How long did you crate your puppy for?

My baby is approaching the 10 month mark and I keep her in a large cage while I'm at work (7 hours). She has a blanky, water, toys that she cannot choke on and some treats to keep her occupied and happy until I get back. I used to keep her in a large pen, until she figured out she could jump out! I came home to chewed-up furniture (something she NEVER EVER does while we are at home)....this was about two months ago. Since then, she's been crated.

Now, how long will it be until she can wander the house at free will? I feel SO guilty leaving in the morning and think about her ALL day.

Re: How long did you crate your puppy for?

Hey there! When Bella turned a year, I let her pretty much free to rome around the den during the day while we were at work. I still till this day do not give her free reign of the house unless we are home just because she is a small dog and I am afraid of stairs, her getting caught up in the curtains, etc..

What we did was, we still left the crate in the room, with the door open and when we started to notice her wanting to have nothing to do with it, we got rid of it all together.

It's a trust thing and they need to earn it. If she is biting furniture, I would still leave her in there during the day, but you have to make sure you discipline her when you see her doing it because it will never stop.

Good luck, it will get easier promise

Re: How long did you crate your puppy for?

Posted by Mrs-D-Girl

Hey there! When Bella turned a year, I let her pretty much free to rome around the den during the day while we were at work. I still till this day do not give her free reign of the house unless we are home just because she is a small dog and I am afraid of stairs, her getting caught up in the curtains, etc..

What we did was, we still left the crate in the room, with the door open and when we started to notice her wanting to have nothing to do with it, we got rid of it all together.

It's a trust thing and they need to earn it. If she is biting furniture, I would still leave her in there during the day, but you have to make sure you discipline her when you see her doing it because it will never stop.

Good luck, it will get easier promise

Re: How long did you crate your puppy for?

you need to continue crating her for the rest of her life. don't think of a crate as a punishment (definitely don't use it for punishment only) it's their den. they usually love it! you also don't wanna keep her in a large crate. one that's big enough for her to get up, turn around and lay back down. the bigger the crate for them, the more they make it a home and could start going to the bathroom in there. i would recommend filling a kong with peanut butter and freezing it then give it to her when you leave. it'll give her entertainment for awhile. also don't give her too many toys. hope this helps

Re: How long did you crate your puppy for?

We are uncrating our 13 month old now. He prefers to sleep in it, even though he has options, which is fine with us. As they say, we use it as a good thing, not a bad thing.

We make sure he has enough exercise and mental stimulation when we are there. That goes a LONG way. Then we leave two kinds of toys - a puzzle toy and a chew toy. Like a tug-a-jug and a nylabone.

We've been doing this for a while though, increasing the times. 15 minutes for a trip to the store. An hour for food shopping. 2+ hours for a movie. Yesterday and today, it's been a lot longer - five hours yesterday, and 5 hours this morning, 4 1/2 this afternoon.

So far so good. Good luck with your uncrating!

Re: How long did you crate your puppy for?

It took Brody a good 18 months or so, and he still does chew things from time to time so I have to Brody-proof the house before I go to work and I keep ther bathroom and bedroom doors closed.

Re: How long did you crate your puppy for?

I crated my first shih tzu for almost 1 year. he go to the point the he was not eating , chewign anything anymore & it was safe to do it. after that i just tossed the crate as he liked to sleep on the edge of the bed with me . thats where he was till the day he passed
in any event i knwo that the cartign thing is supposed to be like their domain & some dogs prefer it , but mine like to be out of it when i was home too.. so after awhile it was safe to let hi have the roam of the house,

youll see they say its good to go from a crate to a room , like say the kitchen , baby gate the kicthen off & then see how he does in there if & when the time comes, I did that hth

Re: How long did you crate your puppy for?

My Yorkie is going to be 3 and she's still crated all day (she's also in a big, comfortable, open crate)

Right now my house doesn't have a 'den' I can keep her confined to - Our upstairs is not finished so the bedrooms are on the 1st floor and the LR/DR is open ........I tried confining her to the kitchen, but she didn't hold her pee and refuses to do her think on a wee wee pad ..........

I WANT to be able to give her some extra room to hang out, but the truth is, she LIKES the crate. It's her house - She knows she can go in there and no one will bother her, and she is used to her morning routine of getting out of MY bed, going to pee and run outside, and then getting a cookine & her kong and going in her crate for the day -
She doesn't know any different

Re: How long did you crate your puppy for?

Our Shih-Tzu turned 1 in January. We got rid of the crate and bought a nice cozy pillow bed for him that stays in our bedroom (where the crate was). He stays in our bedroom with the door closed during the day (with some toys/treats). I think he varies between laying on our bed and in his bed during the day and we normally come home for lunch (but we haven't at times and he is always fine). At night he either sleeps at the edge of our bed or in his bed, it is his choice. When we are home he has free run of the house.

I would eventually like him to have free reign of the house so we are starting small with little trips to the store but no more than like 20 mins for now. My parents yorkie has free run of the house and has since she was around 10 mos or so.

Re: How long did you crate your puppy for?

My big dog stayed crated when we were out up until she was over 1 year. Now at 3 she roams our house and I don't worry. I want to say she didn't fully "mature" and get over her puppy habits until 18 months. My little dog is 7 months and he can still go in his pen, I keep dreading the day he realizes he can climb or jump it.

Re: How long did you crate your puppy for?

We started "uncrating" milo slowly. When i went grocery shopping or out for awhile i would leave him out but have him crated when dh and i went to work (couple of hrs vs 10 hrs). He was a pup when we did this - around 6 months old. We did this for about 2 months or so and he earned our trust. Now hes got free roam of the house but when we come home we usually find him sleeping on his pillow in his crate.

Re: How long did you crate your puppy for?

Re: How long did you crate your puppy for?

THanks for your advice ladies....I hope she will mature enough to roam the house when we aren't home one day.

Re: How long did you crate your puppy for?

Mav is 11 months old and he is crating when we are not home. He gets into too much stuff and eats EVERYTHING still. But when we are home he is never in the crate. At night he sleeps with us and he is trained that he cannot get off the bed until one of us gets up. (which is nice)

I am not sure when we will uncrate him