How long is too long to crate a dog?

[3girls3xsthefun]

New to this forum

We adopted a dog from our local shelter (guess is chocolate lab & hound) in January. We were very honest and told the shelter exactly what we wanted -- an older dog that was calm and frankly kind of lazy. We have young kids who are really scared of my mother's high energy GSD. We were told Daisy was a good match for us -- and when we took her out to play she was great. When we got home we realized she was completely house trained (bonus!).

It took about 3 days for her real personality to come out. She is still VERY much a puppy -- though full grown. She chews everything she can get her mouth on -- the couch cushions, books, money, kids toys, ANYHTING and EVERYTHING.

We have tons of toys for her, and she uses them, but she always seems to find OUR things.

We can't turn our backs on her for a minute. She stands to the counter and eats food -- she's come close to getting burnt on our stove top, too.

So, with that, we have to crate her constantly. And it breaks my heart.

We hired a pet sitter/dog walker to take her out everyday for an hour while we are at work, so she' scrated from 7a-noon, then 1p-5p, then again from 10p-6a. She spends SO much time in her crate. I would feel better if we could at least get her to sleep in our room, but she can't be trusted -- and at this point it's for her safety.

I feel like we've done all we can -- got a giant crate (54 in) so she can sit up in it and lay flat without being scrunched -- and got the dog walker, but it still makes me sad.

We've toyed with the doggy daycare idea, but she's aggressive with other dogs so I don't think any place will take her.

Are we ruining her life by sticking her in the crate so often?  Will she outgrow this or sould she have to be crated forever?

[mcmel]

I think that's too much and would look into doggie day care. When we do have to crate it's for 2-4 hours.

[hamster]

How old is she? Id say she needs more exercise. Labs can be crazy!

[cmeon]

A 5 hour stretch of crate in the morning, an hour of exercise, and a 4 hour stretch in the afternoon really isn't awful for an adult dog- if she gets plenty of exercise and family time when you're home. Does she get a walk in the morning? Does she like to fetch? That's a great wear-them-out game for ball dogs (and a Chuck-it can help you not wear your arm out, too).

If her crate isn't in your (or another family member's) bedroom, try to move it there, or get a smaller bedtime crate that will fit. It really helps dogs bond to their family and makes the "night time crate hours" pretty negligible.

I'd go umbilical cord on her when you can't watch her very well- leash her (4-6') and attach the handle to your waistband/belt/wrist. She gets to be out of her crate and with her family, isn't as likely to get away with chewing inappropriate things, and it's a great time to work on clicker training (which will help her in other ways, too). You won't have to do that forever (eventually she'll train you guys to stop leaving your things where she can get to them- ), but, until she's more trustworthy, it's the way to go.

Dog aggression comes in so many flavors that daycare is absolutely worth looking into- just one or two days a week can make a huge difference in her behavior, she'll be wiped! Be honest, tell them that you have concerns, and they'll go slow. If it doesn't work, no big deal for now- work on socializing her in more controlled situations (a great group obedience class at a kennel club?) and she'll be on her way to being good in a daycare.

I do want to say that you're not ruining her life- what do you think a shelter dog does all day? Being confined to a concrete floored kennel 23 hours a day (assuming they get a walk/playtime- which is not a safe assumption in some shelters) absolutely sucks. And adult dogs (really any dog outside of the cutesie puppy stage), particularly one with behavior issues around other dogs, are not the most likely ones to find good homes- she's a lucky girl.

So-
Tired dogs are good dogs
Look into daycare
Keep her close
Work on obedience
You're way better than the alternative

[3girls3xsthefun]

Thank you for the replies, especially cmeon. I didn't mention her age before, she's a little over 2 years old.

To answer your questions -- no, I do not walk her in the morning. My husband works out of state from Mon-Fri (temporarily), so I can't leave my kids alone in the morning to take her for a walk. However, I let her out at 5:45a when I get up, let her out, feed her, lock her in my room while I get ready, let her out again while I get the kids ready, and play with her before putting her in the crate around 7 (usually 7:15ish). She loves to play fetch, but sometimes she just likes to sprint around our yard, barking at birds and rabbits.

When we get home at 5 she gets let out again and the girls play with her while I get dinner going, then she's in to eat and I take her back out around 7 and play fetch or just sit there and read while she runs around.

I have been toying with the idea of moving her big crate to our room and using our original crate (48 in) as an "emergency" crate downstairs for when we need to put her somewhere safe for a short amount of time. From the time we get home until bed she is with us. We don't put her back in the crate until bedtime.

We actually spent a small fortune ($900+ extras like a training collar & leash) on a lifetime training package with BarkBusters. It's behavior training, and it's been helpful, but I feel like we're kind of failing her there. She does great for the first few days after a session, but then we both slip back into our bad habits.

