Crate Training

[withers1020]

Fred is 3 years old and I adopted him from a rescue shelter. His previous owners would leave him in the crate for WEEKS at a time (I cry just thinking about it) and he would resort to eating his own . I bought a crate when I first got him and he would sleep in it at night without a problem, even when I left the door open. However, when I left him in the crate for a a few hours when I went to work he went absolutely nuts. He forgot that he was potty trained and just SHRED anything in the crate with him. I feel HORRIBLE crating him. However, people keep constantly telling me that he is in danger when I just leave him in the living room. I make sure that he can't get into anything and that nothing is left on the floor or within his reach. He's perfectly fine when left in the living room! (He chewed a sofa cushion one time, but that's it) People keep telling me to try and keep crating him and teach him that it is a good thing. I'm thinking of just getting rid of the crate all together and just keeping a dog bed for him so he can have his own personal space.

 

[2BullyMama]

My girl is 8 yrs old and once she turned two and was trusted to not touch anything... she has always had free roam of the house never an issue. Our Frenchie, yeah, not so much. He is too curious and likes to explore so he is crated when we are not home.

Go with your instinct and if he is good and trusted not to get into things then do not worry about the crate. you can always block him in a room using baby gates if necessary.

 

[DudleysMom]

I got Dudley when he was 8 weeks old. I worked outside of my home full-time. I would play with him, put him in his crate and go to work at 7. I'd come home at lunch, take him out, play with him, and then back into the crate until I got home at 6. I would put him to bed at night in his crate. I felt like a dreadful human being, but he seemed pretty happy all of the time. He would sometimes go and lay in his crate (I kept the door open during the day on the weekends) and take a nap. I lost my job two years ago -- just before his first birthday -- and started working at home, so he was out most of the day. I'd come downstairs and he often would be asleep in his crate. I stopped crating him at night -- he sleeps on the couch, chair, or sometimes his crate. He was about two when I stopped crating him at night. He's always been good and I've never had a problem. Whatever works for you and Fred, but the crate, for Dudley is a quiet, safe place...because of his history, that may not be the same for Fred. Good luck!

 

[Davidh]

It's really up to you, but if you do leave hi out, make sure all electrical plugs are unplugged and nothing her an get into.

 

[anatess]

I consider the crate as my dog's room. Each of my kids have their own room and my dogs have theirs too. It's their safe harbor. The natural inclination of dogs is to find a den - a small, dark space that they can easily protect and feel safe in. So I don't consider it cruel at all. But then, my dogs associate the crate with safety and happy feelings. They run to the crate when the kids are running wild, they run to the crate when they need peace and quiet and the crate goes with them when we go on vacations in a strange place.

You might have to work on getting your dog to rewire his instincts to associate the crate with safety and positive feelings. It's a process. But it's all up to you if you prefer to just ditch the crate.

 

[Texas Carol]

GOD bless you for adopting Fred What I'd like to do to those POS
that formerly had him (is not christian) I also adopted a 3-4 yo male, Brutus
whose teeth were ruined from excessive crating. He was a perfect gentleman
and I chose not to crate him. At first I left it up (and open) so he could sleep
there but almost right away, we started sleeping together If it was me, I'd
leave his crate up but open at all times within baby gate when you are gone. If
he leaves things unchewed and is good left alone, then you can. Both my adopted
bullies are able to have free reign of the house. GOD bless you & Fred, Cami & I
send big hugs & sloppy kisses to him!

 

[nubonics]

My two older dogs like their crate by my EB puppy did not take well to the crate door being closed. He would just sit and howl. And Howl and Howl. we tried to link all their crates together to make a huge condo crate in hopes that the other two would calm him down since they were all together. but nope. he would just howl - not cry or bark, howl.

So we gave up with crate training him - he still goes in the crate and sleeps there but he never wants the door latched. When we go out he is limited to the living room and we make sure he doesn't have access to any plugs or outlets. He does fine outside of the cage. We think the problem with him and the cage is that he get hot really easily. he normally sleeps on the cool marble that is next to the fire place we never use (who uses a fire place in Southern Cali lol) or on the cool leather couch. Nothing is cool in the crate.

One of the useful things with crate training is to teach the dog to sleep/have low energy when you're away rather than shred things ups. I am an avid believer of crate training and seen success with my frenchie/boston and boston/pug mix, however, the crate was just not the way curly was going to learn what to do when we are not around. My older dogs are quite "responsible" in training curly what to do and not to do so he has been learning by the way of the pack.

I do think you are in a different situation and the crate may not be the way to go given the history. The crate might be something you want to introduce later down the road but maybe not right now.