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The Politics of Pet Dogs and Kennel Crates

8K views 15 replies 11 participants last post by  armhousegranola 
#1 ·
#2 ·
oh for crying out loud. If I let grace out of her crate while I was gone she would most likely be dead when I came home. (ingestion of something,etc)

she's in a HUGE crate and does quite well for the short times she's in it.

Of all the things for groups to become incensed with, calling for an end to crating......

thanks for posting!!:)
 
#3 · (Edited)
I didn't get very far past PETA in this article. Not having seen crates used in the UK when we first went to Canada, I wasn't familiar with them. However, going to the first few shows, I quickly realised having a crate and a dog used to being in one, was pretty much essential (and using the top avoided the need to lug a grooming table around too!). Extending on from that, came using them to keep a puppy safe and out of mischief when supervision wasn't possible. So using a crate became a pretty essential part of my 'dog gear'.

I would say that frequenting other websites, it would seem that far too many dogs are spending far too many hours locked in a crate and this I can't subscribe to. It shocks me. And I've NEVER used a crate for house-training! If a puppy has to 'go' until he learns about holding (based on not being left in a crate for so long that he has to empty in there), he will just go. Unlike adult dogs, puppies don't hold back in terms of messing where they sleep - and for that reason I use as big a crate as possible - at least big enough to use well into adulthood.

Having a dog used to being in a crate works for me with car travel, and hotel rooms. And for recovering or resting patients. But NOT to be abused - a puppy needs to be able to run around so his joints, bones and muscles develop correctly.
 
#4 ·
soph also started in a crate while we were gone.

again.....not an all day affair.

each dog has let me know when they are ready for "free run" when we are gone.

grace not there yet.

agree with franksmum......we use a very large crate and have never used one for potty training.
 
#5 ·
Bella used to be crated when we went out for short periods however we found she was able to break out by nudging one of the locks with her mouth and nose and force her way out. We recorded her once and found out she was very stressed being in her crate ( this was down to her separation anxiety then the crate)So when we went out Bella was put in the large kitchen ( worktops clear!) with her bed toys/treat etc. She still slept ok in her crate at nights. However moving to my parents house after splitting from ex meant no room for her large crate so she sleeps on my bed now which we both prefer!! She is rarely left alone now as she is at dogsitters some days and someone is always at home.
 
#6 ·
Strangely, or not, I just got through reading a question on another website asking how to untrain a dog so he didn't need to be shut in is crate!! Apparently if he's not shut in when his owner goes out, he creates merry you-know-what causing neighbours and more worringly perhaps, landlord complaints. She's been trying getting him off crate use by leaving the crate up but with the door open. What does that tell anybody about how cruel it is to use a crate. :p I would say it does sometimes seem that far too many dogs are spending way too long shut in a crate in which case I'd have to support no crate rather than crate, provided the dog can be confined otherwise which isn't always possible. But a ban? And how would THAT be policed unless they intend to ban the sale of crates?
 
#7 ·
Keep in mind the AGENDA of PETA , HUS and ASPCA had never been animal welfare and protecting it but rather animal rights and high on the ultimate goal is to ban/eliminate pet ownership and to that end making it harder and harder to own pets is how they go about it.
 
#8 ·
Thanks for link Mikey, and good to know. We have a PETA supporter in our family, Worm's Grand-paw. but it's ok, we all try to get along. we certainly can't agree w/this stance.

We have been told many times that Worm goes thru "immeasurable suffering" as a result of pet ownership... haha, not. we have, however, been told quite the opposite... that is the most spoiled dog I have ever seen, he won the dog lottery, lol. but yes, he was crate trained and crate trained for potty training, quite effectively, it happened in 6 weeks.
 
#9 ·
Agnes is VOLUNTARILY in her crate as we speak. I just leave the door open and she goes in and out as she wishes. It's her little "den" to her.

Georgette must be crated or tethered at all times because her nose and stubbornness would get her killed if left to be free and unsupervised.
 
#10 ·
My parents never crated dogs and friends I had that did the dogs never had a positive experience. I have grown up thinking it was quite cruel to crate dogs. Mt boyfriend had the opposite experience and said with proper training they use it as their own personal space. Now, I have a totally different perspective since using the method myself. The only time we keep the door closed is if we run out to do an errand or at night while he sleeps. He only sits silently at the door when he needs to go out during the day and I (obviously) can't hear him do that in the middle of the night. That's the only reason we keep the door closed at night. He makes noise in the morning when he is up and ready to come out of his kennel to potty and play. Once he get better at making noise by the door, we will leave the door open all the time. Being knowledgeable on the subject has really changed my views!
 
#12 ·
Crate can be an awesome training tool and are by far the safest way to travel with them.

Doing as much competition as we do with them (conformation, field trials, agility an d some times obedience and rally) crate training is a necessity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebjBo_spqG0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8HNO79bZMY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRs5cWOWfiM

Crate Games, it is not just for breakfast anymore. | Susan Garrett's Dog Training Blog

https://www.clickerdogs.com/crate_games.php
 
#13 ·
Ears absolutely loves her crate, but it does amaze me how much flack I have taken from people since getting her that we put her in the crate at night instead of letting her sleep in the bed with us and letting her run all over the house when we are gone. Heck I am thankful we did Crate train her from day one cause yesterday when she had her reaction to her shots and I needed a safe secure place for her to be so I could monitor her she was cool with napping in the crate all day and waiting for her medications to wear off. If done right I do not see the issue with Crates and really do not understand why those of us that choose to use them receive so much flack for it.
 
#14 ·
Hey everyone, new here. I have crated and not crated. I have found that crated means that there is less damage to the dog and to your belongings. My ex didn't crate one lab...and I insisted on crating the second lab. Because the first lab decided that she wanted to chew everything up in site...we just got a basset hound about a month ago. After the first night of her whining in the crate, we haven't heard a peep from her...we can even come downstairs for a drink of water, and she won't do anything. However by 6:00 am she is done and ready to get out. The only night I ever had to stay with her is when she had surgery done to her eyes (she had cherry eyes) and she was spayed...evidently she doesn't respond well to anesthesia. Because she is a hound, I don't want her getting hurt, I choose to crate.

Also, something that many haven't thought of...if God forbid my house were to catch on fire, I KNOW where my dog is, I can find her and get to her and get her out...if she's out free, that's one more thing I have to find (she'd probably be hiding under a bed).
 
#15 · (Edited)
Also, something that many haven't thought of...if God forbid my house were to catch on fire, I KNOW where my dog is, I can find her and get to her and get her out...if she's out free, that's one more thing I have to find (she'd probably be hiding under a bed).

I have a notice, from Ebay, alongside my front door alerting the Services to the fact there are hounds inside the house. It's a pic. of a Basset saying 'I live here'. I think it's worth having, in the event of fire (or other disaster).
 
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