A few questions about crating
Do you consider it essential for the wellbeing of OES dogs that they be crated.. or is it to help comabt specific issues to the breed that we should be aware of? Thanks  |
|
|
| I have 4 dogs, and none of them were ever in a crate.
That is until my sheepdog when she was young, decided she was hungery, and ate the side of the couch, .....then the wall. We started her in a large crate, and it was wonderful!! You knew when you came home, there would be no surprises. We leave her out of the crate for longer periods of time everytime we leave. She is good at this point up to 5 hours. Hopefully we can one day get her out of "jail "as we call it, for good. After about 5 hours she starts looking for things to get into. |
| I tend to think of it as a great way to ensure the safety of any puppy or young dog who is naturally curious - or perhaps nervous - and likes to chew.
My hope is that when my younger dog matures, she will eventually earn the right to free access to the home. I too leave her out for small amounts of time to test her threshold but she invariably starts chewing something inappropriate, which makes me think she is not ready for freedom yet. . . She is going to be 2 this fall. I have a feeling she'll need crating til at least 3, maybe 4. She likes her crate. It is big and comfy, with toys and treats. So she always goes in and stays in willingly. I adopted my older dog at 8 yrs old and she was not crated but she never did anything wrong and never seemed anxious at being left in the house. I don't know if that's just maturity or good training in her past or what. But she has free run of the house. |
| I just used the crate until they were trustworthy outside of it. It is a good way to keep them safe in the time when you can't be there to watch them and a good tool for house-training but as my dogs did not really care for the crates, I chose to stop using them. |
| Here is the US crating is more popular than in other parts of the world for all types of breeds. It's not just a sheepdog thing.
Bailey is one of those dogs who chews on things if left alone too long. Since my husband and I both work, we crate him to keep him safe. He doesn't seem to mind it, he goes right in without any fuss. He gets treats and has his toys in there. The only time we crate him when we're home is if we're having company and he's begging around the table at dinner. He knows better when it's just the family, but he's eternally hopeful that guests will be more generous with their dinners. The unplanned upside of the crate is that it makes it really easy to travel with him. Wherever we go we take his crate so that he always has a familiar "safe" place to hang out. |
| My OES, Violet, we never crated because she was 9 months old when we adopted her from the rescue and the owner of the rescue did a fantastic job of training her. So we really didn't have problems with her. However, when we adoped our Aussie Shepherd, China at 8 weeks old, she needed to be secured when we where not at home. It was for her protection so she would not get into anything and would not distroy our house before we arrived home. lol We also used to crate her at night and bring her crate in to our bedroom so that all of us could get a good nights sleep. She could be in the bedroom with us and Violet and could not get in to trouble while we slept. Violet would always lay against China's crate and put her head up against it. It was so cute.
Anyway, we used to call it the "pokey". lol China is now two and a half years old and has not been in the crate in so long, I don'g remember the last time. Good luck with whatever decision you make. Helen (Mom to Violet, China & Pearl) |
| My Izzie is 1 year and 4 months old. She still stays in the crate when we are gone. We call it her doggie condo. It is really big...you could fit two of her in there.
She gets upset when we leave if she isn't in her crate. I am afraid of her chewing on stuff or hurting herself. She willingly goes in and gets a treat. She has a pillow in there and toys. We leave the tv on for background noise. When I ask myself what I want her to be doing when I am not home...what I come up with is...sleeping, laying around and chewing on toys. She can do all of that in her crate. |
Amanda P wrote: When I ask myself what I want her to be doing when I am not home...what I come up with is...sleeping, laying around and chewing on toys. She can do all of that in her crate.
I'd like mine to clean the house, take out the trash and mow the lawn. They lie around enough when I'm home.  |
ButtersStotch wrote: Amanda P wrote: When I ask myself what I want her to be doing when I am not home...what I come up with is...sleeping, laying around and chewing on toys. She can do all of that in her crate. I'd like mine to clean the house, take out the trash and mow the lawn. They lie around enough when I'm home. I leave the foodnetwork on the tv...maybe some day I will come home to a hot meal? |
You wish! You know all you'd get is the crumbs.  |
ButtersStotch wrote: You wish! You know all you'd get is the crumbs.
Yeah. I'd walk in to a great aroma...get upstairs and all that is left are the dishes.  |
| Thanks for the responses.. I went and had a look at crates today while we were shopping for a larger cage for our rats.. the pet store didn't really have too many and they were honest about not having an expertise with them.
I will keep reading up on them and speak to our breeder |
| Another positive aspect of crate training is potty training. We leave Bingley in his crate (in the bedroom) at night as well as when we're not home. It keeps him out of mischeif in an environment that is all his own - the cats aren't allowed in it. And because he doesn't want to soil his special area, he holds it until he can go outside!
Good luck finding crates - try on-line stores, too, as there are several that have excellent prices in the US and probably some in Australia, as well. There are a couple members here from Australia that may be able to give you some info on where to look for a crate.  |
| Hi Marianna, supply place in NSW, they deliver to anywhere in Australia.
Look at the crates/cages and puppy pens too, both work great if that is the way you choose to go with a pup. Link - http://www.petceteraetc.com.au/cart/index.htm |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|