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Crate Questions?


voloclydes
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does any one lock their dog in the crate while they are at work.. how long? do you leave large amount of water?

scenario is neighbour (1/2km away we live rural) has a barking dog.. he goes in and out in truck quad etc all day... his dog goes off its nut... mine has now found a weak spot in the fence... which will be attended to this weekend if possible... on a few days does my dog stay at my house... he is with my other dogs but has now decided he can get out... and go to the neigbours... given the sheep between here and there not a good look for a large dog.

i go to work atm early and so i can let him have and out of crate time and toilet stop then... child gets up(7ish) and leaves about(7.45ish) so another he can go in then... i might get home as late as 2pmish... will he need water... top temp will be less than 20degrees.

he would be fine over night in the crate 10pm-7am, but day i worry... it might be too much if night and day with small breaks....

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I have on occasion left my dog in the crate for 10 hours when he was young and I was away all day, and also miscalculated how long I would be gone. I've never left any water in his crate. I wouldn't be doing that on a regular basis if I could help it though. Now that he's grown up he's loose in the house whenever we're out, even if it's all day. Never had any accidents.

I think I'd set up a play pen or secure room if you don't trust him loose in the house, rather than crating all day or leaving outside all day when you know he will most likely get out.

Edited by fuzzy82
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so 4-5 hours might be fine... as a once off.

leo is a social butterfly... and likes other dogs so the other dog barking is just too much. combine that with mr clydes retreaded jrt who was rehomed due to his escapology skills...

the only place that dog does not escape from is a crate or car! :laugh:

see the weak spot was the garden shed door... notice i said was.... on the up side their fibre intake is fine... well wooden door is edible fibre? right.

i have proped and jamed the replacement other door in place... so yard might be fine, now. i can try over night and if he is out then its the crate tomorrow... stuff him... learning bad habbits off barney that'll learn him a stint in jail...

BIG disclaimer... i know it won't "learn him" but i can live in hope.

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so 4-5 hours might be fine... as a once off.

I think 4-5 hours occasionally is fine. Providing the dog is crate trained.

Your other options are gating off a room (if he wont jump it) or a dog run. If you think it may be an ongoing issue an outdoor run may be your best bet. smile.gif

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All 9 of ours are crated each day from 8am to about 4-4.30pm. Most of them have water in with them, unless they like to play and then they just have a big drink before they go in and then again when let out.

Never had any problems with it, the dogs happily go into their crates each day and then they cruise around with us in the afternoon/evening. I would rather know that they are safe in their crates then possibly wandering the neighbours paddocks and risk being shot.

Dogs will usually sleep 20 hours approx a day so they don't really care whether it is in a crate or on a random patch of grass. It is no different to the timeframe that many dogs are crated for overnight with no problems.

Ours are well and truly used to spending long periods of time in crates, if we are camping somewhere for an agility/flyball trial then they are crated for days on end, only coming out to compete and possibly a toilet walk after dinner. Dogs are very adaptable and most get used to being crated pretty quickly.

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Sometimes we put our boy to bed say 9pm if we go to bed early, and he doesn't wake up til 9am the next morning by choice...

I don't do it all the time because I feel bad but my dog doesn't care. If he had to be crated for any reason during the day, he'd have water but at night they don't.

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All 9 of ours are crated each day from 8am to about 4-4.30pm. Most of them have water in with them, unless they like to play and then they just have a big drink before they go in and then again when let out.

Never had any problems with it, the dogs happily go into their crates each day and then they cruise around with us in the afternoon/evening. I would rather know that they are safe in their crates then possibly wandering the neighbours paddocks and risk being shot.

Dogs will usually sleep 20 hours approx a day so they don't really care whether it is in a crate or on a random patch of grass. It is no different to the timeframe that many dogs are crated for overnight with no problems.

Ours are well and truly used to spending long periods of time in crates, if we are camping somewhere for an agility/flyball trial then they are crated for days on end, only coming out to compete and possibly a toilet walk after dinner. Dogs are very adaptable and most get used to being crated pretty quickly.

Worth noting that yours are sports dogs though so would get much, much more exercise than the ordinary family dog.

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Our pup is put in his crate at about 7.00pm and comes out again at 5.30am (with frequent toilet breaks until about 11.00pm) . He doesn't go in the crate during the day anymore as he is big enough to go outside if I need to go out now. I'd prefer to just put him in there when we go to bed at around 11.00pm but he seems to get a bit hypo around the 6.00 mark and harrasses our older dog endlessly unless he's crated. He doesn't seem to particularly mind it, but I do feel guilty about it.

In your case OP, I'd think that safe and comfortable in his crate is better than him getting out and potentially getting into trouble.

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your right... the dog today did...

greeted me at the gate at 10.30ish lots of madness and barking... i boil jug inside and then the days program went something like...

sleeping on the floor....

then sleeping on the couch next to me at lunch....

sleeping on the dining room floor while i sorted in there..

sleeping on the bed when they thought i was not watching...

some sunning ourself on the concrete.

then followed me outside to get the door to block the shed...so we pee'd on some stuff..

as for jumping leo does not... but they do tend to graze... so the fruit will be in danger along with my bed.

oh and its a very large crate large enough for 2 dals not just one.

