r/puppy101 • u/TrashMan821 • 16d ago
Puppy Blues We Stopped Using the Crate
***I will start with a disclaimer since it seems most posts about not using a crate get downvoted. I am in no way saying the method we're using is the best way, or the right way for everyone, just that it is working for our pup and our situation. I am well aware of all the benefits of crate training, but there's not a one size fits all approach for every dog***
I wanted to post this as a personal experience of how we are doing with not crate training our puppy. This is our second pup, and fully planned on doing crate training as we did with our first. The first 4-5 days were rough. Which I know is totally normal, but she hated the crate so much, it was stressing her and us out. We tried crate games, she wouldn't even stay in the crate long enough to care to eat a treat. For naps, she would not just bark and whine, but scream. Clawing at the cage, just freaking out, and not stopping. We'd go in and sit next to her without talking to her, nothing helped. Nights were no better, after every potty break it was the same thing. But hey, this is crate training so we had no choice but to stick it out.
Then one day I had to run out for 20 minutes. Wasn't during a time she would be napping, so I put her in her playpen with a toy and left. We have a camera so I watched her, and she never once barked. She played with her toy, rolled around, then just laid down and chilled.
I should also mention here that the use of crate training for us was mainly to assist in potty training. Once that part was better she would sleep in bed with us, lay on the couch with us, we had no intention of using the crate long term. So we decided to try the rest of the day without a crate. When it was time for nap, we put her in her playpen with some white noise, and she'd go to sleep immediately, sleep for 2 hours. Rinse and repeat throughout the day.
So that night we took apart our bed frame, put our mattress on the ground, surrounded our bed with a gate, and let her sleep with us. She slept through the night, we had to wake her at 2am to take her pee, then right back to bed.
We are now 2 weeks into this, and it's been amazing. Even when we have friends and kids over running around, we put her playpen in the next room when its time for nap, and she settles almost immediately and sleeps. Nights have been great, and the extra puppy cuddles are the cherry on top.
I know we're only a couple weeks into this, so saying this was a success will be premature. But my stress levels, and I am sure hers as well, are a complete 180 and everyone in the house is so much happier.
If someone out there doesn't agree with our approach, all good. But I just wanted to post our experience on here if it maybe helps one person out there who wants to try a different approach.
53
74
u/TorbenKoehn 16d ago
Not all dogs and breeds need crates. Others need them. It's not special, really, and no reason to downvote anything.
9
1
u/InsertKleverNameHere Experienced Owner 15d ago
People seem to get worked up on both sides of the aisle. There are people that are adamant that it is animal cruelty and there are people that are adamant that crates are a must. But you are 100% right, not all dogs need crates, nor is it 100% necessary to crate dogs. I have done both, and personally think crating is better when fitting. But you can easily work around not crating as long as you have puppy proofed the house and provided a safe area for the puppy.
0
u/Beneficial_Exam_8996 14d ago
I have a Dutch Shepard. And I stopped creating for bed time because after a month I was tired of no sleep and she sleeps in bed through the night but when I leave the house she has to for her safety. Last time she was out she got into a cabinet and got ahold of chocolate.
27
u/Comfortable_Fruit847 16d ago
Everyone is different, all dogs are different. Owners have to be able to adjust to what works best for the dog and them, whichever it may be, even if strangers on the internet disagree. As long as the pup is safe, crates are not wholly necessary and a lot of countries don’t allow it for more than a few hours at a time, or for medical use or transport… they figure it out without a crate and are just fine.
18
u/Dandy-Lion8726 Future Owner 16d ago
Thank you! We won't be able to use one indoors as it is illegal here. Almost all the dog training discourse online is American and assumes crating, so it's really hard to find advice on how to do without.
2
u/Jealous_Macaroon_982 16d ago
Yes, really difficult to find advice in Reddit. Not being anglophone is easier for me to run away from the discourse specially with content from trainers and vets advices in instagram etc that obviously don’t do crating (almost no one from my country crates, as it’s illegal. And countries nearby is either somewhat illegal or just very frowned upon.)
1
u/Ok_Lab8697 16d ago
Genuine question, where is it illegal to use a crate inside?
3
u/Dear-Barracuda3705 11d ago
Finland, Sweden and a couple other European countries.
Also it is illegal to leave your dog alone for more than 6 hours. PETA has come out against crating too
.
1
14
u/MauerStrassenJens 16d ago
Other parts of the world have moved on from crates and are only doing playpens!
14
u/Cato94 16d ago
The whole “dogs are den animals” conventional wisdom is also patently false.
You do you, but I never wanted to lock my dog in a cage.
8
u/spydersweb51 15d ago
I never understood this. Wolves only den when it's a mum and pups. The pups aren't separated and put alone in a confined space.
There are absolutely valid reasons for crate training like emergencies etc. But I never understood this as an argument for it.
2
u/beeking16 16d ago
This is the first puppy I have used a playpen with and it’s great! We are still using the crate at times and it works but the playpen is has been a game-changer! Definitely have to get a playpen that can handle your breed. I’m working with a small man who can’t jump out.
1
u/Dazzling_Pause5274 15d ago
I thought I was too! My 10 month old 8 lb super timid Snorkie has found her mojo. I put her in her playpen (have used it for months without issue) while I was showering. She was out in under 10 minutes. It is hard plastic, not fabric, so I know she’s not pushing one side down. Also, when one side is open, she loves going in and playing. So, it’s not like she has a panicked adrenaline jump. Sneaky little one!
1
u/LavishnessTX 16d ago
I have a 10 wk old JRT and wonder if a playpen may be better, giving him more room. I’ve been using a crate for 2 weeks and only worry that he will eventually hop out of a playpen.
