# How long does everyone leave their dog in their crate?



## sugar (Aug 15, 2012)

I just wondered what everyone else does regarding work etc and how it works out? 
Thanks


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Hiya, 

We use a home from home day care service if we are going to be out for 5 hours or more. Usually works out two days a week. It's very good and Lola loves it. She comes home shattered and gets so excited when I'm taking her there! If I'm going out I usually leave her confined to the kitchen and put a puppy pad down if she needs to relieve herself. At the beginning she peed and pood. Now she just does the odd pee on the pad and saves any poos until we come home. If I know I'm only going to be an hour I crate her to allow her to have a sleep but generally she gets the run of the kitchen and just plays and eats rawhide chews!


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## sugar (Aug 15, 2012)

That's a good idea actually, seems a bit more fun than staying in the crate.


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Also when we get home she is usually in her crate having a sleep! She has never been upset or nervous when we got home. I made sure we left her from day one for short periods being cheerful etc, separation anxiety is awful and something you want to avoid.


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## AshleyHarris22 (Jun 18, 2012)

Thats what we do, at night time our puppy is crated but if we go out we allow him to roam around the kitchen and hall way. We leave him with a few toys, a chew, some water and a puppy pad..

The first few times we left him alone we put his crate in the hallway (open so he could wonder in and out freely) but now we don't tend to do that.. the choice is yours but i do think it's nice to give them some space to roam if you can


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## sugar (Aug 15, 2012)

She is ok in her crate at night but would not go in there of her own accord during the day. I think I will let her roam in the kitchen from now on.


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Yeh if you leave her crate open she will maybe wander in when she fancies a sleep. This is what Lola does.. She loves getting in. She even goes in on command now! Clever Girl!


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## tessybear (May 1, 2011)

I have never crated mine during the day. Leaving the crate in the kitchen with the door open is a good idea then your pup can choose.


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## Turi (Jun 28, 2011)

We don't crate Saffi as much anymore as she is reliably house trained and seems happier not to be confined. 

In the early days, however, she would be crated when she was dropped off by our daycare lady at 3.30pm to 6pm when we get home. And of course overnight from 10.30/11pm to 6.30/7am.


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## Hfd (Aug 19, 2011)

We had a puppy pen around Billy's crate when he was a puppy and then when he got a bit bigger we let him have the run of the kitchen. He isn't left for more than about 4 hours at a time, if we are going to be gone longer then we have someone come in and walk him. 
H x


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## Pollypiglet (Oct 22, 2011)

My two sleep on my bed at night but if I go out they go into their individual crates as I cannot yet trust them not to damage my kitchen units and anyway my kitchen is very small so they would not be able to get away from each other. I will leave them crated side by side in my lounge for around two and a half hours they are fine. I have a very good neighbour who lets them out if I am going to be longer. Personally I believe dogs settle better if they do not have too large an area to 'protect' i.e. a whole kitchen or house. I think this can cause stress with pacing and barking. Just my opinion for what it is worth!


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## ariddle4u (Jul 24, 2012)

I am home most of the time, the longest I have left her in the crate was 4 hours and she did just fine. Sometimes I have her in there for 2 hours while I am home, just so I can get some things done! She doesn't mind, sleeps and chews toys in there


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## Nanci (Mar 1, 2012)

