Crate training ? are you in favor ?

[angelcake]

hi i've got a question about crate/den training..
I'm french and in france using a crate for everyday life is not usual.
As i told you i've read Ian Dunbar Before you get a puppy and I totally changed my mind on crate training i really do understand the purpose of long/short term confinement..to help with house training/independence etc...

I would like to know what you think about that for a CKC and what is your own experience


another question did you all use an indoor toilet ?
If yes are you still using it or when did you stop ?


thanks again


ps: I only want to do what is best for him...i don't like the idea of crate neither...i'd prefer my doggy to be all the time with me..but if crate is good to help him with housetraining why not.

and also i read (by Ian Dunbar) it will help learn him to enjoy his onw company
crate + chewtoys ...


i've just return my beatiful dog bed...to buy a crate (i couldn't not offerd them both) i hope it's for the best...
this is not funny for me to think crate training is good but i've heard and read that was the best..



i'm a bit lost at this point....

 

[angelcake]

i've read :
http://www.chazhound.com/forums/showpost.php?p=49374&postcount=6

i feel better..but not matter if you have any other advices that will be great

thanks

 

[AmberwayGSD]

I do like crate training.It helps keep puppies safe while their people are gone or busy.I never used a indoor potty area.It is easier to just train to go outside.Puppies can be frusterating but with time and work they will become Housetrained.

 

[Brattina88]

If crate training is done right I'm all for it. When I was in obediance classes with my cocker spaniel there was a male ckcs also in the class with us. His owner shared the progress his dog was making on housetraining using the crate, and it sounds like he did very well! Darn cute dog, too

 

[juliefurry]

I used the crate for all of my puppies and it was BY FAR easier for us to housebreak and keep them safe when we are gone. I would definetely use a crate for your doggy, if you think that it needs one. Some dogs may not need a crate and will housebreak without one. I still think it's easier to keep the puppy safe when you are gone if they are crated.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

I seriously think crate training is one of the best things one can do for ANY puppy. As with any other training device, it is only as good as the person using it. Puppies should not EVER be left in a crate during the day time for more than 3 hours before 3 mos of age, increasing to 4 hours until 8 to 9 months of age.

Puppies, like any baby, need LOTS of mental stimulation, and plenty of time for fresh air and outdoor play if possible. Time spent in the crate should be minimized during the daytime hours when possible.

I find crates completely INvaluable in house and potty training puppies. LIving and traveling with multiple dogs of my breed would be almost impossible without crates.

Crate time can be overdone, but if plenty of mental and physical exercise is offered, they are a great training tool.

My dogs LOVE their crates.

 

[sheps4me]

I am a huge fan of crate training. I couldn't imagine raising a puppy or bringing in a new dog without using a crate. Just to add to RedyreRottweilers' excellent post, crate training is also essential in the event that your dog has to be boarded or treated at the vet's. Being accustomed to a crate or kennel can cut down on the stress experienced in these situations.

 

[yuckaduck]

Oh yes the crate is my best friend. Hope depends on her crate, if I do not lock her out of it she will stay in there 24/ 7. Yukon is getting comfy in there now at first it was a scary place for him but now he enjoys his nights in there. Faith runs in during the day to sleep and at night she sleeps. She is a snorer big time and I usually move the crate to the farthest corner of the hosue just to get some quiet.

 

[Saje]

I don't crate train. I understand why it works and I'm sure it's great for some dogs. I think it's really up to the individual dog not the individual owner. You can also keep puppies safe in a puppy proof room or pen (indoors)

 

[LabMumSF]

I really support crate training! My dog had moderate separation anxiety when I first adopted him, and if it weren't for his crate, my house would have been totally destroyed, not to mention my dog could have seriously hurt himself. Think about it...if you couldn't watch a baby for 5 minutes, would you leave him in his crib, or would you let him roam all over the whole house?

 

[mwood322]

I'm gonna have to say I'm kind of on both sides. I did use a crate for Toka, only to keep my own sanity. She was not trustworthy in any room yet, and was having early morning accidents. The most irritating part was she hadn't been before and wasn't telling anyone she had to go, so would go, then go to sleep. The crate made it so she had to tell us, and not once did she do anything in it. She had been locked in the kitchen. I moved her to a crate and finished housebreaking her with it.

That said she no longer uses a crate at all. I used it for barely 8 months for housebreaking at night and that was it. She was confined to a kitchen when I was working. Toka was never a dog who loved her crate, she tolerated it that was it. Never once without a prod did she go in, prod in this case being a treat of some kind.

Unless your dog is highly destructive I don't agree with an adult dog being crated everyday. Crateable, yes, but not crated long term. I believe it is a very overused tool, and many people don't use it correctly. Dog Shows and events fine, but every night and all the time your working, that adds up to a lot of time.

