I just wondered what is the average time you would leave a puppy in its crate? The one I am currently looking after is 8 months old. She doesn't seem to mind it at all. She never cries even though I am a dog sitter and she has only been staying with me since Saturday. I leave her in it at night. Put her in it when I go to sleep. Tonight it was 10.30 and get up with her again at 8am. Then during the day I occasionally pop her in for the odd few hours if I have to go out. Also during the day do you tend to cover the crate with a blanket? I have been doing it because I think if she looks out and sees I'm not there she may feel lonely. I tend to walk her lots and then put her in the crate for a nap during the day time. It does make me feel a bit guilty. I just hope she's happy .
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- Thread starter hollysh
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As you are just looking after her temporarily I would do what the owners do as far as possible. But if you need to do something in the daytime,it keeps her safe and she seems happy. Covering it has pros and cons. It stops her seeing what is going on outside it, which is good if she would be likely to be over stimulated by that but not so good if that makes her bored - so it depends on the dog and what she could or couldn't see.
Yes thanks. It's a very small crate with just a bed in it. And I think after she's had lots of walks she will want to sleep then, even in the day time. Also I don't want her to feel like she's being punished if I put her in it during the day time put a blanket over it and go out. Tricky one .
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U say U "put her in it" - is that literal, in that U lead her to it & push her bum in?
or will she enter on cue? [Does she have a crate cue?]
I presume U leave it ajar, so she can go in if she wants - does she ever go in of her own choice?
If U give her a long-lasting chewie, such as an antler, cow-hoof, or sterilized bone, where does she take it?
Dogs who think of their crates as especially-safe places will often take their treasures there, or they may take them to other crate-like places - beneath the coffee-table, behind the sofa, under an end-table, etc.
All of those help reveal how she feels about her crate.
I wouldn't worry about it, so long as she's content in it & not spending 20 hours of every 24 crated [that's an exaggeration, for those who miss it. ].
Pups whose owners work 40-hr weeks may spend all those hours crated [mine did, as a pup, with a potty-break every 4-hrs weekdays], but they spend the other hours outside it, & once they're housetrained, they earn freedom as they get manners in the house.
Dogs who are destructive or a danger to themselves may never graduate to free-roam of the house when solo.
I put pacifiers & busywork in with the dog or pup if they're going to be in it for more than a few minutes - safe chewies, a stuffed & frozen Kong, a food puzzle...
- terry
.
U say U "put her in it" - is that literal, in that U lead her to it & push her bum in?
or will she enter on cue? [Does she have a crate cue?]
I presume U leave it ajar, so she can go in if she wants - does she ever go in of her own choice?
If U give her a long-lasting chewie, such as an antler, cow-hoof, or sterilized bone, where does she take it?
Dogs who think of their crates as especially-safe places will often take their treasures there, or they may take them to other crate-like places - beneath the coffee-table, behind the sofa, under an end-table, etc.
All of those help reveal how she feels about her crate.
I wouldn't worry about it, so long as she's content in it & not spending 20 hours of every 24 crated [that's an exaggeration, for those who miss it.
].Pups whose owners work 40-hr weeks may spend all those hours crated [mine did, as a pup, with a potty-break every 4-hrs weekdays], but they spend the other hours outside it, & once they're housetrained, they earn freedom as they get manners in the house.
Dogs who are destructive or a danger to themselves may never graduate to free-roam of the house when solo.
I put pacifiers & busywork in with the dog or pup if they're going to be in it for more than a few minutes - safe chewies, a stuffed & frozen Kong, a food puzzle...
- terry
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also, as U're a pet-sitter, i don't know if this is Ur own crate or the owner's, but if i were U, i'd accumulate several airline-approved shipping crates in various sizes - they are far-more durable, quieter, can be sanitized, don't splatter urine or poop out the side-walls after accidents, etc.
Buy them used on-line - lots of folks ditch 'em as soon as the pup's housetrained, or after one airline trip, & that's a real pity, but their shortsighted impulse is definitely Ur gain; they last 15 to 20 years, easily, & missing hardware is also easily replaced.
They don't leak, they're virtually inescapable [not true of wire cages AKA show-crates], they provide privacy & a sense of security, they have solid lower-walls & protect the dog from floor-level drafts, plus for picking up or dropping off clients' pets, they are absolutely the gold standard for safe transport.
Re-useable zip ties AKA cable-ties are very durable & cheap; they can be used to quickly assemble & disassemble crates for use, cleaning, or storage. // Buying used crates saves an average of half the cost of new, retail.
To properly SIZE a crate, have the dog enter it [throw in a few kibbles or 3 or 4 small tidbits, toward the rear, with just one as a sample inside, behind the door-sill, so they must stick their head in to eat it]. If they can enter, U-TURN, & exit, it's the correct size; if the dog must back-out, it's too small.
4 to begin with is a good range - a standard cat-size [Chis & other toys], large cat-size [small dogs], medium, & large / XL. // 2-ft wide x 3-ft long is a common size, everything from Lab to GSD will usually fit it; the dogs do not need to stand at full ht with heads lifted, they enter & exit with heads lowered.
Shoulder-ht is the defining dimension - the other 3 are chosen in proportion to Ht.
HTH,
- terry
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also, as U're a pet-sitter, i don't know if this is Ur own crate or the owner's, but if i were U, i'd accumulate several airline-approved shipping crates in various sizes - they are far-more durable, quieter, can be sanitized, don't splatter urine or poop out the side-walls after accidents, etc.
Buy them used on-line - lots of folks ditch 'em as soon as the pup's housetrained, or after one airline trip, & that's a real pity, but their shortsighted impulse is definitely Ur gain; they last 15 to 20 years, easily, & missing hardware is also easily replaced.
They don't leak, they're virtually inescapable [not true of wire cages AKA show-crates], they provide privacy & a sense of security, they have solid lower-walls & protect the dog from floor-level drafts, plus for picking up or dropping off clients' pets, they are absolutely the gold standard for safe transport.
Re-useable zip ties AKA cable-ties are very durable & cheap; they can be used to quickly assemble & disassemble crates for use, cleaning, or storage. // Buying used crates saves an average of half the cost of new, retail.
To properly SIZE a crate, have the dog enter it [throw in a few kibbles or 3 or 4 small tidbits, toward the rear, with just one as a sample inside, behind the door-sill, so they must stick their head in to eat it]. If they can enter, U-TURN, & exit, it's the correct size; if the dog must back-out, it's too small.
4 to begin with is a good range - a standard cat-size [Chis & other toys], large cat-size [small dogs], medium, & large / XL. // 2-ft wide x 3-ft long is a common size, everything from Lab to GSD will usually fit it; the dogs do not need to stand at full ht with heads lifted, they enter & exit with heads lowered.
Shoulder-ht is the defining dimension - the other 3 are chosen in proportion to Ht.
HTH,
- terry
.
I put her by the crate and then she goes in with no fuss. She rarely goes in it when I'm around to cuddle her. I only put her in it at night or the odd hour I have to go out. Not long at all. She's always out with me for walks and cuddles up with me until I'm ready to go to bed. I understand why people find it easier with puppies to have a crate. Its safe for her. I close the crate when she goes in it because I don't want her wandering around when I'm not there .The crate belongs to her owner .