My husband and I both work, but our schedules overlap a bit, so Sami is left in the gated kitchen (quite large) during the day with a soft bed under a table and toys and water, a few bites of kibble. When he got 8 months and was not having any accidents in the kitchen (which was from 4 months on), we opened the bedroom door and he had run of the kitchen and the bedroom, and does really well. We crated him at night until just this past week at 9 months we are experimenting with allowing him to sleep with us at night. The first 3 nights he jumped down and came back on the bed with bones and toys and woke us up, so I got up and put him in his crate for the remainder of the night. For the past 4 nights he has settled right down and sleeps all night with us. I get up at 5am during the week and we go out for him to pee and poo, eat breakfast and play a while, then I get ready for work. For the past 3 weeks we have left him the run of most of the house and left the gate down in the kitchen. (Knock wood) so far it is working very well. No accidents in the house for the 6 hrs. we are gone, and I put a bathroom rug on the top of his crate so he can jump up and look out the window during the day. When we get home we go for a walk and give him lots of attention for the rest of the night. He seems very secure and we have lots of grandchildren so he has socialized well. The only place we have been slack is he does not have much interaction with other dogs, My daughter has a 2 yr old male shipoo he visits once a week, but they do not seem to be compatable as all Sami wants to do is hump him!! yikes! He seems fine around brief encounters with other dogs however. You are so very fortunate to have events in the UK where you have poo walks and gatherings, there is none of that in the US where I live and he has never even seen another cockapoo! So, we are getting a poo sister next week . . fingers crossed this will go well and he will have a full time playmate now. Sorry so long, hope I havent put you to sleep!


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## sugar (Aug 15, 2012)

Nanci said:


> My husband and I both work, but our schedules overlap a bit, so Sami is left in the gated kitchen (quite large) during the day with a soft bed under a table and toys and water, a few bites of kibble. When he got 8 months and was not having any accidents in the kitchen (which was from 4 months on), we opened the bedroom door and he had run of the kitchen and the bedroom, and does really well. We crated him at night until just this past week at 9 months we are experimenting with allowing him to sleep with us at night. The first 3 nights he jumped down and came back on the bed with bones and toys and woke us up, so I got up and put him in his crate for the remainder of the night. For the past 4 nights he has settled right down and sleeps all night with us. I get up at 5am during the week and we go out for him to pee and poo, eat breakfast and play a while, then I get ready for work. For the past 3 weeks we have left him the run of most of the house and left the gate down in the kitchen. (Knock wood) so far it is working very well. No accidents in the house for the 6 hrs. we are gone, and I put a bathroom rug on the top of his crate so he can jump up and look out the window during the day. When we get home we go for a walk and give him lots of attention for the rest of the night. He seems very secure and we have lots of grandchildren so he has socialized well. The only place we have been slack is he does not have much interaction with other dogs, My daughter has a 2 yr old male shipoo he visits once a week, but they do not seem to be compatable as all Sami wants to do is hump him!! yikes! He seems fine around brief encounters with other dogs however. You are so very fortunate to have events in the UK where you have poo walks and gatherings, there is none of that in the US where I live and he has never even seen another cockapoo! So, we are getting a poo sister next week . . fingers crossed this will go well and he will have a full time playmate now. Sorry so long, hope I havent put you to sleep!


No I love the long posts. What you are doing sounds great and gives me something to work towards. Funnily enough I tried letting poppy have the run of the kitchen but she seemed stressed and was scratching at the door. In her crate she is quiet so I'll carry on with the crate for now. Thanks


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## tessybear (May 1, 2011)

Nanci how exciting you are getting a poo sister for Sami!


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## francesjl (Mar 24, 2011)

Once mine were house trained I left them free rein of the house ( apart from upstairs ) , they can wander, look out of windows, and sleep where they like .


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## oldmanmille (Jun 3, 2011)

Both our girls are crated at night and sleep together - we just say bed girls and down they jump in unison and trot side by side into the crate waiting for the door to be shut.

Although both girls are house trained and very clean we crate them when we go out as they have a tendency of sitting on the wide window ledges in the living room and ornaments have been broken!

They have never cried to be let out of their cages and are fantastic....gonna miss them :kiss:


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## Lynn<3 (Jul 4, 2011)

The longest I leave my two in a crate is eight hours, and that is when I am at work. But they are free to run around. But if we aren't home, they (Mostly Amiee Jane) get destructive.


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## Very muddy (Jun 8, 2012)

If we are going out for up to four hours we leave Monty in the kitchen with the crate open so he can choose. I am pretty sure he enjoys the peace and quiet and takes the opportunity for a snooze. He's only crated with the door shut overnight from 11pm to 6.30am (ish). If we are out longer then 4 hrs, we have a few very enthusiastic teenagers around who will come and spend time with him and take him for walks etc.

Sally


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