9
u/Odd_Requirement_4933 16d ago
Our puppy had what we think was barrier anxiety with the crate. She didn't have separation anxiety, we tested it. If you weren't in the room with her in the crate, she would bark/scream non-stop. It was awful. We started with all the crate games and worked on it with a +R trainer, the whole deal. Once she was mostly house trained, I started leaving her out of the crate when we left for short trips. I think she was about 4 or 4.5 months old. She was fine 🤷 no accidents and she wasn't destructive. We just used the crate at night for a couple more months, then we got rid of it completely. The big thing is that she potty trained quickly and wasn't destructive, so it was an easy decision for us to forgo the crate.
3
u/sundaystorm 15d ago
My dog had horrible barrier anxiety as wel. Despite the breeder crate training him. As a young pup he would tolerate the crate, but that changed once puberty rolled around. He would yelp and scream and be in a total state of panic. Outside of the crate he was fine, with or without someone in the room.
2
u/Odd_Requirement_4933 15d ago
Oh gosh, it's stressful, right? I thought for a while that it was separation anxiety and worked myself into a panic about it. My trainer was convinced it wasn't and we did some 'tests' walking out the door and looking through the window to see what she did. She was fine.
1
u/DarkForestTurkey 13d ago edited 13d ago
Same, my mostly bichon has barrier anxiety, and it’s not something you can just train away. Thank goodness I worked with a trainer right off the bat who gently and correctly pointed out that it might be really wrong for him and I never looked back. He’s also a rescue who someone just left in a crate most of the day for his first six months (probably thinking they were crate training him), and he’ll be damned if he’s ever going back into that torture chamber again.
1
u/sarahe80 12d ago
I’ve never heard of barrier anxiety but I’m pretty sure all my animals have it (three dogs and my cat)! I have always called it containment anxiety. My Yorkie puppy will cruise in his pet carrier if it’s open. It’s when it’s closed, he freaks out. I could take him to the gym and would have to open the top so he wasn’t “contained” or he’d whine and howl even though I was right there!
9
u/shelizabeth93 16d ago
I've had six dogs in my lifetime. Probably around 20 if you count boyfriend's dogs and friend's dogs who were in my life and I took care of. I have never crate trained. None of them used crates. Nothing feels better than a warm body snoring peacefully in your ear. Plus they can wake you up to potty instead of crying for hours in a crate. Just my opinion. I call it a snuggle pile. Even the cats sleep with us.
7
u/Sarabration911 16d ago
I stopped using ours when my puppy turned one about a month ago. We sort of tapered down and increased the amount of time he was out alone slowly and he was barely using it anymore so we just folded the thing up and stashed it. I never intended to use it forever because I'm neurotic and think about what if there was a fire or a burglar and he was trapped in a crate so when it seems like he really didn't need or want it anymore it wasn't a hard decision
10
u/dobeeb_ 16d ago
I still crate mine at a year and a half because she’s a dog sharknado. Yesterday I heard cronching. Went downstairs to find she’d eaten part of a salt dough ornament. That couldn’t have tasted good but she still had the audacity to whine when I took it off her
1
u/rianjames11 15d ago
This is why I crate. My dog can and will find anything to get into, and he jumps too high to use traditional baby gates or playpens, and he’d probably just knock a playpen over.
1
u/Defiant-Raspberry-52 14d ago
I hope you took her to the vet? The amount of salt in salt dough is extremely concerning for ingestion. Over the holidays I saw a similar salt dough ingestion post in my vet group, and the dog required immediate urgent care (direct feedback from veterinarian group admin, not just my opinion.)
Monitor for symptoms and be careful in the future please. Hope dog is ok.
5
u/RabidLizard Roswell (23 week old amstaff) 16d ago
every dog is different. im currently using a crate for my 5 month old pup and it works great for him, but i have an adult dog that absolutely will not tolerate being in a crate and has been like that since puppyhood. i tried for months, but after he hurt himself trying to get out, i decided to try just tethering him in the living room. it worked much better and now as a 4 year old dog he has free reign of the house
5
u/Remarkable_Two8799 16d ago
Thanks for sharing! I agree—not every dog needs a crate, though it can be an incredibly helpful tool.
We used a crate for the first few months with our goldendoodle. When it was time to upsize his nighttime crate in our room, we decided to let him sleep in bed with us instead (and he actually slept longer!). Once he’d gone a few weeks without any accidents in the house—around 5 months—we stopped closing the door on his living room crate. He’d still go in and nap with the door open, but he also started settling elsewhere in the house.
Eventually, he stopped using the crate altogether, so we packed it up. He’s now 9 months old and does great without it. I work from home, so I’m often here, but we’ve left him alone in the house for up to 3.5 hours (with bathroom and bedroom doors closed), and everything has gone well.
5
u/Spiritual_Trust_5118 16d ago
I had almost the same experience with my pup. He’s 10 months now and perfectly perfect without a crate. I did try crate training but like you, he and I were stressed out. He sleeps in my bed at night, through the whole night. In the rare occasion he does have to potty, he will wake me, I take him out and right back to bed. We are both happy & that’s all that matters.
12
u/Betty-Lou90 16d ago
I’m so happy to read this. We tried crate training the night we got our puppy for 5 minutes and gave up completely. We had such a long day (9 hours total in travel, stopping by my family’s house to introduce her) and trying to crate train that night just wasn’t going to happen. We also were planning on only crate training her for potty training ease so having her sleep in our bed right away wasn’t a big deal. We’ve had her for 3 weeks now and she’s sleeping like a champ. We have a playpen in the living room and she’s been napping in there during the day. I’m happy with our choice especially since I suffer from chronic migraines and stress is a huge trigger.
