if this was directed at me, but I wouldn't leave my dog outside all day either, I agree with your points. I did say our dog has free run inside our house while we are out, except for in the bedrooms where we keep the doors closed when we aren't there to prevent her laying on the beds getting hair allover them. She has several large rooms to go in plus a hallway if she chooses, also one of the sofa's is positioned right by a window which she can look out at if she wants, she also loves to lay in the sun over there....then when she gets too hot she will go lay in her dog bed or on the other sofa which is in the shade, she goes where she wants.

[shesaidboom]

I also agree that there's really no right answer to this. Most people have different opinions on crates and what's okay/not okay with them. We used the crate with my dog as a puppy and after she was over a year old we took the door off and now she uses it on her own. The longest we ever left her in the crate was 5 hours, but it was usually more like 3 at a time (I was at University that was super close to my home so it was easy to come home on my breaks, I know that is not manageable for most people). After a year we left her in a safe room while we were out, and eventually let her have the run of the house except bathrooms/bedrooms when we're out when we realized she wouldn't destroy anything. She often still chooses to sleep in her crate while we're out because I guess she feels comfortable there.

I would not be comfortable with leaving a dog in a crate for more than 5 hours, six at most, at a time, but then there are lots of people who wouldn't be comfortable with letting their dog run the house while they're out. I think the best answer would be what works best for your dog. Smaller dogs usually have to pee more often, some dogs need to be exercised more often, and some dogs really hate being alone for too long.

[SquishyKitty]

I'm not saying you HAVE to leave a dog outside as the alternative to a crate, I'm saying why not find a better alternative than shoving your dog inside a box for 8+ hours a day?

We have a yard setup that allows us to leave our dogs out there safely, but if we didn't, we either A) Wouldn't have dogs or B) Would find a solution that works, like doggy day care or a safe room inside the house, if the dogs couldn't be trusted to have free run of the house.

[gingerstar]

I have a large (70 lb) dog, pretty high energy, and a terrible chewer. (She's not yet 2, I'm hoping she'll yet grow out of this!!) She loves her crate. If I'm up later than usual she will ask to go in her crate at night. She is crated 6 to 10 hours at night, but holding elimination is different when sleeping. I feel guilty if she needs to be crated more than about 5 - 6 hours during the day, and that does not often happen - less than once a week. We try to balance it by getting her a longer walk, or longer playtime (fetch, chasing a JollyBall, etc) and by giving her something special to chew on/play with in her crate during the time we are gone. Our trainer also suggested easy-listening radio playing very quietly while we are gone.

But I don't get the crate backlash. Growing up, our dogs were never crated, but having crate-trained this dog (responsibly) I see that she loves it, asks to go in, and likes going in it for naps even when we are home. But we have made it a safe place for her, and she has never had reason to resent it. Like betsyj said, it is a tool, and like anything else can be misused. What it comes down to is are you treating your pet with respect? Look at your dog's actual needs - elimination and activity - and make sure those are met.

I personally would never leave my dog outside while I was gone.

[Tjej]

My DD just reminded me this morning about when our dog was injured/attacked last year, and I realized that we used our crate for a really long time then. Our dog had a plate put in her leg and the vet said to keep her in her crate for two months. Seriously. It was terrible but we only had her out to pee/poop and then back in. And she couldn't walk much to do that either - on a short leash, only walking enough to go.

So that is a really extreme situation, but our dog was crated for 23 hours a day there for a while. We did take her out and hold her a bit in the evenings when the kids were in bed, but she was so uncomfortable and wiggly that we really didn't do it very often. The vet said that if she walked on it she might re-break it.

After the crate it was a month in just one room of our house. With her injury she really wasn't particularly upset about either of the confinements.

Tjej