# Does your dog always sleep in the crate?



## JadasMom

I am getting my new pup in July and I have a question about the crate. I crate trained my last dog (German Shepard) until he was over a year old. At that point he was completely house broken and was trust worthy to free roam around my house. I bought him a large pet bed and he slept beside my side of the bed every night and I eventually got rid of his crate. I am not sure if this was the right thing to do though? Will your dog be sleeping in his/her crate forever or do you eventually let them sleep freely?


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## inge

Tess slept at night in her crate until she was almost two. Partly because she liked to sleep there, partly because we encouraged her to do so. Now she has the roam of the house. Our new puppy, Liza, will be in the crate tonight ( I hope...)


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## aerolor

At first when my pup was little she slept in the crate, but by the time she came up to five months we didn't use it all and put it away. It was useful for a while. She sleeps on her rugs at night and has free run of the back of the house (3 rooms downnstairs)


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## Wagners Mom2

Two of our dogs are still crated, every night. Our 10 yr old JRT and our 6 yr old lab. Reason is, they are both girls and used to get into some pretty nasty arguements. 

Our golden has free range of the house (he's 9.5) and always sleeps in our room--on his dog bed beside our bed or on the hardwood floors, if really warm out. He was only crated for the first year, if that. He was an easy puppy to housetrain and train in general.


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## JadasMom

OK thanks everyone!! It seems like the norm is to crate until house broken and until you feel comfortable with your dog having free roam of your house. That is exactly what I did with my last dog. Thanks again!


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## debra1704

We never used a crate with our 16 year old dog, who recently passed (and who we had since puppyhood). However, with Winter, we have used it from Day 1, and it has been great. I am unsure as to how long we'll use it, but she's 6 months old now, and she still sleeps in it every night. SHe has a soft bed inside, and goes in there happily at night when we tell her it is "nighty night" time.


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## Tennyson

Never had a crate for Mick. Didn't need one. His time-outs were anywhere in the house in a sitting position. He always slept where he wanted to. Still does. On his blankie next to my bed.


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## Nyahsmommy

We never crated Nyah at night. Her bed is next to ours and she sleeps on it all night until we wake up.


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## JadasMom

Hmmm... Interesting how some people don't use crates at all. A few people I talked to made it seem like "IT'S A MUST!" I never even considered it a possibility to not crate train my puppy... decisions, decisions...


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## wmag

Kasey slept in her crate up until she was almost a year old. We tried to let her out at 7 months but she would not settle down. Everytime I wake up in the night she is in a different spot. We still have not taken her crate apart because she needs it when we go out and she sometimes likes to sleep in it at night. I close my bedroom door so she can't get out. I have 2 cats and I think she would spend the whole night chasing them or eating their food! A crate was a must for us or I think Kasey would have eaten most of our house!


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## Rainheart

I have a crate still set up in my room for Beamer, but he almost never sleeps in it now (mostly on my bed or the floor). He still always has the option to lay in there if he wants to, though. We stopped crating at about 5 months at night.


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## GoldenMum

I have always used a crate until I felt the dog trustworthy on housebreaking. My newest member, Skyler sleeps on my bed by my feet at night (7 months old). I have starting leaving her loose when I'm gone for short periods, but she had a toilet paper confetti party the other day......so back to the crate she goes!


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## dezymond

Yes. He knows the crate is for sleeping and eating, but pretty much hates it when he's awake or has to go in while we're away or can't watch him. He'll tolerate it, but I can tell mine doesn't enjoy it. Lack of consistency on my part, but he's a great puppy for 12 weeks and hasn't caused any trouble in the house. Just happy he'll go in on his own, after some coaxing, but he knows that's where he goes for sleep.


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## newport

At 11 months old - when I adopted Lola.... I think the people who owned her STILL put her in her crate.... from the first night I had her she has been sleeping on the floor on her own dog bed by our bed at night. I see no reason to crate a grown dog.