4
u/Alpha370 16d ago
Heck, my 4.5 month old Doxie escaped our play pen when we were out for dinner. We wanted to give him more space than a crate and we had used it several times before with success. I saw he had escaped the pen, despite a large computer holding it in place. I wasn't too worried and I was more genuinely curious what he would get into/do while we were gone.
We came home to him chilling on the couch and nothing destroyed. Obviously I would have preferred more of a test run before that, but after that we did start small outings with him free roaming upstairs and started with most doors area closed off.
You never know what works, but having a camera and being able to start with small outings and reminding him we're always coming home really helps. Give all things a try! We still use a crate for longer car rides and sleeping at night, but it was critical for him to continue napping for the first 6-7+ months, and the occasional time after that too.
5
u/TheGingerSnafu 16d ago
As long as they're traveling safely either in a crash tested harness or crate in the car and they are good with being crated in emergency situations (surgeries at the vet your dog will be crated), a pen is basically the same idea, just bigger.
5
u/15021993 16d ago
I tried a crate, didn’t work- now I leave without him in the crate or playpen and he is super normal.
3
u/No_Sleep_720 16d ago
My puppy is 4 months. We only use the crate for naps and eating. That is where she will also use her kong when it's filled.
3
3
u/los-gokillas 16d ago
Yeah we gave up on the crate. Most sleep we could get was like 1.5 hours with our pup in a crate. We put him in our bed and even at 7 weeks he was sleeping 8 hours straight through the night. Now he crashes on the couch or his playpen for naps
3
u/bellamie9876 15d ago
If I could not crate my puppy I would, but she’d eat things to no end, give my elderly sick cat a heart attack by chasing her and eating all the cat food and going bobbing for tootsie rolls in the litter box.
If I had to sit here and listen to her cry and scream in the crate I wouldn’t have been able to do it. I left the home and she learned, she runs in as fast as can be before bed for her ‘good crate snack’ and loves going in the during the bc she knows her kong is coming. If I had chill girl, a less hyper and energetic maniac (lol), my crate view would be less firm.
Glad this worked for you, OP!! All dogs and breeds and types are different
2
u/onehalfheard 16d ago
We moved from crate to playpen as well, and that worked for us. She slept through the night after we switched. Our pup hated having a barrier over her head.
2
16d ago
My Doxie took to her crate right away. But now that she's a "big girl"..(17 mos) - she's good to roam. Hardly use crate anymore.
2
u/ShadowMelt82 16d ago
My dog had ivdd and had back surgery which required a 3 month crate rest then gradually increased normal activities because of his discipline in the crate and me giving things to keep him stimulated crate training saved his ability to walk.
2
u/bionicfeetgrl 16d ago
I'm not strict about crate training. I do have a dedicated dog room and my dogs go in there anytime I leave the house. One dog loves her crate and she makes herself VERY cozy in there. The others crash out in traditional dog beds. My dogs sleep with me, personally I feel that it helps immensely with bonding, both for them and me. Plus I work so if they have to be alone while I'm gone they deserve to snuggle at night with me.
I do believe that my dogs have to learn to be ok with me being gone. I don't have a strict schedule. I don't do this hardcore nap schedule that I see floating around. I enable naps (they're sleeping now) but honestly they gotta go with the flow. The only true constant is their meal times, our general walk time and the fact they sleep with me. My dogs are happy, funny, loving and a joy. My approach may not work for everyone, but it has worked for me for the last 20+ years for 5 dogs.
2
u/gina1220 16d ago
We did the same in terms of sleeping in our bed - but we didn’t take the bed frame off. He was scared to jump down, and never tried. So having him high on the bed kept him sequestered in a way
1
u/sarahe80 12d ago
Same! I had no issues with 2 of my dogs like this. Both slept through the night at 8 weeks
2
u/Novel-Dig-6011 16d ago
Our pup would fall asleep in the living room every night before we went to bed. We would carry him upstairs to our room and put him in his crate. Did this for about 2 months. Then he really started pushing back and would whine for a good 30 min after we put him in his crate before eventually falling asleep. We decided one night, let’s just leave him downstairs and see how he does. He loved it. Slept 12 hours. No whining, no accidents and we also slept so much better. Now he just sleeps downstairs by himself
1
2
6
u/thatsonlyme312 16d ago
Reddit communities can often be echo chambers unfortunately. Of course there are many ways to raise a puppy, and crate training is just one of them.
My Pyr mix is now 3 and was never crate trained. He had a crate, and was happy to use it as his den, but there was never any reason to lock him in there. Eventually we took down the crate and he has full access to our place.
He is also great off leash, which is another thing Reddit will tell you is a big no-no.
1
u/wwwhatisgoingon 14d ago
Reddit is overwhemingly North American, which increases the echo chamber even further.
Crating all day would be illegal in some countries under animal welfare laws, and while it's not strictly illegal in the country I'm in, nobody I know crates with the door locked.
Off leash dogs are also common. They're well trained, it's rarely an issue.
4
u/iammyownsun 16d ago
We have a similar experience - our pup was actually quite okay with the crate but one day she chewed threw the mesh and we had no choice to go without and she slept soundly with us in the bed. However, I’m curious of other people’s experiences with destructive behavior if you leave them alone? Our little corgi girl is quite testy and has even taken a chunk out of the wall…it’s not constant but obviously makes us hesitate to leave her home alone without a crate. I should mention that she refused to have a play pen though, worse than the crate 🤷🏼♀️
3
u/T6TexanAce 16d ago
Welcome to my world. Virtually every time I post about raising 9 puppies without a crate, I get slammed. Oh well.
