Do you crate your dog when you aren't home?

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2

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  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    I don't even lock my road bike up because it's a free spirit and I can't stand to impose the cruelty of confinement.
  • Motorsheen
    Motorsheen Posts: 20,507 Member
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    NorthCascades wrote: »
    I don't even lock my road bike up because it's a free spirit and I can't stand to impose the cruelty of confinement.

    Wow.

    I keep my prized road bike in a spare bedroom. Even there, I lock it up.
  • Motorsheen
    Motorsheen Posts: 20,507 Member
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    NorthCascades wrote: »
    I don't even lock my road bike up because it's a free spirit and I can't stand to impose the cruelty of confinement.

    Aren't you afraid that your free range dog will be tempted to take it out for a spin?
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    Motorsheen wrote: »
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    I don't even lock my road bike up because it's a free spirit and I can't stand to impose the cruelty of confinement.

    Wow.

    I keep my prized road bike in a spare bedroom. Even there, I lock it up.

    I keep my road bike in the main bedroom so I can look at it while I'm having se - you know what, never mind.
  • Motorsheen
    Motorsheen Posts: 20,507 Member
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    NorthCascades wrote: »
    Motorsheen wrote: »
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    I don't even lock my road bike up because it's a free spirit and I can't stand to impose the cruelty of confinement.

    Wow.

    I keep my prized road bike in a spare bedroom. Even there, I lock it up.

    I keep my road bike in the main bedroom so I can look at it while I'm having se - you know what, never mind.

    I understand.

    Boy Howdy, do I.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    I hope we didn't scare the dog people off.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Mine are crated at night, but not during the day. We close the bathroom and bedroom doors, but they have free run of the rest of the house. But they sleep in the crate at night. They'd rather sleep with us, but we roll over too much and I dislike the pitter patter of paws at night.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    edited May 2017
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    All the dogs I ever had - 4 of them- were never crated. However, we were not leaving our dogs alone 8-9 hours a day every day. These were occasional days where we were gone that long.

    My childhood dog stayed in the basement or outside. My mom wouldn't let her in the rest of the house even if we were home. It was not behavior related.
    The next dog we lived in an apartment with and the dog went between the living room, kitchen and my bedroom freely. No problems.
    The last two dogs we just had a gate up to keep them downstairs when we were not home. So they could go anywhere on the main floor but not upstairs to our bedrooms when we were gone. No problems.

    Maybe dog proof an area and leave the crate there with the door open to see how she does.
  • bassfishingirl
    bassfishingirl Posts: 78 Member
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    I've had animals all my life, I now have 2-100 lb. labs, 2-15lb. cats, and a large Macaw parrot.all my animals are inside animals, all get along, and I've never ever crated my dogs, we taught them right from wrong, potty trained them, ect....we go fishing 6-7 hours at a time, when we come home they all ....cats & dogs greet us with excitement at the door, nothings been touched or chewed, we even sat a hunting camera up just to see what goes on when we're away, if you train them good, they'll do good, we take our dogs to McDonald's for a ride out & a burger from time to time, you can't help but spoil them....
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
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    toned_thugs_n_harmony wrote: »
    Merkavar wrote: »
    What? people crate their dogs? I didnt even know this was a thing. So for 4-8+ hours you lock your dog in a cage. how big is the cage?

    I have always just let my dogs have free roam in the backyard/house when i am away. maybe it is different in cities/apartment.

    If you have to lock your dog up for hours every day, should you even have a dog?

    the more important question here: where are you from that you've never heard of crating a dog?!?

    I have heard of crating a dog if it being transported somewhere like in a car or plane.

    But never for going to work. For 8+ hours, just locking it in a crate. Are these large crates?

    And Australia.
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
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    Merkavar wrote: »
    toned_thugs_n_harmony wrote: »
    Merkavar wrote: »
    What? people crate their dogs? I didnt even know this was a thing. So for 4-8+ hours you lock your dog in a cage. how big is the cage?

    I have always just let my dogs have free roam in the backyard/house when i am away. maybe it is different in cities/apartment.

