how long do we have to use the crate?

[ashtoreth]

I was wondering lately how long does a puppy in training (using the crate) has to stay in the crate?

I know it depends of the dogs, and I know Titus likes his crates but yea.
Eventualy (not now, we know hes not ready) I was wondering when could he be out while we're gone.

I've had a bad luck with my former dog, a labXbernease who had severe separation anxiety so yea he had to be crated long. But I also remember my moms dog was create free at 8 months.

So, how old was your dog left out of the crate? whats a good time to start to test the grounds? what are the sign?

Cheers!

Gen

[Diamondsmum]

Duke was over a year .. & I also babygated off the hallway so he only had a few rooms on which to explore. Kitchen/livingroom. (we have no stairs)

I guess it depends on the dog..

I think someone mentioned on here about a lil pen? gives more room for them to play & not get into trouble.

That might be an idea if you have room.

[jessi76]

you dog should be reliably housebroken (no accidents for months), and your home should be reliably dog-proofed before attempting. We left our dog free in the house around a year - at 10-11mths they go through a testing phase - really testing rules/boundaries, so we waited until we were past that phase. we started by leaving him free while we ran to the store (maybe 15-20 min), then just worked our way up to longer periods. PLEASE make sure your home is dog proofed so any potential hazards are taken care of (remote controls, trash, chemicals, food on counters, wires, loose window screens, fans, etc....). dogs are crafty when left alone!

we always leave our dog w/ something to do - a stuffed kong, hide & seek w/ hidden treats around the house, a new safe toy, etc... so he's occupied and not left to find his own fun.

my dog is 3, we still have 1 crate set up in our bedroom that will ALWAYS be set up. it's his "room" and will always be available. we put away our kitchen crate when he was about 2 yrs old. until then, we left it up, but never shut the door. it was "optional" and he actually did use it often. now he just goes up to the 2nd floor if he wants to use his crate in our bedroom.

[BenMax]

The best way to detect if your dog has separation anxiety is to leave him out of the crate for a very short period while you are NOT there. Leave the home and do not acknowledge the dog - just leave. Go out for 10 - 15 minutes. When you get into the house, again do not acknowledge him - he will be very very excited to see you but you must ignore him. Walk around the home to see if there is any distruction and/or pee/poops.

If all is good for this time interval, next day try again at the same time and for the same time time interval. Continue this routine for the next few days. After this, increase the time away for 30 minutes.

Always keep the crate door open for this exercise so that he may go back in if he feels.

Also, when he calms down after you come into the home, then you can give him the hello - but do not make a huge deal of it.

Good luck.

[mollywog]

It's interesting you asked because I am just going through this with Molly who is 11 months old. When we first got her at 6 months, she was used to her crate so it was her "safe haven". Without it, she was very destructive when left alone. We are now in a new apartment, have been here for almost a month and she seems to be very comfortable here. Just last week I tried leaving her out of her crate while I ran to the post office, and she was fine. Then on Friday I came home for lunch and let her stay out for the afternoon, and again she was fine. Today I left her out for the morning and she got into the recycling bin and shredded up an empty milk carton. So now I have moved the recycling to a closet with the door shut. Not a big deal. I am happy that she is making the transition, because I don't like the thought of keeping her locked up in a crate all day while I am at work.
Everyone has given you some great advice here- make sure your puppy is fully housebroken, and just try it for short periods of time at first. and don't get rid of that crate for a while yet! Also, give your puppy something to do while you are gone, or at least to distract them when you are heading out the door. I am a huge believer in Kongs for this.
Good luck! Let us know how it works out!

[Longblades]

We put the crate away at five months and let PuppyBoy have the run of the house at night. The first night he slept by my bed (awwww) but then migrated to the bathroom or his bed in our bedroom after that.

We noticed an immediate and nice change in his daytime behaviour. He became much calmer in the house. Maybe when crated at night he had to check that nothing in the house had changed when he wasn't looking? Anyway, he stopped rushing about like a mad puppy.

From the beginning though, we had gated him in the kitchen and we use those gates still at 11 months old. He is left alone for short times (three hours to date) with no destruction. And still gets the odd time out in there.

[laura3278]

Thinking about letting Buddy out of her crate during the day time. She is 5 mths and we have had her since she was 2. She was already housebroken. Someone bought and they never had a dog before and thought she was too much. However, she is pretty mellow for us. The only accidents she had was when she was sick with gastro. She stays in the crate in the daytime and in the nighttime she sleep either on her bed or my bed. She is pretty good in the nighttime, will wake me up if she needs to go. Plus, I have her toys, bed water, & treats for her. Before my husband went overseas, he would leave her in the house by herself with the doors closed to all the rooms. She didn't do anything. Just slept. But, Dad was the pack leader and she listen to everything he say, unlike me.

I have moved her crate into our spare bedroom, to tried her out in this room. The furniture is not as new, and there is not much to damage. Is she too young? She is going to get spay in a couple of weeks and I think she might have to wear a cone. I know she will not fit in her crate comfortably with a cone on. Any suggestions would be great.

[Diamondsmum]

Originally Posted by laura3278

Thinking about letting Buddy out of her crate during the day time. She is 5 mths and we have had her since she was 2. She was already housebroken. Someone bought and they never had a dog before and thought she was too much. However, she is pretty mellow for us. The only accidents she had was when she was sick with gastro. She stays in the crate in the daytime and in the nighttime she sleep either on her bed or my bed. She is pretty good in the nighttime, will wake me up if she needs to go. Plus, I have her toys, bed water, & treats for her. Before my husband went overseas, he would leave her in the house by herself with the doors closed to all the rooms. She didn't do anything. Just slept. But, Dad was the pack leader and she listen to everything he say, unlike me.

I have moved her crate into our spare bedroom, to tried her out in this room. The furniture is not as new, and there is not much to damage. Is she too young? She is going to get spay in a couple of weeks and I think she might have to wear a cone. I know she will not fit in her crate comfortably with a cone on. Any suggestions would be great.

Laura awww I think it depends on her.. trying in spare room might be great idea. (do you cut her water intake off at a certain time? that might help not waking you up at night? or accidents)

Diamond has free run of our bedroom from about 4:30am when DH leaves for work. I usually find her on her blanket & nothing has been chewed or anything. When she wants out (around 6ish or so) she whines at me.

Also interested in your cone question answers as Diamond will also have to wear one when its her spay too.

have you got pictures posted yet?