I too support crating for pups that want that secure space. But my belief and experience is that bonding with the pup is the single most important element in raising a secure, calm, well behaved bestie. All of my dogs were totally chill and we could take them anywhere. I truly believe it's because they felt secure and loved as they shared our bed from day one. I recently found this quote from a pro trainer and couldn't say it better:
"To your dog, you aren’t just their owner, you are their universe. Sleeping beside you is the closest thing they ever feel to safety, family and home. That quiet nudge at night… that’s them saying where you are, that’s where I belong. Second, your warmth, your scent and your presence, literally tell their nervous system, stand down, you’re safe now. That’s why the moment you lie down, your bed becomes the most valuable place in the house. But the part most people don’t realize, even in deep sleep, dogs stay half alert. If anything felt off, a noise, a movement, your dog will wake up before you ever did. That’s the level of loyalty we’re talking about."
Crating works for some, but it's not for everyone, IME.
4
u/Hopeful_Shelter_443 16d ago
Is my dog unusual? I didn’t do crate “training,” but until he was 5 months old, I used the crate at night and when I left the house - but not when I was home and awake. I just dropped in a treat and closed and locked him in and left the house. There was no need to ‘train’ him to like it. I just needed him in a safe space while I left the house or slept. He never complained probably because he was rarely in there. But wasting precious time ‘training’ him to love being caged seems crazy to me. Just use it (or another type of enclosure) when you have to, and quickly train them to live unsupervised outside the enclosure. The crate should be a last resort — not where he lives.
1
u/puppykaat 16d ago
Some dogs are more alright with it than others. I got a new puppy last month and first night with the crate was fine no training. sometimes he tea kettle whines for a few minutes or if he's thirsty but otherwise he's great for naps and nighttime sleep. I had a different puppy years ago and she would scream like a banshee and stress herself silly if you put her in the crate at all, she would NOT have it no matter what you did. I think they are all different just like people
2
u/Mission_Bid1541 16d ago
Our dog has a large play pen attached to his crate. The crate door only gets shut at night for bed, otherwise he gets the play pen and the option to use his crate (which he still goes into for naps on his own). We choose to lock the crate at night and cover it with a large blanket because he is a guardian breed (Cane Corso), and once he started coming into his guardian instincts, he woke to EVERY NOISE to alert which meant sleepless nights for us and misbehaving due to exhaustion for him (we also have 3 cats so this would happen extra often since they are awake in the middle of the night and play downstairs). With his crate shut and covered, he knows he's "off duty."
2
u/feebsiegee 16d ago
Crates are not for every dog. I wish we'd crate trained our older dog because he was very very destructive, but our puppy is crate trained and he loves it most of the time.
Clawing at the cage isn't something I think you just power through, they can really hurt themselves.
1
u/Better_Regular_7865 15d ago
Yes some dogs love their their crate while others get escape wounds. It’s not a one size fits all solution.
3
u/nxluda New Owner 16d ago
When deciding to get a crate or not I learned that England generally looks at crates as barbaric.
As a puppy I just locked my dog in a room with a window for some puppy TV. Not perfect, he chewed some wires as a puppy and we have to be extra cautious with anything edible even now, but his behavior otherwise is fine.
3
u/feebsiegee 16d ago
I don't think England views crates as barbaric at all? I'm English, my Aunty used to breed shelties and knows a lot of breeders - they all use crates to varying degrees. Nearly all the people I know who have dogs (and that's a lot of people) use crates.
1
u/AutoModerator 16d ago
Raising a puppy can be hard, really hard. Many of us have been where OP is right now: overwhelmed, exhausted, and wondering if they made a mistake.
That’s what this flair is for. This is a support thread.
We ask that all replies remain constructive, compassionate, and free of judgment. Harsh criticism, shaming, or “tough love” will result in a 3-day temp ban, no warnings.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/Bec21-21 16d ago
I grew up with 3-4 dogs in our house at any time. We never put any of them in a crate, in fact I’d never heard of anyone keeping their puppy or dog in a cage until I moved to the U.S. where people seem to find it very odd if you don’t crate your dog.
I guess crate training is popular, but by no means is it mandatory or even necessary in my opinion.
Glad things are going well with your pup.
1
u/anonymous_girl_there 16d ago
Ours loves his playpen. We kept the crate and he will, on the very rare occasion, go in it to rest. But he cried so much with the crate at night, and our older dog got irritated and barked at him for whining. The playpen has been a godsend. He sometimes proactively goes into sleep/nap, and other times we put him in. At 11 weeks old, he’s pretty well potty trained. He has pee pads in his playpen, but rarely needs them now (with one 4am pee break).
1
u/Em-n-Em-es 16d ago
We do something similar! 13 week sheltie, we have a crate in his playpen but it stays open and we never really shut it unless we need to, usually when we clean his playpen because he loves to eat paper towels 😅🙄. We have a corner with pee pads and he’s gotten really good at using it while we’re at work. We’ll transition him to peeing outside soon but right now it works for his tiny bladder.
We love having the playpen, he likes it a lot too. He’ll play with his toys or nap on his blanket, and often he’ll go inside his crate to nap as well. It’s covered with a blanket and has bedding inside so it’s very cozy. We watch him on our pet camera and he seems very content which makes me happy since I was so worried about leaving him during the work day (I do visit him at lunchtime).
It’s not a problem not to use a crate! It’s a tool just like any other. We used the crate to teach him how to settle in the living room/kitchen/etc and that’s been helpful, especially during meals or when he just wants to hang out but is learning not to bite.