    If you have to lock your dog up for hours every day, should you even have a dog?

    the more important question here: where are you from that you've never heard of crating a dog?!?

    I have heard of crating a dog if it being transported somewhere like in a car or plane.

    But never for going to work. For 8+ hours, just locking it in a crate. Are these large crates?

    And Australia.

    oh so we are talking large crates, like ones they can walk around in. i was thinking small ones. my bad
  • curborough
    curborough Posts: 131 Member
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    Ive never used a cage for my border collie. She's always been really well behaved but my daughter has a play pen for her Yorkie rather than a cage so although he is confined to a space. It's a large space and not enclosed all around as the top is open so it probably feels better. This would probably only work for small breed dogs tho that can't jump over the top. I agree with the other poster..just leave his cage door open then he's got a choice to go in and feel safe or to have a roam around. My dog has the run of the house but I still go home at lunchtime to take her to the park.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Merkavar wrote: »
    toned_thugs_n_harmony wrote: »
    Merkavar wrote: »
    What? people crate their dogs? I didnt even know this was a thing. So for 4-8+ hours you lock your dog in a cage. how big is the cage?

    I have always just let my dogs have free roam in the backyard/house when i am away. maybe it is different in cities/apartment.

    If you have to lock your dog up for hours every day, should you even have a dog?

    the more important question here: where are you from that you've never heard of crating a dog?!?

    I have heard of crating a dog if it being transported somewhere like in a car or plane.

    But never for going to work. For 8+ hours, just locking it in a crate. Are these large crates?

    And Australia.

    Honestly, I would probably not get a dog if it was going to be crated 8 hours a day either. I might use it for housebreaking but then I'd dog proof a room as much as possible and let the dog roam free instead. Thankfully I've never had to leave my dogs so long, but I would still rather see a dog crated for 8 hours than sitting in a cage at the shelter 24/7.

    The longest my puppy has been crated was 5 hours, usually it's 4 tops (typically 3 in the morning when I go to the gym). Typically she just sleeps at that time anyway, and her crate is large for her.
  • browneyedgirl749
    browneyedgirl749 Posts: 4,984 Member
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    I'm gone for 12 hours a day during the week. If I had a dog, it would be crated. I couldn't do that to an animal. That's why I have a cat.
  • Motorsheen
    Motorsheen Posts: 20,507 Member
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    I wonder if the dog crate industry has a lobbyist in DC ?
  • JeepHair77
    JeepHair77 Posts: 1,291 Member
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    Motorsheen wrote: »
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    Motorsheen wrote: »
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    I don't even lock my road bike up because it's a free spirit and I can't stand to impose the cruelty of confinement.

    Wow.

    I keep my prized road bike in a spare bedroom. Even there, I lock it up.

    I keep my road bike in the main bedroom so I can look at it while I'm having se - you know what, never mind.

    I understand.

    Boy Howdy, do I.

    Ew. But LOL!

    My husband's road bike is lovingly displayed on the freaking living room wall.

    But yes, the dogs are crated when there's nobody home (which isn't that often - my MIL lives with us and is usually around). They like their crates - they go in happily and have a nap. We leave the doors open and they typically sleep in there at night, too. A lot of dogs like their little doggie cave.
  • JeepHair77
    JeepHair77 Posts: 1,291 Member
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    Eh, I just don't judge and I don't think there's a one-size-fits-all solution. I've had dogs that loved their crates and I've had dogs that couldn't possibly be asked to go into a crate and I've had dogs with behavior problems and I've had dogs with more energy than they knew what to do with and I've had dogs with anxiety and you figure out what works for your individual situation.

    I promise you, for most dogs who have been properly introduced and trained to crate, the experience isn't what you think. It isn't doggie jail. Dogs aren't humans and don't have the same needs and expectations as we do.
  • lessismoreohio
    lessismoreohio Posts: 910 Member
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    We crate her if we're going to be away for more than a few hours. She seems to be more comfortable in the crate as well if we're gone for a longer time.

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