Originally Posted by Renee750il
I've never owned a crate. When they are little, I have a puppy-proofed room -- or rooms. With dogs as large as Filas, I do not like to see them crated, especially when they are growing. They need room and movement and stretching, in my opinion.
There's nothing wrong with using a crate if it's not used excessively. It
must be large enough that the dog can stretch completely, fully out, turn around easily and stand up completely. I used a Great Dane sized crate for my Doberman. Filas aren't the only dogs that need to be able to stretch and move their limbs freely and get
plenty of exercise. All dogs need to stretch and move. If I put my Chihuahua puppies in a shoe box when they were puppies, that would have been too cramped and bad for them. So, they had a medium sized crate.
I used my crate for no more than a couple of hours at a time when my puppy couldn't be trusted left loose in the house or even a separate, puppy "proofed" room. Four hours was my max. And that only occurred occassionally, as I'm a "stay at home Mom." LOL. I put "proof" in quotes because there are still door jams, walls, floors, molding etc that could be chewed up, splinters stuck in the dog's throat or chemicals/glues used on those materials that could be unsafe. Some puppies will be fine in a puppy "proofed" room and others won't. I've seen the damage caused in some puppy "poof" rooms by
some very bored or stressed puppies and adult dogs. An X pen is another option. I used a crate, but that didn't mean my dog didn't get
ample exercise, walks, hikes off leash, romping and the ability to stretch, stand up, move around at
ALL times.
Most dogs, when accustomed to a crate, if introduced to one the correct way, when
not used to excess....come to love the security of their own little semi-darkened den where they can curl up and nap or chew on a bone....away from the commotion of what's going on around them. As a matter of fact, many dogs curl up to sleep and don't need to be stretched out at all times, but that option should always be available to them, of course. In addition, puppy bones are soft for a time and more flexible.
My dogs have been crate trained and when they were trustworthy to be left loose in the house, they'd go in their crates for nap time or just random times when they wanted a little peace and quiet. I'd leave the door opened so there was no force involved. Eventually, because my house is so small and my dogs functioned beautifully loose in the house as they became adults, I put the crates away. Now, they just use the couch to hang out on or under a blanket when I'm gone.
But the generalized implication that the use of a crate is unhealthy for a dog or that a dog isn't getting his needs met as far as exercise or normal movement of his body (stretching, turning around, standing up) is a bit off. Anyone could say that keeping a dog in a puppy proofed room is also unhealthy
IF one suggests that the dog isn't getting enough exercise outdoors at other times, is chewing on vinyl flooring and the glue on the backing or woodwork with lead paint on it, is left there for hours and hours on end. You can't take the worst case scenario, just one context of how someone might use a crate (too cramped, too long time in there, too isolated... whatever) and apply it to the use of crates by everyone.
For the record, I don't think dogs should be left alone for excessive amounts of time, whether they're in a crate, a puppy proofed room, an x pen, loose in the house, whether they have the companionship of another dog...I don't like to see dogs left on their own without their humans for whole, long days and into the evening....
at all.
I'm so very sorry. (I left a post there on your thread in Rainbow Bridge)