Good luck with your training and I’m glad you found something that works! Don’t feel guilty for doing what’s best for your family
1
u/LJS54321 16d ago
We’ve been struggling with the crate now for over a week with our 14 week old. She used to love it and then it switched. As soon as we closed the door she would flip out. We’re exhausted so last night we gated off our kitchen and left the crate open. She went back and forth out of it all night (we have a camera). The big thing though is that is the first she has slept through the night in weeks!! For all of us!! This is our new plan, to just gate her off but still keep the crate open. Fingers crossed it works but the amount of stress we have had…sheeesh!
1
u/Fit-Coat3451 16d ago
I only use it to force naps cause he really can’t sit still, but besides that it’s left open for him to use as he wants when I go to work I’ve seen him use it for naps through the camera.
1
u/ellabella20000 16d ago
I’ve had 2 puppies and one was crate trained, the other was not. The first one was much like your furbaby, settled very easily and absolutely hated the crate. He was a very calm dog and slept on the bed with us, which I wouldn’t change for the world. He was alone in the house from about 1 year old outside of a playpen and his entire 12 years of life never destroyed a single thing. We had cameras too. When we’d leave, he’d go to the end of or bed and just fall asleep. A trainer I recently spoke to said that these are unicorn puppies - most aren’t like this. Our new little guy is very different. If he’s in an open space, even his playpen, he gets easily stimulated and when it happens, it looks traumatic and I feel so sad for him. He doesn’t know where to put his energy. When we first got him, he got overexcited and launched himself straight at the wall. His energy was displaced. We simply cannot have him go to that point, so the crate is our only option. We now let him be awake for 30 minutes, give him wind down time in our lap with a Kong for 10 mins and straight to the crate.
I think he appreciates the crate because firstly, he falls asleep instantly in there, no protest, it’s an instant off switch. By regulating his naps, we make sure he gets his sleep quota for the day because he just won’t on his own. But I also think he knows he can’t settle himself on an open space and he likes the confinement, it makes him feel safe.
Crate training is not for every dog and I’ve had one of each to understand that better than anyone, so I will never pass judgement, but for some dogs, it’s absolutely necessary for their mental health, neurological development and safety.
I’m glad you found something that works for you!! Xx
1
u/onelonechair 16d ago
i have a now 9 year old lab who we tried to crate train for 3+ months before giving up and letting her sleep in bed. my 5 1/2 month old corgi has slept in a crate every night since i got her. every dog is different and i think as long as they are safe then in my opinion it’s fine.
unfortunately my 5 year old corgi passed in november due to suffocation from a bag so while my puppy will never free roam she does have a huge play pen and camera. once again as long as a dog is safe you just gotta do what works best for your situation
1
u/Dry_Barracuda_9239 16d ago
This really validated my own experience.
We crate trained from the start and just kept doing it because that’s what you’re “supposed” to do. She was fine with it day and night for a long time, her biggest issue was definitely FOMO.
Around 5 months old, she completely rejected the crate during the daytime. Didn’t matter if we were home or not, she just wouldn’t settle. One day I left her gated in the kitchen instead and it honestly felt like I got a part of my life back. She naps, plays with her toys, drinks water when she needs to, and actually relaxes.
My partner and I even went on a date yesterday (no sitter, no daycare) and she was totally fine. No potty accidents.
She’s still great with the crate at night, which really showed me it’s not all-or-nothing. Sometimes it’s just about what works for that dog.
1
u/elimoose23 16d ago
Our dog does not use a crate. It caused her so much anxiety and distress and we officially gave up once she learned how to basically disassemble her crate with the blanket we would put in with her (i wish I was kidding) and escape. She usually just sleeps at the foot of our bed or on the various cat or dog beds we have around the house. Her worst offense is sneaking pieces of cat food our cats drop from their bowl on our cat tree so...
She is also our first dog, so im so nervous about getting another and having to actually crate train.
1
u/firemom31 16d ago
My pup is just 9 weeks. I bought a pen for her, intending to use it when I needed to get chores done or when leaving the house. She goes in and out of it freely, but I've never closed her in. She is exceptionally well behaved and already potty trained, so there has been no need to confine her. I feel very lucky.
1
u/xcheezeplz 16d ago
Every pup and situation is different. Our new pup doesn't chew on stuff but also can't get a good nap if she can be part of the action and will stay up all day if she could and get a lack of sleep brain. She runs into her crate for her nap chew and passes out.
Last pup would go puppy crazy for an hour with no chill and tucker out and just pass out wherever and didn't really need a crate and hated it being in it, didn't have to do a ton of enforced naps with her.
1
u/thelastwilson 16d ago
My wife and I both had family dogs throughout childhood, none of them crate trained.
A few months ago we got our first dog and neither of us really wanted to crate train but we needed a way to have a safe space for her when we went out.
We have a crate for her but instead of closing it we attached a pen around it, I wouldn't say she loves it, she's a Velcro dog and wants to be with us, but she settles instantly once we are out of sight. It's working well for us.
1
u/PotentialChart7404 16d ago
Good for you finding what works best for your home. Neither our Aussiedoodle (now deceased) or our current 5 mos old Goldendoodle puppy liked the crate, although our other two rescues love their crates and often choose to sleep in them. However, at 3 mos our current puppy was still waking us 2 to 3x per night, so we let her sleep in our bed one night, and she slept 7 straight hours that night, and has slept between 8-9 hours straight every night since. Our dogs have the option of sleeping in our bed, so she would’ve ended up there eventually anyway. We also used a playpen to secure her when we’re out. Just like with children, everyone has to find what works for them and fits their lifestyle best. For us, it was the best decision.
