When did you ease up on crate training?

BarbV said:
Bacca is now 5 months old. House-breaking is pretty good. He is fine in his crate. He never pees inside the house anymore, but will occasionally poo.

I work full-time and have been coming home for lunch to let him out. Plus my 17 year old son was often home during the day during summer, but with him now back at school, Bacca spends about 4 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon in his crate.

I'm debating setting up his Xpen in a tiled area of the house and putting his crate inside it and let him go in and out, instead of being in his crate so long.

Is this too early to allow him that much freedom? Will I mess up his house-breaking if I time this wrong?

Welcome your thoughts, everyone!
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Not too early! Your idea should be just fine, and you won't mess up his crate training at all. If he messes in the house, you'll know he wasn't ready for that much freedom.

I personally HATE people who leave their dogs in crates all day (especially when the dog is housetrained, puppies I understand why). I think it's cruel to them.
 
I still crate all of my dogs when I leave the house. They are like children and do get into things they shouldn't when someone isn't there to supervise them. I also have foster dogs that come and go all of the time here so they must be crated to protect them and my furniture. In fact one of my fosters slipped into the office when we were home and in the living room watching tv. He proceeded to chew a hole in my wall... He's not allowed in any rooms other than the one we are in any more and I certainly wouldn't consider leaving him uncrated when I leave the house...

My three go into their crates when I tell them to. Often my mother (88 years old) takes a nap in the afternoon and I stay quiet while in the house so she can sleep. I also crate the dogs for the quiet time too. It helps them understand that the house is to be kept quiet and prevents any zoomies or loud gator mouth play at that time...
 
Sadie gets crated all day. For a couple of months I let her be loose but she started to get bored and chew things, despite the piles of toys and peanut butter filled kong I leave her with every day. Now she's back in her crate. I did buy her an over sized one just in case she'd always have to be crated, then I wouldn't feel so guilty. She does love her crate though and sleeps in it often when the door is open.
 
Great feedback! Thanks everyone!

I might give it a try for a couple of days. The idea would be that he the Xpen would be on the tile floor where he can't do any damage or chew anything, but still with his crate, which he does quite love.

I would still crate him at night as always, beside my bed.
 
Our three kids each have their own crate. They run inside them of their own volition when they see us getting ready to leave for work. We come home at lunch to let them out, then have a dog-sitting visit later in the afternoon.

Once we are home from work, their crate doors are left open, but they aren't put back in them until the next day when we go to work. They will often go inside their crates to snooze while we are sitting on the couch watching television in the same room. Of course, they like to get in each other's "houses" rather than their own ... like they're getting away with something :smile2:

Anyone familiar with German Shorthaired Pointers (and we have two), knows that crates are the safest way to go when you're not home to keep an eye on them. As a previous poster said, with crates you don't have to worry about them injuring themselves (or each other - roughhousing) while you're not home.
 
None of our three Shelties needs crating. Each has a special place to call her own -- Layla under the bed, Annie on the bed or the living room sofa, and Bits on the dog bed by the fireplace. Dune, the Chow-Golden boy, who is just 16 months, has to be crated when we leave. He chews and is very destructive -- but only when we're gone. I suspect that by the time he's three, he'll be over it. :rolleyes2:
 
Lexi is now just over a yea old and around ten months I started letting her roam the house while I was gone for short periods of time. However, she does love her crate very much and voluntarily spends a lot of time in there.. sometimes even over an invitation to sleep on the bed! Now I pick and choose when and for how long I think she can stay out of her crate while i'm gone (half the time I come home and she's in her crate waiting on me!). I think she likes it because of the close proximity of the crate to my bed. As long as your pup is well house trained and knows what he can or can't chew on I think letting them roam around is fine. I always make sure Lexi has plenty of entertainment while i'm gone (Animal Planet, kong, and plenty of squeaky things)

http://i484.photobucket.com/albums/rr202/hillary_smith7/DSC00657.jpg
 
Just an update....

The combination crate and Xpen is working great. We've been doing it for about 1 week now. Pup gets a little more freedom and I still get peace of mind that he's not pulling every cushion in sight off the couches and chewing them.

Bacca has not an accident in the house now for almost a whole month! Yey! :yes:
 
My Cali was never crated until she was about 5 or so months old and before I started doing it she would poop then eat it to get rid of the evidence.. She would also chew ANYTHING she could get her hands on! I eventually had to do it out of fear that she would hurt herself during the day and I have not had a problem with my girl since. It is not her safe haven and whenever she is sleepy or scared she runs to her cage. I leave the door open at night and she will either sleep on the couch or in her cage with her blankie but when I get up in the morning we do our usual routine.. First thing is out to potty, then breakfast and water time then she gets free run while I am getting myself ready for work and as soon as she hears the bathroom door close (to keep my cat out of the cabinets while I am gone) she knows its time for me to leave so she runs to her cage, sits down and gives her paw to me for a goodbye shake. I used to really hate to leave her in there for 8 hours a day, but it really does not seem to bother her as she sleeps most of the time and has PLENTY of energy for us to run around and play when I get back home! Right now as I type this she is passed out half in her cage half out with her kong ball laying right next to her face.. I think she chewed herself to sleep tonight lol
 
You know, I think your post describes it perfectly, Drunkmike. We humans think crates must seem awful because we'd hate it, but to our Shelties, it's a safe cave.:yes:
 
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