Edited by voloclydes
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All 9 of ours are crated each day from 8am to about 4-4.30pm. Most of them have water in with them, unless they like to play and then they just have a big drink before they go in and then again when let out.

Never had any problems with it, the dogs happily go into their crates each day and then they cruise around with us in the afternoon/evening. I would rather know that they are safe in their crates then possibly wandering the neighbours paddocks and risk being shot.

Dogs will usually sleep 20 hours approx a day so they don't really care whether it is in a crate or on a random patch of grass. It is no different to the timeframe that many dogs are crated for overnight with no problems.

Ours are well and truly used to spending long periods of time in crates, if we are camping somewhere for an agility/flyball trial then they are crated for days on end, only coming out to compete and possibly a toilet walk after dinner. Dogs are very adaptable and most get used to being crated pretty quickly.

Worth noting that yours are sports dogs though so would get much, much more exercise than the ordinary family dog.

Not necessarily :) During the week they just lay about the house when we are home.

That isn't to say though that the OP can't do more with their dog each afternoon to make up for crating during the day. Or take the dog for a walk before work (not always possible for non-morning people like myself) so that it is tired and happy to sleep all day in a crate. It all comes down to how happy and comfortable the dog is in a crate. Dogs that are used to being crated are quite happy to spend all day in them. Also then has its advantages if god forbid something happened to the dog and it was seriously injured, requiring constant crating for rehab.

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leo is used to being crated from time to time... it just depends... the other dal sometimes will not sleep at night without him being with her ie howling at door digging thru door... she cannot go all night she wants up lots.. she has had puppies(in the past before we got her) and seems to have a very small bladder.

there is no way i am getting up at 3.30 to drag the dog out for a walk... yes i did say drag... he is not a morning doggie.. he opens one eye as i pass on the way out.. and grons at me... he never exits the house.. this will get worse as it gets colder.

my routine constantly changes atm..next week no earlies at all.... :thumbsup:

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We had a similar problem, we crate at night but if I'm out during the day for long periods, I was afraid that she would knock over her water bowl in the crate and it be a hot day, so we have a back verandah that we never use, so we fenced it off and it's our dogs own personal verandah, luckily it's concrete and we can wash away any accidents she has, she hadn't had any as yet :) Plenty of fresh air and room to run around but mostly sleep

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Leaving a dog in a crate for hours without water does not sit right with me at all. But then I don't use them at all. I would try and confine him to a room/area with bedding and water.

Agree with above. I have never owned a dog in my life that slept 20 hours a day, even when they were old they were awake for more than 4 hours. For 5 hours or so a large crate is more acceptable than risking getting shot, as a temporary measure if no other option.

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Dogs will usually sleep 20 hours approx a day

That's a big generalisation -

Don't tell our working dogs that- I wish sometimes, they would sleep more!!

I have only seen this behaviour when dogs have nothing else to do - same as animals in a zoo ....

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Leaving a dog in a crate for hours without water does not sit right with me at all. But then I don't use them at all. I would try and confine him to a room/area with bedding and water.

Agree with above. I have never owned a dog in my life that slept 20 hours a day, even when they were old they were awake for more than 4 hours. For 5 hours or so a large crate is more acceptable than risking getting shot, as a temporary measure if no other option.

Me neither, I WISH my dogs slept 20 hours a day lol

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Guest donatella

Can someone please tell my dog she's meant to sleep for 20 hours per day (not 8 if that overnight) *begs*

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well home again.... i asked child to check door was in place and if so leave leo out... but when i got home door was down.... but dog was in yard....

been home all of 15min he's now comatose on the floor... i have to now go and clean a unit.... just flyes and stuff... but will take him and leave the others at home.

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Dogs sleep 20 hours a day :rofl: Sorry, but my girl is lucky to sleep 20 min during the day, & thats with one eye open just in case a bird thinks about landing in 'her' backyard. :laugh: She just lies down & she is off again.

My boy maybe has a nanna nap in the arvo but not often. They are both crated of a night, from 10 ish till 6.30 am but they are in a secure backyard usually of a day. We have a covered deck that they have hammock beds on if they

wish to lay down but it just doesn't happen. They are both out of the yard for 2 to 3 hours each day, walking/swimming etc. I don't leave water in the crates of a night time.

Edited by BC Crazy
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Sorry should have been more specific, I was quoting something I read years ago, not necessarily my personal experience.

We have working border collies... given a job they would happily work for us 24/7 without stopping to sleep :rofl: However, left alone during the day they will spend most of it sleeping, perhaps waking up to stroll to a different place to nap for a bit longer. The dog in question is a dog that is going to be left alone regardless, so you cannot compare it to a dog that you have around you all day long.

For the time frame mentioned, I see no issue crating the dog for that period of time. Ours are crated longer than that without issue, that includes our little terriers who are not performance dogs. Some of them have toys and nylabones to chew on, 2 of the BCs are crated together and everyone else is crated individually. All have plenty of room in their crates to stand up, turn around, and stretch if need be.

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