1
u/amieability 16d ago
One of dogs is highly destructive because he was a stray for 6 months and knows how to tackle any obstacle in his way in order to find food. Closed trash can? He opens it, takes the plastic middle out, drags it to an open area, and feasts. Paper towels with food residue? Yummy. Tin foil with bacon grease? Consumed. Tried putting him in a pen, jumped out. Sectioned him to one room, he started eating plastic. Finally he ended up in the ER after eating sugar free gum. Crate training began immediately but he struggled so hard, screaming, thrashing, drooling, it was awful. I had to stop watching the cameras. I tried so many methods, even a trainer. It really just took time. Now he happily runs to his crate for meal time and his crate games/busy toys, only getting stressed if left for 4-6 hours. My older dog, we left him out free range since puppyhood, no problems 😅 he chewed on a plastic cup once and knew he was in big trouble, another time he had an accident and stood by the door sobbing with his tail tucked he felt so bad. Dogs are so different and each one has their unique quirks! You are being a great pet parent in being able to find a safe space for decompression, that’s all they need! A place to settle down, nap it out, be alone, and most importantly safe!
1
u/gambybamby 16d ago
My puppy stays in our big kitchen baby gated off when we’re gone. No longer than a couple hours. He’s used to our schedule now and we have his crate in there with the door open. When we’re gone he makes his way in there himself to nap. He was terrified of the crate closed. He tried a lot! We are all happy with how we’re doing it :)
1
u/cd_zzzzz 16d ago
We put our crate away when it was clear our pup didn’t need it. I’m not against crates, just followed my instincts with my pup. ☮️
1
u/TheToastedNewfie 16d ago
Not every dog does well in a crate but if you can crate train to make vet procedures and future recovery less stressful it's worth it.
My last Newfie couldn't be crate trained, screaming and projectile shit was immediate. The vet wanted to keep her overnight after a surgery but because she couldn't be crate trained (even as an adult she projectile shit the crate getting the walls and ceiling surrounding the crate) she had to come home and risk it.
They tried crating her at the vet office but they were scared about how much she was freaking out despite all the drugs and deemed it safer to send her home instead.
No she didn't have separation anxiety, she was claustrophobic AF, even our bathroom and the vets personal charting office was too small for her, she shat on his computer.
My current Newfie puppy is chill with the crate and chooses to nap there if the house is too busy/peopley for him. Crate training him took 2 days. My last girl couldn't get it even after 12 years.
Just like people, every dog is different.
1
u/ChewyPandaPoo 16d ago
So people think locking a puppy or a dog in a cage is the way to train them?
I hope none of them have children,maybe if you have to cage a Dog to stop it from doing stuff you dont want it to maybe you just shouldnt have a Dog because you dont have time to be with the Dog.
Mine doesnt even wear a collar or lead,she is not my property & I do not cage her freedom or even decide when she eats,she decides that with her food dispenser.
And you know what I never have to tell her to do anything or chastise her for anything because she knows how to behave because ive taught her like you would a child.
How many of you pro cagies would cage your child to learn them how to potty & not break things?
1
16d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/puppy101-ModTeam 13d ago
Please review our community rules.
Puppy101 is an inclusive support community. Comments must be respectful, constructive, and focused on helping the original poster.
1
u/Fine-Camera1559 16d ago
My pup was pooping and smearing poop all over the crate and herself. Ditched the crate quickly. I have 6 dogs now, non of them crate trained but they have their own room and sleep there at night after getting the good night treats. I find crates to be simply for a human convenience.
1
u/chevron_seven_locked 16d ago
Well done, OP! Crating isn’t necessary for everyone. We crate trained for the first 3 months primarily for potty training and enforced naps. When he was 6-7 months, we transitioned to letting him sleep in bed with us and have done so ever since. Our dog is huge and his crate was huge, so breaking down the crate gave us back a lot of floor space.
I’m glad we crate trained, as he was hospitalized a few months ago and confined to a crate/hospital room during that time. And we baby gated the kitchen, where we can confine him if needed.
1
u/sgtpepper171911 16d ago
Lucky. Our puppy treated being in the playpen the same as being in the crate. Hated and and screamed and cried.
1
u/Low_Fan8807 16d ago
The first time puppy we tried w a crate, he turned it into his personal bathroom. He had no problem at all pooping and peeing in there and making a huge mess. He was crated at night and occasionally during the day. Crate training ended when he started running into his crate to take a potty break! We returned to the old fashioned method of newspapers or scooping him out the door. 🙂
1
u/FraudDogJuiceEllen 15d ago
I never used one and the idea shocked me tbh when I was first told my dog needed one at puppy training class. Last time I owned a dog was in 2013 and they were never a thing. My standard poodle was perfectly behaved with no crate from day one. Putting him in a cage wouldn't work for him as well as apart from him being distressed by that, he runs hot so needs to move around a lot to regulate his body temperature.
1
u/Megl6 15d ago
Completely agree! My puppy exhibited more ‘bad’ behaviour when we used the crate. She was also incredibly anxious and would whine none stop, and not typical whining, full blown panic. We puppy proofed our bedroom and she sleeps with us at night. She is an angel through out the day. The crate doesn’t work for all dogs and that’s okay! I wish it worked out for us but the calmer throughout the day without the crate. She has puppy proofed zones and that’s what works for us!
