If you are a multi-dog household, are both (or more) dogs crated or loose? I'm contemplating a second dog. Zoe was crated for about 6 months as a puppy, but we quickly learned she is not a problem loose in the house. In 8 years, she has never gotten into the trash, chewed something that wasn't hers, hurt the cat, or anything. When she has belly issues, she goes to the concrete in the basement. Frankly, I prefer that to coming home and it being all over the crate and what ever is around the crate. Trust when I say she is housebroken, but when she isn't, it's obvious that it was not a lapse in housebreaking but a case of uncontrolled belly issues. (And yes, she has been to the vet many times for it, official diagnosis, "German Shepard belly" lol)
So, a new dog we would want to crate train for all the normal reasons. I can't see going back to crating Zoe after 8 years. But, what kind of weirdness would happen when one crated and one not?
Things I contemplate while browsing Schnauzers on petfinder.
I got an adult dog, so there was no problem there! They have both been loose all along. I crated him the first day (at the shelter's recommendation) and it totally freaked him out, where he was completely calm outside the crate and never has chewed or had any issues.
Are you stuck on getting a puppy? If you are open to adopting an adult, that could solve your issue.
If you are, do you have an area where you could gate them together? My first dog was acquired as a puppy, but I just gated her in the kitchen rather than crate her. I guess I'd be a little wary of this now if I got a chewer, depending on the room she could be gated in.
We have two dogs. Until recently, one was crated and one wasn't. The one which was crated just felt more comfortable in her crate, and she was a little less trust worthy-not that she peed anywhere, she just chased the cat and barked at stuff outside. The non crated dog would often go lay by her and he'd sit and wait to move until we let her out-super cute. We started leaving her out for short periods and then at night and she has been doing well, so now there are no crates! They are both 5.
They're both loose now, but we've had one loose and one crated before. We only crated as puppies just until we knew they were reliable on their own, then we let them have run of the house. So for a while baby Quincy was crated while Dexter had his standard run of the house, and then a few years later baby Sadie was crated while Quincy had run of the house. We never had an issue having one dog in and one out.
As for Zoe's belly issues, I agree with you, I would much rather have her go on a puppy pad in the basement than in her crate.
Daisy started out in a crate and she loved it. Eventually we just left the door open and sometimes she'd go in and sometimes not. When we got Meatie they were both crated, but Meatie HATED it. It was short lived. So I think for awhile Daisy was in a crate and Meatie wasn't. (only at bedtime). Now, neither of them use it.
We did't have problems with one in and one out. But Daisy liked the crate. if your new one doesn't like it, it might be harder. Yay for new pets!
Oh these are good stories! I have visions of... Oh, I don't know.
We won't get a puppy. We both work. But probably a younger dog (1-2 ish). If we wait much longer, I think Zoe will just been too old to get a second dog. But I also would rather get a dog before she gets too old bc I don't want to have a day without a dog.
I guess I just assumed we would crate at the beginning at least until we knew the new dog could be trusted home alone with stuff + other dog + cat. I'd rather crate until I'm confident than assume all is ok and come home to something not good.
Ours are both allowed loose in the house. Our newest dog had to be crated for heart worm treatment right after we adopted her for three months but both her and our first dog did fine. She was crated and he was not.
Post by donthasslethehoff on Mar 27, 2015 10:27:35 GMT -5
We have 2 dogs. The oldest is an english bulldog who will be 8 tomorrow. The youngest is a 150 lb american mastiff who will be 5 in June. We got the mastiff when the bulldog was about 3. At that point we did not crate the bulldog anymore. He's great and basically just lays on the couch all day (really, He's in the exact same spot when I leave for work and when I come home).
We crated the mastiff from the start because I believe crating dogs, at least until a year, is pretty important. We started out crating her at night and when we were gone. At about a year we stopped crating her at night (part of the reason for this was because she knew we were in the house, and the bulldog was free, she was pissed, and would non stop bark).
Once we stopped crating her at night she wouldn't bark anymore, but we've had several instances where she's eaten something in the morning when she's ready to go out and doesn't tell us (sunglasses, my husband's wallet, the corner of our wood steps going upstairs). After about 2 years of that bullshit, we started keeping the dogs in our bedroom with us over night, and all was good.
We still crate the mastiff when we're gone because she just cant be trusted. We keep a chair right next to the crate, and I am pretty sure the bulldog just sits next to the crate and keeps her company all day. The mastiff loves her crate. We can be anywhere in the house and say "Lily, house," and she goes right into her crate.
Post by dr.girlfriend on Mar 27, 2015 10:28:41 GMT -5
When I had two, they were both loose. My recent puppy is on her own, but she also quickly got full freedom during the day. I really lucked out. She will chew the occasional kleenex or paper, but she's not destructive in general at all.
And, well, all for naught. H is being all logical and stuff and says we shouldn't traumatized our 12 year old cat with a second dog. He is probably right.
And then he asked why I'm on petfinder when my parents will be here tomorrow and the house needs cleaning. Oops. Bye!
