Jumping and barking at our mealtime

Zulu was crate trained by our breeder. Never had an issue with him from day one. When we leave for work in the morning and at lunch, he runs to his crate when he hears the keys jingle (he gets a Kong filled with kibble). Sometimes he will go in on his own to take a nap. At bedtime, he sleeps in his closed crate next to my side of the bed, never gives me any trouble at all. He rides in the truck in a crate (finally over carsickness!). The crate is great!
 
Crate

Everyone knows by now what I think of the use of crates for the dogs so just think of it as "What I think and feel" about it.

Funny, you saying yours rides in your truck inside a crate.

Chip loves to ride in my truck, sitting or laying on the seat beside me.

I have heard all the reasons for not allowing a dog to be untethered in a vehicle.LOL Doesn't matter he is as free as a bird and never changes his "SPOT" except at a traffic light. I think he wants to see what all those funny looking Humans with the funny looking little box wired to their ear, are actually doing.
 
ferg said:
Everyone knows by now what I think of the use of crates for the dogs so just think of it as "What I think and feel" about it.

Funny, you saying yours rides in your truck inside a crate.

Chip loves to ride in my truck, sitting or laying on the seat beside me.

I have heard all the reasons for not allowing a dog to be untethered in a vehicle.LOL Doesn't matter he is as free as a bird and never changes his "SPOT" except at a traffic light. I think he wants to see what all those funny looking Humans with the funny looking little box wired to their ear, are actually doing.
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From what I have read about lose dogs in a car, if there is an accident they can get lose or if they are injured and frightened it may be hard to get them to help them.

I may not agree with you about crates. they work quite well for my dogs, but you are certainly entitled to your opinion.
 
I sure hope your truck doesn't have an air bag...they will kill a dog quicker then a heart beat.
Way too many stories of dogs killed or injured in an accident. What if someone opened the door to help you, and your dog ran loose on the highway...
 
ferg said:
Everyone knows by now what I think of the use of crates for the dogs so just think of it as "What I think and feel" about it.

Funny, you saying yours rides in your truck inside a crate.

Chip loves to ride in my truck, sitting or laying on the seat beside me.

I have heard all the reasons for not allowing a dog to be untethered in a vehicle.LOL Doesn't matter he is as free as a bird and never changes his "SPOT" except at a traffic light. I think he wants to see what all those funny looking Humans with the funny looking little box wired to their ear, are actually doing.
Click to expand...
Just want to be clear, Zulu rides in a crate inside the truck. The crate is secured to the folded down seat. I used to let Cody ride free on the back seat until I had to make a sudden stop. He ended up between the two front seats. After that he rode in a crate too.
 
missjenneygirl said:
I sure hope your truck doesn't have an air bag...they will kill a dog quicker then a heart beat.
Way too many stories of dogs killed or injured in an accident. What if someone opened the door to help you, and your dog ran loose on the highway...
Click to expand...

Many years ago, with my first Sheltie, I spent quite a few memorable hours with my dog lying curled up on the passenger side floorboard (usually asleep) of either my pickup truck or my two seater Corvette. He loved it, and I loved it even more. We were together almost anytime I could take him with me. But, that was before I spent quite a few years as a safety professional in the auto industy. I can't even guess the number of incident investigations I have been a direct part of, or a part of the forensic followup investigations. Quite a few involved serious injuries (or worse) to occupants because they were loose in the passenger compartment of a vehicle. Obviously, not all of the occupants in my experiences were dogs, but some were. I will never again transport a dog loose in one of my vehicles. And, by the way, airbags are just one of the many issues involved.
 
I too have an issue with using crates for any annoying thing, possible accident or to leave a dog in for hours and hours a day. I use crates but never as a substitute for spending time teaching correct behaviour. I shudder at leaving a dog for 8 hours while you are at work, during meals because they are underfoot and misbehaving and then again for another 8 hours while you sleep. When Tinsel came I had to confine him while I was out or in the barn or showering as he was a mill stud dog and we couldn't give him the opportunity to start leg lifting - a confirmed habit of his previous life - in the house. However, we devoted a lot of our own time to following him around and making sure that he learned that outside is for bathroom duties. He also had been starved at the mill and food is still his God. That meant he was a scavenger and had no manners. I could have crated him so I got some peace but instead I used the time - just as I did my 3 children - to teach him correct behaviour. I didn't use playpens for my children either. Every dog that has lived with us has become a well mannered, well taught dog that veterinarians love and visitors appreciate. Why, because we gave up our time to teach them instead of locking them up in their crate or sending them outside. Tinsel hasn't seen the inside of a crate, except for car travel, for months now. Prior to moving he was only crated for car travel and bed. We had 11 people for dinner to celebrate our move and he didn't try to bug any of them. Crates are helpful and I recommend them to our clients but not for chronic use.
 
Tagg, do you work outside the home? I do. I'm gone 8.5 hours a day. Because I have to work for a living, and all my non-working time is devoted to the entertainment, training and exercising my dogs and myself - it isn't too much to ask that they sleep in a crate that is big enough to stand up, and turn around in, while I am gone. They sleep when I'm gone anyway, but this way if tempted, they won't eat my couch.

I wish I did not have to work to put kibble in the bowls, but I'm thankful that I can still enjoy dogs ~ even if they have a working owner....
 
2GoodDogs -- even if you have to work -- we all know what an exceptional job you do with training and life enrichment of your dogs. Your dogs are SO lucky to be with you. Also, for those who don't know, these dogs are a bit on the active side being more performance dogs. Eating the couch really would be the truth, not that they are misbehaving, they are just very busy dogs.

And as to the issue of riding in a car loose on the seat. Years ago my two Aussies were in the backseat of our truck and we were on a horrifying mountain road. Someone came with a dog on their lap and almost ran us off the road. Husband slammed on breaks, the front passenger wheel (under me) was literally danging off the edge, and our poor dog ended up wedged between the front and back seat. Once we got to safety I had to run around and liberate him. THAT was the last time those two boys rode without a seatbelt and once the smaller dogs came along they have ALL ridden crated. Too many projectile stories, too many stories of accidents where the dog runs off, too many stories of police subduing a loose dog. NOPE. My dogs are always crated for safety in the vehicle. Good thing they are crate trained so going in the crate in the car is no big deal.
 
Lacey is obviously very much at home in her crate. I just checked on her and she is napping in her crate with the door open. If she thought it was such a terrible place to be she would not have put herself in it.
 
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