# When to stop using a crate?



## Skyesdog (Jun 7, 2012)

So Lola is 5 months now and sleeps through from around 10.30pm until 7am most mornings. At the moment she is in her crate with the door closed and is perfectly happy. During the day she has the run of the kitchen with her crate door open and (touch wood) behaves herself. My husband is taking her to his parents for a 3 nights at half term with our girls and isn't planning to take the crate. She has had sleepovers at my mum's house before but always with her crate. So, I am thinking of getting her ready for her trip by leaving her crate door open this week ..... Am I mad to mess with a good thing?! N x


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

I would also like to take the crate away. Lola likes to sleep on her back all stretched out. The crate won't allow her to fully stretch for much longer. Look forward to hearing all replies on the crate business..


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

we still crate lady when we leave the house, I don't have the option of letting her just in a kitchen, the house is all open concept...but at night since she was just about 1 year old she has slept with us.


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## flounder_1 (May 12, 2011)

If you're confident that she won't chew anything anymore, is fully house trained and you're all happy with it then go for it!


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## Skyesdog (Jun 7, 2012)

Ruth, that is Lola's favourite position too! Not very ladylike but obviously very comfy!!

I think I can trust her not to chew/have accidents based on how she is during the day if I go out. On days when the girls have clubs she is alone for 3 hours. BUT I am worried about her hitting adolescence and turning crazy on me!!


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## Jedicrazy (Apr 26, 2011)

Well Obi stopped using his at 6 months and it wasn't my choice! He went to a dog minder when we went on holiday and despite giving her his crate she said she didn't have the heart to use it as he was snuggling up with her Golden Retriever every night. So when I got home I felt I couldn't put him back in it and a bed in the kitchen/inner hall way became the norm  .


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## mairi1 (Mar 12, 2012)

Funnily enough I was thinking about this in my bed the other night 

Molly is only in her crate overnight and now has the run of the house when we're out and appears to be fine... She just perches herself near a window waiting for our return .

Anyway my concern with removing it is that she sleeps so well just now and won't sleep as soundly if not in the crate ... I wake her every morning... Always after 9am!! I think she feels secure in there and am loathed to remove it whilst she isn't protesting...

Would like to remove it at some stage though ...

xxx


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## tessybear (May 1, 2011)

I stopped using the crates as soon as they were house trained. During the day when I go out or are at work they have the run of my whole house. They have never been destructive.


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## MillieDog (Jun 1, 2011)

Oddly, or it's just Cockapoo intelligence, but Millie let me know the crate was no longer required. She was never a fan of the crate, reluctantly used it at night and refused to use it in the day. 

By 5 months she was sleeping on blankets in the day time, that I leave on the floor. So I bought her a bed. One bedtime I decided to give her the option of crate or to follow me upstairs. She followed and chose the bed on the landing. And that's where her bed remains.


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## Skyesdog (Jun 7, 2012)

Thanks for all the super answers. Did anyone who stopped using the crate notice a difference in how long their dogs slept for? I have to say that lola rarely chooses to go in her crate during the day now, whereas before she was always popping in for a nap. Now she looks for a sunny spot on the carpet and crashes out - no luck today though, it is cold and grey!


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## colpa110 (Jul 5, 2011)

I still crate both of mine as they both sleep very soundly and I know they are not up to any mischief...that said I would like to get rid of the crates for reasons of space and interior design...just loathed to change a winning formula!


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## DB1 (Jan 20, 2012)

We seem to have got it the other way around than most people (typical really), we have let Dudley sleep on the front door mat - his chosen spot - the last few nights, mainly because he is wearing the cone of shame and was too cramped in crate, but I have to put him in it if I leave him during the day as he will settle in the crate but goes mad otherwise. Mind you last night he did bark a bit when we were getting ready for bed and he could hear something outside so If that happens too often we will go back to the crate, but for daytime I can't see us giving it up anytime soon.


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## lady amanda (Nov 26, 2010)

colpa110 said:


> I still crate both of mine as they both sleep very soundly and I know they are not up to any mischief...that said I would like to get rid of the crates for reasons of space and interior design...just loathed to change a winning formula!


I couldn't of said it better myself!! I am an interior designer...so I keep trying to find ways around the crate....but it works when we are out of the house, and I am just not sure she wouldn't pinch stuff while we were out.


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## wiz1908 (Apr 19, 2012)

I want to try to start getting Enzo to stop using the crate now as well (he’s is nearly 7 months). At the mo he happily goes in his crate at night (doesn’t normally bother anymore during the day) & he has the door shut & stays in happily till I wake him at about 7am, on the weekend he wakes us between 6.30-7.30 (probably cause he hasn’t heard me up & about upstairs) for a wee then comes upstairs & goes back on sleep at our feet on bed. A few months back I started to leave the crate door open when we went to bed, he was fine for the 1st couple of nights but then would start crying at the bottom of the stairs (we have a stair gate) at 2-3am, then the next night he started crying as soon as we went up to bed so went back to shutting the crate door & he's happy again which is good but back to square one in trying to phase the crate out!


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## flounder_1 (May 12, 2011)

Regarding your question about whether our dogs sleeping habits changed once they were out of the crate - well we let Lolly sleep in her bed in our bedroom when we got rid of the crate (which is funny as I was determined as a puppy in her crate that she wouldn't be in our bedroom!) and she loves a lie in now! Before I would feel that I had to rush downstairs fairly early to let her out of her crate whereas now I know she can let us know if she needs to get up by giving me a gentle morning nudge. Quite often when the alarm goes off in the morning she comes over to say hello and then takes herself back off to bed making us all jealous as we get dressed! 
The rule in our house is that she isn't allowed on the bed so she just comes up and sits beside it giving me a nice wet nose nudge!


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## Pollypiglet (Oct 22, 2011)

I would take the crate especially as it is not your property they may damage it if they get bored! Hattie is 12 months but is still left crated with Minton alongside (in a seperate crate!) when I go out. They both go to sleep happily and I know I will not come home to chewed door posts, flooring or furniture. I am amazed at the number of people who say to me my puppy chewed the carpet, doors, skirting boards. tv remote etc! Well hello they will if they can get it!


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## RuthMill (Jun 30, 2012)

Aw dear... Don't know what to do.


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