when to stop using a crate
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| It's different with every dog... if you are successful with housetraining very quickly, maybe by age 6 months or so the pup can be trusted, perhaps in your room. I personally wouldn't do it sooner than that.
Although, wiht my girl Dancer, I didn't crate her at night at first, I let her sleep in my bed. Right from the very first night she came home she never had an accident through the night. I wouldn't trust her to roam the house though, just in my room with me. |
I would LOVE to let her sleep in my bed, but everyone freaks out when I say that...is it really that bad? I can sense when she is moving and would bring her out. Or am I looking for excuses!
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laurenmot wrote: I would LOVE to let her sleep in my bed, but everyone freaks out when I say that...is it really that bad? I can sense when she is moving and would bring her out. Or am I looking for excuses!
Lol. You say that but if you get a nester like Clyde, who moves constantly, you'll never know. Certain configurations of blankets offend Clyde so he gets up and rearranges them. He likes them very smooth and he'll almost make the bed himself if I let him. It's really something to see. Seriously though-- here's an important thing to think about: do you live alone? In other words, do you sleep alone otherwise? I used to let Lucy sleep with me all night (she's completely trustworthy in the whole house). Living and sleeping alone, I got used to the hair in the bed and it didn't bother me. Once James moved in, he couldn't handle the hair or lack of room in the bed and Lucy did not like it one bit. If he tried to get her out, she'd get really mad and refuse and bark and growl-- never to hurt but just to be a nuisance! After many wounded looks, she got over it. We now let Clyde in the bed to hang out but not to sleep. For one thing, he's too fidgety as well as a bed hog. He prefers the bathroom floor anyway. Oh, as far as when to let them out of the crate, like Willowsprite said, they'rre all different. Lucy was a rescue and never spent a day in the crate. From day one she's had free run of the house and we seldom have an accident and she never touches anything. She's the best. Clyde HATES the crate. As he got older, and could hold it longer, we opened up the kitchen and gated him in there at night. We sleep upstairs and he'd sleep downstairs. This resulted in ALL NIGHT barking despite every effort. He'd pee and drool everywhere and make a huge mess. Finally I couldn't take another sleepless night after 3 weeks of this and brought him upstairs and gated off the hallway from the stairs. He went right to sleep in the bathroom-- no accidents and I haven't heard a peep out of him since. He just wanted to be closer to us. I felt horriblee for relenting and giving into him but it worked out so well that I don't regret it now. So, at night, I trust him out the crate but during the day, he stays in it for his own safety. As I said, he really hates it so I'm trying to wean him off it as soon as possible because I hate forcing him to do something he doesn't like. He's made significant housetraining strides so I'm just playing it by ear now! |
| maibe I do nat know |
| Bailey was very good about being in his crate and I would have had him sleep in there forever. But my family conspired against me when I was out of town, and now Bailey only uses his crate for toy storage. He was just under 7 months when they first started letting him sleep wherever he wanted (he was at my sister inlaw's during our vacation), and then when my husband came home he continued the trend at our house (I was away on business). He's really good - doesn't chew on anything, doesn't bark or wake us up. I take his collar off before we go to bed at night because if he does wander around or scratch an itch the jingling tags wake me up. He either sleeps on our bathroom floor or downstairs on the entryway floor (both tile).
He is not allowed on the bed, or on any furniture. He's been hearing "NO" so long now that he doesn't even try. But, if we hit the snooze alarm, he will come over and lick any body part he can reach to wake us up faster! Once the alarm goes off it's definitely Bailey time! |
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