I knew someone who had nice purebreds, she paid attention to shows, went to training classes, and overall seemed like she really wanted what was best for her dogs. They were crated at any time they could not be directly watched. Those dogs spent on average 16-18 hrs a day in a crate. They were both complete maniacs when they got out. When I get home my dog is happy to see me, but calm rather than bouncing off the walls as she was when released from her crate every morning.

All that said if my next dog is a puppy I will likely crate train, but it will end when the dog is housebroken. Housebroken moves to kitchen freedom, then house freedom. I feel that if a dog is never let out of a crate to thorougly experience the house a dog will never become trutworthy as it won't have enough experience to build on.

--Mia

 

[Mindy Miller]

I've house trained two dogs using a crate. It worked really well for us. You shouldn't feel bad about it. If you train correctly, your dog will most likely view his crate as his own space. My dog naps in hers even when I don't put her there. Never ever use it as punishment, though. If you dog sees it as a bad place, you'll have a terrible time. Definitely look through the crate training threads here. Lots of valuable advice from people with tons more experience than me

 

[sparks19]

We used a crate for Teddy and we actually still do. He has to be in it when I work during the day because he is DESTRUCTIVE BIG TIME. I hate crating him for so long but its best for him. It keeps him from hurting himself and keeps me from hurting him after he tears up my room we used to have a room for him but we have moved and the set up here is a little different for now so he will have to stick with the crate for a few more months. At night he sleeps soundly in his chair in my room. Prefers the chair over the bed :O

Teddy likes his crate. he knows when it is time to go in his crate in them orning and he always goes in with a wagging tail. he gets to listen to the radio all day lol. He also uses that crate for when he has done something bad too. When he has something he shouldn't have he runs right to his crate with it.

 

[Zoom]

I think it's a very good idea, especially for puppies. I still have to use the crate when I have to leave Sawyer for more than 15 minutes sometimes and I don't have Aubrey around to make sure he stays in the back yard. He's a wreck to have in the house unsupervised.

 

[Barb04]

I didn't think I'd like it or my dog, but my dog loves it. If I leave the door open to the crate, he actually goes inside to sleep all by himself.

 

[mojozen]

i havent' had a puppy in ages. I mostly adopt adult dogs, but I do use a crate extensively. My dog is crate trained, and goes to his crate whenever he sees me get ready to leave the house without him. It's his place - the only times i fuss with his crate is when we're moving, when i'm cleaning it, or when i'm trying to reach his food bowl that he has shoved into the back of it. Otherwise, it's his place and i don't do anything with it and i do not bother him when he's inside.

It's especially useful, when i move to a new apartment. It is the first thing assembled and placed in it's place. That way while the stress of the move is going on, my dog has his safe place to retreat to.

He's only made to stay in his crate when we're not home and/or when I am cleaning and do not want him under foot. Otherwise his crate door is open and he's free to use it as he chooses. Most often, he *chooses* to stay in his crate for at least two hours or so a night on his own... most often to doze. He also goes to it if my boyfriend and i get into an arguement.

It really is Mojo's safe place.

 

[Gempress]

I am completely in favor of crate training. It makes housetraining so much easier, and it's great for making sure your dog doesn't get into anything. When your dog is trained and reliable around the house, you can stop crating him. That's what I did with Zeus. We trained him with the crate, but now there's no need for it.

 

[RD]

I am definitely in favor of crate training. Housetraining is amazingly easy with the proper use of a crate. I use them to confine my dogs when I can't supervise them, because one will turn the house into his own personal toilet if left alone and the other will just cause as much chaos as possible. I love energetic dogs
However crates, like any training tool, can be misused. I see some dogs locked in crates for upwards of 20 hours a day, and I just couldn't do that to my dogs. I didn't get them to lock them in a little wire box almost all day.

 

[aelizilly]

I am for the crate training. I have used one with my Bailey for the past 8 weeks, he is 14 weeks now. And, to my wonderful excitement, last night was the first night he walked into it by himself @ bedtime. I was soooo excited, as this showed me he was ready for bed, and knew where to go.

During the day, since I am away from him, I enclose him in the entry way with his crate and toys. He still has accidents, but hopefully we'll get past that at some point.

So, he has his freedom during the day while I am away, and sleeps through the night in his comfortable "crate". He does not have any accidents in the crate, and is getting better and better with it each day. I just hope once he is potty trained, he'll adjust to sleeping w/me and I prefer this once he is trained. I'd hate for him to have pee accidents in my bed.

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

I love crates. I think they're a great training tool, and they're also great if you have company over, or need to bring your dog on a car ride or something like that. We have two crates and my dogs LOVE them. The crates are one of their #1 napping spots. If the door is shut but not locked and they want to go inside, they will paw or nose it open to get inside. In fact, my lab is snoozing in one of them right now.