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## Willow52

I only used the crate until they were dependable enough to have free roam of the house day & night. Depends on your particular situation really, there is no right or wrong answer.


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## newport

Willow52 said:


> I only used the crate until they were dependable enough to have free roam of the house day & night. Depends on your particular situation really, there is no right or wrong answer.


 Yes I totally agree. You will know the time when the dog is able to roam the house without getting into trouble.


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## Max's Dad

Max has never slept in a crate, or even seen one. From day one he slept in our bedroom, at first on the bed. I had to lift him up there. Now he sleeps on the floor between the bedroom/bathroom, and gets up on the bed periodically through-out the night. Our bedroom has a sliding glass door to the backyard, if he asks to go out. He has never had an accident in the bedroom.


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## nolefan

One of the nice things about crating at night is never finding out the next day that my dog was sick sometime during the night and that I didn't know. With a crate in my room, I can get him outside usually before a mess and if I was sleeping hard, then at least it's easier to clean up.


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## Deber

Until the goldens came into our life, I had never crated a dog, but because it was the norm for so many I crated both the pups until they were housetrained and gates installed in the part of the house that is theirs during the day when we are at work. But when an emergency happened in my family I had to take the dogs to the Vets overnight. Both were crated and though they hadn't been in a crate in some time, they both were happy and settled right away. I was so glad they had their early time in a crate so were unafraid. 

Think a lot depends on your pup and your lifestyle. If small kids around a crate is a lifesaver for them and your pup, a safe dark place to go, or a place to settle down. If you have a laid back pup and adults or pre adults, then after housebreaking and trust builds, you will know when it is time to put the crate away. With older folks or single folks, some never need a crate and do wonderfully. There is no one answer to each household.


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## Deb_Bayne

Bayne sleeps in his crate at night and during the day if he wants to nap (the door is open). We have 2 cats, one of them tend to instigate a reaction out of Bayne so he is crated all night with door closed.


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## badfisherman

Dont mean to high jack this but how long before your pups would stop barking when you closed the crate door? My new pup loves her crate when the door is open but close it and she goes nuts.


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## GinnyinPA

Growing up, I never heard of crating. I had three dogs who never used one or needed one. When we planned to adopt, we hadn't intended to buy a crate, but when we picked up Ben, the rescue folks said "No, you need one." and they gave us an old rusty one. We were very happy they did, as Ben was a bit of a wild child, not used to being indoors. However, after a few months, when we were fairly sure he wouldn't chew on anything, we started letting him sleep on a dog bed in our bedroom. The first few nights he wasn't too sure about that, and would sleep part of the night in his crate, but soon he got to liking the freedom. We never regretted that. We still have the crate, and every once in a while he likes to retreat to its quiet and darkness (we have a blanket over it), but most of the time it just serves as an additional surface for toys, leashes, brushes, etc.


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## Wagners Mom2

My golden (9.5 yrs old) has free range of the house...but, he sleeps in our room with us--either on his dog bed beside my side of the bed or on the hardwood floors if really warm out. 

My girls (ages 10 and 6) both are still crated every night. They have issues with each other so this was one of the ways we found "even ground" for both of them.


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## mayapaya

Our first golden was crated at night or when we left the house until about 2. It wasn't really a house training issue--more about my concerns for her safety, and what she would get into. She was a bit of an explorer. Our second golden was a rescue (5 years old) and never crated. I now crate both Payton and Maya at night and when we are gone from the house. As Maya was approaching one year of age, I was leaving her for very short periods with free run of the first floor. But prior to age one, she went through a bit of a destructive streak (drywall eating, furniture leg chewing) so the crate was the safest place for her to be. Pay is a baby still, and although she doesn't seem to be the chewer that Maya was, I don't trust leaving them both uncrated while we are asleep out of the house. They love to play and wrestle, and I only feel confortable leaving them both loose with supervision. And sometimes, the crates are a good safe place to just relax and settle down for a nap! As others have said, each situation is different. You just have to do what feels right for you, taking into consideration safety and your dogs personality and demeanor.


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