# What age was your puppy when you got rid of your crate?



## rachy (Dec 9, 2009)

Yesterday was the first time we gave Fester and Reeba run of the house when we went out for lunch, and they were both good as gold. Normally we would keep them both downstairs.

Got me thinking, won't be long until Fester can have the run of the house on a night along with Reeba, and we can eventually get rid of his crate.

Just wondering how old your pups were when you got rid of their crate?

Not thinking of doing it now but just want other peoples views and experiences.

Rachel
x


----------



## PoisonGirl (Oct 24, 2008)

Dave still has his and he was 1 in jan. I simply do NOT trust him a single bit.

Dixie didn't really have a crate until she was nearly 1, for her SA. She is now 2.5 and last night was her 1st night with the door open. Not that she noticed I don't think she even came out of it! :laugh:


----------



## terriermum (Nov 5, 2009)

Mine were 4 months when i stopped using the crate at night and they were fine but had more problems in the day with chewing and destruction


----------



## SEVEN_PETS (Aug 11, 2009)

Ollie's still in his crate (he's nearing two years old), but that's only because the cat needs to walk through the room during the night. If we didn't have the cat, he'd have free run of the downstairs.


----------



## rachy (Dec 9, 2009)

SEVEN_PETS said:


> Ollie's still in his crate (he's nearing two years old), but that's only because the cat needs to walk through the room during the night. If we didn't have the cat, he'd have free run of the downstairs.


Why, would he attack your cat? x


----------



## SEVEN_PETS (Aug 11, 2009)

rachy said:


> Why, would he attack your cat? x


not necessarily attack, but he chases her. he's made contact with her a few times, but he doesn't know what to do, so just stares her down. he's never opened his mouth to her, he just thinks it's fun to chase.


----------



## harrison79 (Nov 26, 2009)

i am really interested in this post too! Our pup is 7 months old now and he is crated whenever we can't be with him and at night. We have recently started putting him in the kitchen if we have to do something but are still in the house, like take a shower etc. Initially he got very stressed out and would whine but now he just stands at the door waiting for us to come back. Or wonders about looking for something to play with.

The problem i have is that i would love to leave him up at night and not have to actually put him to bed, but he can't settle himself. He constantly wonders about. Also he doesn't normally get upstairs so if he does come upstairs he runs about like a mad thing! In an ideal world i would like to allow him the free roam of the house at nights and if we aren't in but i just can't see how you make the transition?!


----------



## francesandjon (Jun 3, 2009)

We have just stopped using the crate in the last couple of weeks, Koda is just a year old.


----------



## Mum2Heidi (Feb 17, 2010)

Heidi was about 5/6 months. We have a child gate and she has the run of the kitchen/diner/conservatory. BUT she sleeps on her bed in our room at night (naughty). I fully intended her staying downstairs but as a tiny pup she was so clean that OH insisted we bring her upstairs incase she was asking to go in the night and then forced to dirty her cage. That was it really, she asked for the first couple of nights and then slept through. 

We have been very lucky and she has never chewed anything that isnt hers. I'm quite impressed with my little terrorist.


----------



## Merry Dogs (Nov 17, 2009)

I tried at about 9 months but it was too early - he chewed my dining room table, all my chairs and some skirting board while I was out one evening. So for my dog he was about 15 months old, before he slept with the crate door open. But he is a large breed so slower to mature.


----------



## Nicky10 (Jan 11, 2010)

Mine is fine out of his crate but still sleeps in there because he loves it


----------



## flosskins (Jan 27, 2010)

my dog is 8 months old and we leave her in the kitchen and back room during the day and have just started to leave her out the crate at night but she is peeing over night which she hasn't done for a while so it must be because she has more space. we've said we'll give her a few more nights to get used to it but if she keeps peeing she'll have to go back again until she stops. she has chewed everything she could find during the day but seems to sleep at night but has chewed all skirting boards, dining room table and chairs but have since covered them all in anti bite (a product to stop horses chewing) and it seems to hvae done the trick really well, comes in a handy spray and doesn't cost the earth so thats been really helpful. but she hasn't been crated during the day since she was about 5 months old.


----------



## moboyd (Sep 29, 2009)

One of mine is 2 years old and still sleeps in the crate at night, simply because she has had two major operations to remove things from her tummy, becasue she eats ANYTHING, some dogs just dont grow out of it sadly and she is one of them it appears, I always had a crate up anyway because my dogs actually love the crate and spend all day swapping around for whos next to lie in it, the door only get closed when my 2 year old is in it at night rest of the time its open.