I guess I just assumed we would crate at the beginning at least until we knew the new dog could be trusted home alone with stuff + other dog + cat. I'd rather crate until I'm confident than assume all is ok and come home to something not good.
Yes, definitely. I would also crate a new dog regardless of age.
And, well, all for naught. H is being all logical and stuff and says we shouldn't traumatized our 12 year old cat with a second dog. He is probably right.
And then he asked why I'm on petfinder when my parents will be here tomorrow and the house needs cleaning. Oops. Bye!
Post by crashgizmo on Mar 27, 2015 11:15:57 GMT -5
When we were a 2 dog household, we crated Crash for about 2 months when we first got him, to make sure he was okay in the house. He was fine and he HATED the crate. The little dog we had loved his crate (he was 14 and old and crotchety) so after awhile we crated him and not Crash, so they wouldn't bother each other during the day. It worked great.
When Puppy D came home, Doggie D slept in our room at night but was crated during the day. Puppy D was crated both at night and during the work day. It was fine. Now they're both crated when we're gone, and loose at night. Doggie D is my counter surfer/trash digger, so even though he is older, everyone rests easier knowing he's safely crated. Puppy D (now 2) probably does not need to be crated, but she likes her crate and it's routine so we keep doing it.
My parents crate one and not the other. It seems to work fine for them. Dogs don't really have that sense of "fairness." I think routine is more important for them.
Our oldest dog is loose. Our second dog used to be but since she had (very expensive) back surgery she is crated just in case she'd hurt herself while we are away. The youngest dog prefers to be crated. I started leaving her loose when I'd leave the house for very short visits and she'd be frantic when I got home. Not destructive but very relieved to see me. It is like she thought I was making a mistake or she was being naughty by being uncrated while I was gone.
I think it depends on their personalities. Our first dog was crated at first for 3 months but completely loose now. He does nothing wrong. When he has to throw up, he goes anywhere that's not carpeted. I don't know how he knows.
Now dog #2...we still crate her a year later. We started giving her more and more freedom and she did great at first but then started chewing little things here and there. So crate it is. I wonder though if I just didn't leave enough of her own toys to chew on. We'll try again once we get settled somewhere.
Dog #1 just lays by her crate and does nothing until we get home to let her out. There have been incidences of them howling at the top of their lungs when we leave,but that has nothing to do with the crate. They just want us to go back in. So I go back in and yell at them to shut up and it works lol.
Post by revolution on Mar 27, 2015 15:34:51 GMT -5
We have 2 dogs. Our 8 y/o we've had since she was a puppy and she is no longer crated. SHe has free roam of the entire house.
In Sept we adopted a 9 y/o dog. We've had some training issues with her. I think because she was a stray/shelter dog for so long. It's much, much better now. But she is our older one, but she is the one crated at night. If we are only gone for an hour or 2, she also has free roam of the house. When we are at work, she has an enclosed sunroom that has a dog door she can go outside as she wants. She can't get into the main house though. Just the sunroom/yard.
ETA: There does not seem to be weirdness with our dogs. Even at night. The newest is in her crate in our room and she goes in there happily while the other dog lays down on the floor.
We have 2 giant breed dogs. We tried crating both but for whatever reason one just never took to the crate and busted out of it. The other never seemed to mind the crate. So we crated one but not the other during the day.
When we tried to leave them both uncrated they basically destroyed the house, so that wasn't good.
Now that they're 2 years old and much calmer they're both uncrated during the day. The one that was still crated started refusing to come into the house when called. So as an experiment we stopped crating and the refusal behavior stopped.
I think you're fine to crate one until they prove they can be calm when you're gone.
We leave them in our laundry room. They would find something to get into if they weren't in there. Our youngest is nine and when we got her they were all crated bc we didn't trust any of them then. I would crate a new one for awhile unless you were adopting an older dog that a foster home could give you some history on.
Post by bostonmichelle on Mar 27, 2015 20:34:51 GMT -5
We have an almost 3 year old golden retriever that we have had for 2.5 years. We just penned him in the kitchen with baby gates for the first year and a half we had him. He used to love to chew on stuff but has gotten better. We had let him have free roam in a few rooms. Then we adopted a 7.5 year old American bulldog. Now the two when home are gated in separate rooms. They like to wrestle and play a little too hard for my comfort to leave them home all day with free roam of the house. It works out they each have space of their own but I'm not worried about any interactions between the two.
H is softening! He has agreed a) I get to pick the next dog b) the cat is going to outlive everyone and will survive c) it might be good for Zoe to have a buddy. Then I discovered that the rescue's pet finder is not as up to date as their FB, and the cutie above has been adopted for weeks.
And then, she had some off leash time with Lucy, the chessie, and she got snippy. On the plus note, as sons as we corrected, both Zoe and Lucy stopped and over to me.
We have two dogs. They were crate trained when we rescued each of them, so we just kept doing it. Our older dog freaks if he's not in the crate when we leave. (We leave them loose if we're going to be gone less than 30 minutes or so.)
I think in your scenario I would crate the new one and leave the older one out, but maybe closed off so as not to "rub it in" to the other one