To crate or not to crate

[darci]

Just wondering what everyones thoughts are on using a crate ????

I had never heard of such 2 yrs ago when we got darci, but 1 day later I was so glad I had listened....

She stays in hers while we are off at work ( I come home for lunch to take her out ), and she sleeps in it every other night,( a deal I had to make with hubby ).

She now treats it like her den, if she gets tierd she will go in and put herself to bed.

Looking back I cant imagine trying to go through the puppy stage and training her without the crate.

It was a good choice for us.

[lricch565]

My Mazie is 16 weeks and has been in a crate since I got her at 7 weeks. She stays in it while I am at work and also sleeps in it at night. She is in her chewing stage, so the chairs at my kitchen table are taking a beating. I'm sure she would gnaw them down to toothpicks if she were left out all day. I make sure she gets plenty of playtime and a long walk in the evenings to make up the for the time she is in there.

[Chip's Mom]

Chip was crate trained when we got him so we fixed up a 4 x4 ft square area and placed his crate in that with the door open to the crate, put his food, water and a puppy pad in the playpen area. He used it during the day when knowone was home or if we couldn't supervise him properly. He also slept in it all night. He has since graduated out of the playpen as he is about housebroke. I think the crate training is a great idea. He still uses it in the car or sometimes at home.

[corgimom]

I also love my crate. Cody's breeder started him in it right away so when
we got him at 11 weeks, he slept all night in it without a peep. I am lucky
to be home full time with him. I leave the door open to his crate during
the day when I am with him and he usually goes in there to take a nap.

I also have a thin quilt draped over the top and sides - not the front or back and I only put this on at night and it makes it more cozy for him like a den

Linda
Corgimom

[Chip's Mom]

We do spoil our furbabies, don't we!

[darci]

Picture of Darci in her crate ready for bed.

Thinking mom........... put down the camara I need my beauty sleep......

[Michael Romanos]

The only time I have ever crated my Corgis is for small periods of time at dog conformation shows. Though I will be also crating Taylor for small periods at agility meetings because he doesn't enjioy being left alone among strange people and strange dogs for more than several minutes. I did pretend to crate Corgis at hotels/motels - but that was for the benefit of the hotel mamagers.

[ChloeLouise]

For us, crate training Chloe has been ideal. At first I was quite resistant about the "cage" concept - but now I realize that the benifits, in our situation, far outweigh any detractions. Like Iricch565 mentioned with her Corgi, Chloe is a chewer...better now, but still I don't trust her if she is out of our sight. When we leave the house without her, she goes into her "nest" - to keep her, as well as our home, safe! She has slept in the crate every night since we brought her home at 7 weeks so it is her cozy napping "den" - when we travel we fold it up and take it along, so she always has her familiar bed no matter where we are. We have NEVER used the crate for discipline or mere "convenience", therefore I believe Chloe does not associate it with anything negative - just "naptime"!! I realize everyone's circumstances are different but for us, and Chloe, crate training was a good choice.

[Cardiguy]

Ruby was crate trained and we gradually gave her freedom when we were not home. First we baby gated off the kitchen when we were gone and after she proved herself trustworthy we then expanded it to the downstairs and then to the entire house. After she was given the run of the house we put her crate away and she has never been in it since. Plus she probably couldn't fit comfortably in it anymore.

[Shelly]

My Reba has a crate that is left open in the kitchen and when she feels like it she is free to come and go to her private space. The only time I ever lock her in it is when she is acting "skitish" like earthquakes (we're in California), lightening storms, or 4th of July (when I know that she would otherwise jam herself under the beds for fear of the noise, etc.), but then she's 12 years old and well past the potty training/destructive puppy stage. I rescued her as an adult so she was crate trained already prior to her "second life" with me. Crates are wonderful. Wish I'd known about them ages ago when I had puppies.

[nconantj]

Peanut was crate trained from a pup and, before he and I moved, would often sleep in his crate. His crate wasn't his only nap area, he also slept by the duct near the back door during the summer (Central Air), and right in front of the fridge during the winter (Lots of warmth from underneath).

We didn't use his crate as strictly a den for sleeping, but as a convenient place to tell him to go when he insisted on being underfoot (no closure), and as a punishment when he was being excessively bad (by locking him in).

Now that we've moved, the crate is no longer a preferred location. He now actually sleeps in the doggy bed that we won for him in the raffle at our local Corgi Family Picnic. His other favorite spot, in our new place, is by the front door.

[tandemgal]

removed by T-Gal

[nconantj]

Sadly, Bitter Apple didn't work for Peanu.