Mo


----------



## harley bear (Feb 20, 2010)

Interesting thread, i have recently brought a crate for my 2 its a huge crate so that can be together because they are only little, my intention was to keep them in the crate through the night and when we went out ( atm they have the run of the kitchen) but im a bit worried about leaving them locked in there all night as they do tend to poop quite a bit through the night, what age were everyones pups put in the crate through the night?


----------



## Ducky (Nov 23, 2008)

with bailey(beagle) he was in his crate at night until he was about 10months old, and then he was left uncrated in the kitchen at night. but he was still crated if we went out during the day, but in a MASSIVE crate. 

skye (flattie) was only in a crate for about 2months, maybe less. shes never been destructive, so we have never needed it.


----------



## kaisa624 (Mar 5, 2010)

Holly has her crate in the kitchen, but she is only shut in it after meal times for half an hour before toilet =] She sleeps in it, and goes into it in her own accord. She gets the run of the kitchen whenever we go out. She's only allowed the run of the house when we're in.


----------



## kezhulme (Jan 31, 2010)

My girls are 4 and still have their crate - why get rid of it?

Its their safe place and they love it

If they dont sleep in their crate they get up early and start wondering around malking a racket - when they are in their crate they just snooze till we get up - so we all sleep better!

We never have any accidents and they go to bed with a waggy tail everynight


----------



## cavmad (Jan 27, 2009)

Ollie collie is 7yrs and still sleeps in his crate otherwise he wakes up as soon as its light and paces around and as i live in a bungalow with tiled floors all i hear is his nails on the tiles. He is also left in his cage when i go out. The cavs and Ike the chi are crated when i go out because i have a Leonberger that bounces around if anything excites her and i'm scared she will land on them and hurt them accidently.They all love the crates and will sleep in them with the door open


----------



## Matrix/Logan (May 7, 2009)

Logan has recently moved into his big boy bed! LOL
He has just turned one and has been out of his crate for a couple of months now.

My last gsd loved his and had it into middle age!

I think it really depends on how safe your dog is out of the crate, Logan isn't really a chewer but Matrix was and had a crate until he was about 18months old!


----------



## nicola1980 (Oct 5, 2008)

My pup is 6 months old now and tbh I don't ever intend to get rid of her crate, it's her safe place she go's in and out of it as she likes during the day when I am at home but when I'm out and during the night it gets closed.


----------



## Kinjilabs (Apr 15, 2009)

Mmmmmm she will be 15 soon and still has her cratehmy:


----------



## huskiesaregreat (Sep 24, 2009)

well mine had crates until about 5/6 months, and i have recently crate trained them again.. shes 3, hes nearly 3, they love their crates so much.

I hardly see my dogs anymore since i got the crates, they just chill out and laze in their crates, and when we go out they love being shut away in their crate, its big enough for them to move about in stand up tall in and lie down fully, they have their kong with tuna or a treat. blankets.
they sometimes dont wanna come out of the crate when we open it to let them out, they love their safe little beds, they have a crate each, next to each other and they keep each other company.


So its not just puppies that have crates


----------



## Fleur (Jul 19, 2008)

harley bear said:


> Interesting thread, i have recently brought a crate for my 2 its a huge crate so that can be together because they only little, my intention was to keep them in the crate through the night and when we went out ( atm they have the run of the kitchen) but im a bit worried about leaving them locked in there all night as they do tend to poop quite a bit through the night, what age were everyones pups put in the crate through the night?


My 2 were in their crates through out the night from day 1 - I just had to take them out to toilet when they woke during the night, as they grew they went longer between waking until they went all night.

My 2 still have their crates they loke to go in them for a bit of peace and quiet. During the day when we are out they have the run of the downstairs, at night they are put in thier crates.


----------



## SnowBaby (Mar 4, 2010)

Kinjilabs said:


> Mmmmmm she will be 15 soon and still has her cratehmy:


does she like it?


----------



## xxsarahpopsxx (Sep 30, 2009)

I have never used a crate and had no problem whatsoever. Neither did my parents when they had their dogs and again no problems. My parents friends have a gsp and he is 9 months ish and still has his crate because he will chew anything and suffers from slight sa and he will probably always have the crate because he likes to play with the cat lol


----------



## SnowBaby (Mar 4, 2010)

xxsarahpopsxx said:


> I have never used a crate and had no problem whatsoever. Neither did my parents when they had their dogs and again no problems. My parents friends have a gsp and he is 9 months ish and still has his crate because he will chew anything and suffers from slight sa and he will probably always have the crate because he likes to play with the cat lol


man can't imagine potty training w/o the crate!


----------



## welshdoglover (Aug 31, 2009)

I still got my crate for my poodle he's 7 months and he goes in and out at his own leisure, especially when he wants some peace and quiet 

I never lock the door or shut him in, he's really good to be left on his own.


----------