When she was found in GA (where the shelter we adopted her from had her shipped from)her collar was imbedded in her neck -- she still has scars and missing hair there -- so I know she had a tough time, and I would hate to put her in a situation, like dog daycare, that would be stressful for her. Hopefully we can find a place that will work with her. I was under the impression that doggy daycare was an all or nothing kind of deal. I'm glad to hear that only 1 or 2 days will be enough to hopefully change her behavior. At $30 a day it's almost as expensive as my daughter's nursery school!

Thank you so, so much for all of your suggestions!
Here she is:
Attachment Deleted

[LoveTrains]

What I have found works the best with making my dog calm is the old adage "a tired dog is a good dog."

I have a lazy, lazy pug but even he will be naughty and try to get into stuff (mostly looking for food) if he isn't sufficiently tired out. For my dog - and most dogs - just going out in the yard and running around isn't enough exercise. They truly do need to be walked. Can you find the time to walk your dog for half an hour after work? Can you take the kids with you and have it be family time? I'm not sure what the weather is like where you live.

I also like the suggestion of daycare for a few days a week. Good luck.

[momof2boys]

I would try the doggy daycare. My dog is 2 1/2 and is a huge chewer/eater of things, drives me nuts. He goes to daycare three half days a week and it helps so much! On daycare days he is tired and I can trust him to wander the house while we are home without him chewing things. When he wasn't in daycare I couldn't take my eyes off him for a minute...I would literally catch him chewing the couch while I was sitting on it, he had no clue. I still can't trust him to stay out of the crate when we aren't home, but I think its more b/c he has developed separation anxiety when we aren't around. He truly seems to like his crate and often chooses to go in there even when we don't tell him to. He does fine when we aren't home and he is crated, seems content. But when he's not in a crate its as if he panics. When we weren't doing daycare we found it was really hard to tire him out, we'd take him for a long walk, he'd rest for an hour and be full of energy again. Daycare has been a lifesaver, for him and me!

[katietornado]

Oh my gosh; she is gorgeous. Sorry I'm late on this one; I've been out of the country!

When we first got our dog, he was about 2, and had also been a stray. He was a freaking nightmare. He had to be crated because he could not be trusted. We had to exercise him in the morning, at lunch, and after work.

He was crated exactly like your dog is, initially. Slowly we were able to wean him off of the crate. We first let him sleep in our bedroom loose, but continued crating him during the day. Then we let him loose in the house (but still separate from the cats, his biggest temptation) in the morning while we worked. If all was good when we got home for his lunchtime exercise, he could stay out for the afternoon. The whole process took about 7 months.

We've had him for 7 years now, and he still loves his crate. It's his safe place. He goes in voluntarily all the time, and loves to collect toys in there.

So...I'm going to agree that it's not too much time in the crate, as long as she's getting exercise / other stimulation. You sound super committed, which is wonderful.

As for daycare, we bought packages for like 10 days at a time, which could be split into half-day increments. So we could have him there for 6 hours and it would only cost a half day's fee. We took him a lot for a while, but ended up at twice a week to manage his insane energy (he's an Australian Kelpie). He is not a dog park dog, and it has taken years for him to be even able to see other dogs without going ballistic, but he has always been OK at daycare. It's worth a shot, if you feel it's in your budget.

Best of luck with her. She's so beautiful, and I'm so glad you've welcomed her into your home!

[zoomzoom]

New to the board so hi!

But, investigate the day care places and don't put her in one where they are 'out' with the other dogs all day. You'd be surprised at how much dogs actually sleep. I would find a daycare where they are kenneled or have their own room and then taken out at specific times to play. My vet does not advocate putting dogs together loose all day. According to him, it over stimulates them and that's not good for them. They need down time to relax during the day and if they're constantly with other dogs it can actually do more harm than good.

[definitelyO]

we crated our puppy about that much when we first got him.
he's awake at 5am
played with him in the morning
8am - 11:30 - crate
11:30 - 12:30 ish - home for lunch play with him, etc...
12;30 - 3:30 crate until DH got home
9pm - 5am crate for bed.

then as he got older (he's still just 5 months), we would crate in the morning and then he could stay outside for the afternoon. and he now sleeps in our room (all doors are shut).

he is very mischievous and gets on the outdoor tables, gets shoes, books, bottles of wine from a wine rack, etc... but he is getting better every day. the darn 4:30 - 5am wake up still kills us...

we make sure to take him for a walk every night after dinner. DH will usually take him for an earlier walk as well. we play a lot with him in the yard - throwing balls, etc....

we do a puppy camp one day per week at our vet that he likes (and comes home tired from)

[grover]

definitelyO Our pup finally started sleeping in past 5 am around the 6/7 month age. He's now 13 months and will sleep until 8 or 8:30ish, with an occasional 9:30 am.

[definitelyO]

Jun 27, 2014 18:13:31 GMT -5 grover said:

definitelyO Our pup finally started sleeping in past 5 am around the 6/7 month age. He's now 13 months and will sleep until 8 or 8:30ish, with an occasional 9:30 am.

oh thank goodness!!   you've given me hope!!  thank you