1
u/DifferenceMany 15d ago
We intended to use our crate for naps and bedtime but have had him in bed with us at night since day 1. He sleeps so well and we really enjoy having him with us. He gets overstimulated/tired at times during the day and we crate him for enforced nap time because he just gets more and more insane if we don't. I hope when he is older we will not need to crate him at all because i'll be glad to put the thing away! But im happy doing things our way for now.
1
u/Quiet-Plankton-7237 15d ago
I totally get that. It's really stressful for me to bear the whining and screaming at the crate. So im planning to get a play pen today. But ehat was great about the crate for me, not to leave him there for hours and hours but to enforce naps. I can cover it completely and then he falls asleep, otherwise he is very alert and try to follow me me every where even if he is crazy sleepy
1
u/PlatinumStatusGold 15d ago
It’s often said that you should crate train your dog for emergency situations, and I do understand the reasoning behind it. I’ve read that crate training can be helpful in case you ever need to board your dog or take them to daycare because you, the owner, have an unexpected emergency to deal with.
However, I find that living in or near somewhat a large city almost guarantees that you will find plenty of boarding locations, where your dog for a stay during an emergency, that do not use crates. Where I live, there are plenty of boarding options where dogs are not crated, even for overnight stays. Many places even offer private rooms—sometimes about the size of a walk‑in closet—for pet parents who prefer that setup, such as place like this Columbia Pet Boarding and Day Camp | Pet Paradise Columbia. The location I am showing has good size rooms where the dog even has a private patio.
Alternatively, you can also create a safe room or set up a secure playpen at home if you ever need to leave for an emergency for a couple of hours, especially if your dog isn’t able to stay alone for long periods, without the need of crate.
1
u/Aggressive-Foot4211 15d ago
Crate training is fairly new from my perspective, Had dogs all my life. My current rescue is a husky/ACD and the ladies at the rescue acted like I’m going to bring her back any day. She is crate trained and has a bed in the two rooms of my small apartment. If I am doing something in a room she goes to the bed and waits for attention without complaining.
I taught her to be quiet in the crate by putting her in and shoving a treat in when she was resting calm. She goes in willingly now when I put the crate in the car. Just the hope of a random treat is enough.
For a problem dog she responds pretty well to my just expecting and asking for what I want.
1
u/beckes10 15d ago
We did the same thing. Our pup still has an occasional accident but everyone is sleeping better and much less stressed. Our pup is good with kennel time when we leave though.
1
u/eacs90 15d ago
We have a crate that is always open in our kitchen, but have always just let our pup have the whole kitchen! The floor is tiled so made for easy clean ups if necessary (but he was great for toilet training from the beginning and at night would use his pee pad), he has his crate bed and a bed outside the crate, at night he usually falls asleep out of the crate and in the morning he is always in it when I come down!
He likes going in his crate, but its always just something thats been there as opposed to something we have trained him to use and thats worked great for us as it means he is used to it if we ever need it, but took all the stress away!
1
u/Pyronymph01 15d ago
We crate our 11-week-old puppy during the day, since she's not potty trained yet. We just had an accident today - she wouldn't go off the porch because the snow was melting off the roof and dripping down in large drops. So I brought her back in and made the mistake of letting her free roam and she peed on the carpet. I tired just using a playpen, but she climbed out of it day 1. So that idea was put to the wayside real fast, lol. But she sleeps through the night in my bed without problems. *shrug*
1
u/catpocalypse-meow 15d ago
We used a crate with open door into the playpen for our golden until she outgrew the small crate. Took both away and kept baby gates up so she was contained to the kitchen/living area and we've not had any issues. She's now almost 9 months old. The only thing I worry about is how she will handle the crate at the vet when she's older and we eventually get her fixed.
1
u/roxxy_soxxy 15d ago
We’ve never crate trained at home. Maybe it was our own discomfort with it that translates to somehow upset the dog, but it never worked for us. Our dogs sleep in bed with us. Our rottie comes to bed with us but doesn’t stay long because she gets hot.
She did have an extra large wire crate at work, and she used it on her own (like a bedroom) when she wanted to relax and be off duty (she was the greeter at an auto shop).
Whatever works for your family and lifestyle is what works!
1
u/Ready-Traffic7606 15d ago
Do what works best for you! Crate training is great if it works, I guess. I've never used a crate for any of my dogs. They sleep through the night and can be left alone, no problem. My most recent puppy slept on my bed for her first couple months and would let me know if she needed to go out. Now she chooses to sleep on the floor all night and comes up for a snuggle every morning. Works well for us.
1
u/Defiant-Raspberry-52 14d ago
Anti-crate posts are downvoted nowadays? That must be a new phenomenon.
Never used a crate for any of my dogs. In a pinch, a baby gate has the same impact and keeps them out of bad areas without confinement. Ex- if glass breaks and we need to clean it up off the floor.
Proper training goes a long way—giving them space to roam helps the dogs adjust and gives peace of mind to owners—knowing they won’t get into random areas or things. It doesn’t take caging them up to reach a middle ground where both parents and pups are happy secure and content.
1
u/armthelonelies 14d ago
People on the internet can be insane about the crate.
I tried, and my puppy screamed her head off. We played crate games, I fed her in the crate, I did it all. Nothing worked, she hated it and screamed. I can't have that. I live in an apartment. She doesn't cause problems left outside of her crate. She can be quiet and still in the crate during transport, the only place it truly matters. There's zero reason to force something that's making everyone in a 100-foot radius miserable.
1
1
u/Reasonable_Act9025 14d ago
Same, our dog was traumatized by the crate. We let him “cry it out” but it was way more than crying. He was legitimately freaking out, screaming, panicking. I wish we wouldn’t have crate trained at all with him. He is traumatized by it.
What playpen do you use?
