Time in Crate?

[Pam and Ginger Snap]

How long each day, if any, does your doodles spend in their crates?

 

Just wondering?

 

[Jennifer and Jack]

When Jack was a puppy, he was crate trained. I think he liked it as a puppy. It was a routine and he got used to it. I crated him at night and I would put him in there in the middle of the day for about an hour for a "forced nap" time.  Jack liked his crate.  Once he was fully house trained with 90 percent reliance. I let him sleep with me at night, that was about five months.  Jack always went to daycare when I worked so I didn't leave him home alone ever.

He got total full reign of the house by one years old. He has never gotten into of done anything to have his privledges taken away, and if and when he does, we would go back to the crate for the times I can't bring him with me.

 

I am probably an extremist, I am the first to admit it. I have never left Jack in a crate for more then four hours as a full grown dog or puppy.  When he was home and I wasn't I have had dog walkers take him out every four hours. I still have Jacks crate out, He NEVER goes in there now unless I throw a treat in there.

 

He prefers to be out and that is okay with me. I believe a full size dog can stay in for a longer period of time, I just would rather see him playing with other dogs, having activities etc. Now when I go out, I bring him to my neighbors for play time with the kids and other dogs.

[Chelsea and Bailey]

Bailey sleeps in the crate for the night (she goes in herself), and then we have her on a pretty good 2hr morning routine where she is up for 2 hours and then when both of us have to work she goes in for 4 hours, gets let out for 45 min at lunch and then back in for another 4-5 hours. That'sbout 3-4 times per week, as I work shift work so on days off she goes in for about 3-4 hours only. Its a good routine and she has no problems with it, wish she could be out all day but we both work and she's not reliable.

[Sue]

0 minutes. I've never been a crate person.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

We crated Ned at night and only occasionally during the day for short periods.

[Kris & Brinkley]

With my Lab I only use the pen in the rarest occasions such as someone visiting doesn't like big dogs. With Brinkley we are still house training so we are trying...he hates it, has from day 1 but as we speak he is trying................... lol ;P

[cheryl & oliver]

Oliver loves his crate.  He uses it not only at night, and for a morning go back to sleep time.  He does not go in it during the day.  He and my other dog Renny who is 14 yrs old, are really given free reign of the house when I am gone, I am not usually gone for more then an hour or two, but even if it is longer, I just close off the bedrooms and bathrooms and they have plenty of room to roam.  I tried to get Oliver to sleep out of his crate, it is in our bedroom, but he loves his crate and when I say it is nite nite time, in he runs.  We have the largest one they make, and he has his foam mattress, covered with a very soft material cover and his fuzzy blanket in there, some toys, and in he goes.  We have to close the crate door or he stands and barks till you do.  In the am, DH takes him out, they have breakfast and he has some run free time, and play time, and then he is put back in the crate and as long as he can see me in bed, he will lay down for another hour or so, which gives me some extra sleep time.  We then get up, and he never uses the crate for the rest of the day.  I do keep my bedroom door closed during the day, too many things in there for him to get in to, and he has been doing this since he has been 10 weeks old,  He is very attatched to hubby and me, and feels he needs to be near us or at least be able to see us when he wants to.

[Renee Bogi]

you have to slowly make the crate a good fun place to be.  i have a dog walker come during the day because mine are 8 and 9 months.  i do not want to push it with my 12 hour work day.  9 or 10 maybe but i feel bad with 12.  but, they love to go in and wait at the door when they see me set up.  i have 2 stainless steel bowls attatched to the side. 1 with some ice cubes and a bit of water the other with kibble (they are free feeders).  then i put a few treats in an a comfy sherpa bed with the bolstered sides which they love.  a few chew and squeeky toys and the raidio on when i leave.  5-6 hours later the dog walker comes for 1/2 an hours for walks and some play time then back in.  she stuffs their redbarn bone with more peanut butter. (they came with the peanut butter and it has been worked away) and a frozen kong. (medium kong stuffed with kibble (sized for small dogs... so they can pry it out) and wet food.  i stick a puparoni sticking mostly out the hole and freeze it in a baggie until needed.  i keep a stash of about 6 in the freezer.  they don't mind crate time.  but i did work up to it.  dog walker started 2x a day when they were younger.

[Michael Gurley]

I used a crate for Sunny when she was a small puppy and still working on house training. She was crated at night and when nobody was home, though that was very rare since I was doing online classes at that time and was home constantly, playing with my puppy!

Now the crate is folded up in the garage and she has full reign of the house when I'm gone. She sleeps on a padded chest which looks into the pool area so that she can see me when I come home. No problems yet!!

The crate is now only used for rescue dog transports!

[C.C.]

Nirvana sleeps in his Crate at night. we put him in about 10 and he sleeps until about 8

[Dot, Maggie and KoKo]

Maggie is crated overnight or when I have to leave home during the day.  I think she would be fine left out of it but since she doesn't mind being in it, why change.  I think she would probably go to it during the day but I keep the bedroom door closed so she doesn't have access to it. 

 

KoKo has a crate that has never been used.  When I first got her as a tiny little pup I put her in a baby Pak N Play in the kitchen and that is where she still sleeps.  The big goober doesn't know how to climb out of it and if you check my pictures you will see just how big she is for it.  But the first time she escapes from it I will start using her crate since I don't trust her for a minute.  She gets into trouble right in front of me so imagine what she could do if left alone "uncaged".