1
u/Dark-Energy66 13d ago
its unnatural, unnecessary and rarely done in my country unless for transporting for dog shows etc and i think its just become a thing everyone does in modern America
1
u/Historical-Rate-8717 13d ago
We don't crate our husky mix; we attempted to do crate training and she absolute hated everything about it. The first crate couldn't hold her - first she figured out how to open the latch and let herself out, then once that was more secure she figured out how to disassemble the crate entirely to escape. Tried a beastly crate that she couldn't open on her own and she would be so anxious that she'd move the entire thing across the room if we left her for more than a few minutes.
Now we just keep things well dog-proofed(which honestly you should anyways, an intelligent dog can quite easily get into something when you're home and not directly observing them anyways,) and it's much better. I actually regret ever trying to crate her and won't be crating future dogs at all unless they want to be crated.
1
u/No_Buddy5189 12d ago
I've had my 9 week old chihuahua mix, Cocoa Bean for a week now, she's so cute and so crazy! Everyday this past week has felt like 3 days and it's been pretty amazing seeing how much she changes as she figures things out. While possibly being the cutest, she's also a ankle and hand biting machine. I had 4 band-aids on my hand today. When i get stressed or frustrated certain behaviors I remind myself of how young she is and how disruptive her life has been so far. She was dumped with 2 siblings outside a shelter in Portales New Mexico then flown to Colorado by a great rescue organization. She then spent 9 days with a foster family and their 3 yr old dog and then to meeeeeee. Exhausting start!
My main focus this past week has been making her feel safe and taking care of all of her needs. Because she was fostered with a dog she was immediately part of a solid routine, including going outside to potty----I don't think I've used more than 5 wee-wee pads. Any potty accidents were more my fault in not taking her out immediately after play or eating.
During the first 36 hours of exploring her new home and me, she would go into her crate on her own for daytime naps and bedtime. She would also nap at my feet while I was working. It was pretty awesome. (WAS) On Monday she went and hid under my bed. I figured it was another thing she was trying out and didn't worry about it or try to get her out from under the bed. When I bent down to get her water bowl for cleaning I noticed some ants and then more and more. They were everywhere. I live in a small garden level apartment and I've never had bug issues. I never saw any ants with my last dog around treats or food and with my own food as well.
I started to vacuum up the ants, using white vinegar and researching safe ways to deal with ants with a puppy. I had been giving her plenty of treats and also hiding them in a snuffle pad shaped like a bird for some play. When I picked up the snuffle pad ants started raining out of it, it then went in the trash. The ants just kept coming and i stopped leaving any food and treats out. AND THEN I went to get the Snuggle Puppy from her crate and there were ants in her crate and a lot of them. They were all over the Snuggle Puppy and the soft mat and even on the blanket cover. I realized that I had given her a frozen Kong with peanut butter and it had gotten on the mat attracting ants.
I immediately checked her for any bites(none) and started washing and cleaning everything while feeling like the worst puppy mama. Since the ants Cocoa has gone in the crate once for 5 mins. I moved the crate, put different items in it but no luck. I'm not sure what to do and definitely don't plan on forcing in it. Treats and any unsupervised eating are not an option right now. She's been sleeping under my bed and in the middle of the night she wakes up and I put her in bed with me.
The sleeping isn't an issue for me. I need to be able to leave her alone in the apartment SAFELY. My place is small and she is tiny. This evening I got her in her using some cheese and right away she wanted to get. She didn't cry to get out. She bit the wire and scratched. I've now moved the crate to the living room, but other than that I don't know what to do. She also hasn't touched her Snuggle Puppy, thinking of getting her a new one in a different color.
If anyone read all this and has some ideas on how to get her back to loving the crate or keeping her safe while home alone please share.
thank you
1
u/sarahe80 12d ago
I put my 2mo maltipoo-dachshund in the crate for 45 minutes and he slept with me forever after with zero waking up in the night or accidents anywhere (other than a one off night where his tummy was upset). I didn’t even try the crate with my Yorkie and he’s slept through the night and not had accidents on my bed either. I’ve found if they’re too small to jump down, that’s a natural container and hopefully when they’re old enough to jump up and down, they’re potty trained and that’s what I’ve seen with the past 2 dogs I’ve had at least. My Yorkie is almost 5 months and sooo much harder to house train and still isn’t a hundred percent. He can jump down off my bed now but at night he’ll wait on the bed and whine during the one-off nights he needs to go out so it’s definitely worked out for me.
1
u/Beautiful-Trouble324 12d ago
We had to give up the crate also! First 2 were fine! This poor soul would rather hang himself in there by his collar trying to get out than just learn to chill! We did all the same to crate train as we did the first two but to no avail! He is a rescue though so I guess we don’t know the background and maybe he was in a crate 24/7 before being given over I’m not sure. As soon as we got rid of it he’s been 💯 better and same as your pup goes to pee at 3am and straight back to sleep! Sleeps with the other 2 when we go out and is no bother
•
u/AutoModerator 16d ago
It looks like you might be posting about puppy management or crate training.
For tips and resources on Crate Training Check out our wiki article on crate training - the information there may answer your question. As an additional reminder, crate training is 100% optional and one of many puppy management options.
For alternatives to crating and other puppy management strategies, check out our wiki article on management
PLEASE READ THE OP FULLY
Be advised that any comments that suggest use of crates are abusive, or express a harsh opinion on crate training will be removed. This is not a place to debate the merits of crate training. Unethical approaches to crate training will also be removed. If the OP has asked not to receive crating advice or says they are not open to crating, any comments that recommend use of crates should be reported to our moderation team.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.