# OK to Cover Crate at Night?



## dogdude (Jun 25, 2010)

We have 2 cats and 16 week old Cooper. Cooper sleeps in our bedroom in his crate. No problems, settles down quick. 
The trouble starts if he needs to go out in the night. After we put him back into the crate, the cats are awake and torment him by walking around free! The barking starts and the cats are laughing at him!

Any issues with putting a towel or cover over the front of the crate? We now have a towel covering the sides and top. We are hoping that if Cooper cannot see anything and the crate is dark inside this will help get him settled back down again.

Thanks for any help.

Here he is after running around the back yard after the rain. He got the hose at 7:30am before I could go to work!


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## Olddog (Mar 24, 2009)

No problem. I covered Sam and Riley just for that simple reason. So they couldn't see the cats roaming around. Sam also settled down much quicker with the crate covered.


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## Roxy_the_Retriever (Jul 28, 2010)

We cover our crate even though we don't have other animals roaming around... Roxy seems to do better. It's that whole DEN-like atmosphere. Plus it keeps her crate darker = more sleep for us!!


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## Roxy_the_Retriever (Jul 28, 2010)

oh... and by the way - - love Coopers smile


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## Carly Freake (Apr 1, 2010)

When my two boys were younger, we always covered the crate with a blanket, not only for the constant torment from the cats and the barking but also for their comfort. It mimicked their own little den and they always felt safe. Presley, our youngest is still crated during the day when we are either working or have stepped out and we still keep a blanket over his crate.


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## Abby (Aug 17, 2010)

I think it's no problem. Same thing as turning the lights off at night, right?


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

I covered my crate for my fosters and they did better


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## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

We did too until we discovered that Cosmo would overheat, eventhough it was only about 23 degrees celsius. So just keep an eye on how warm it gets in there and how cool your pup likes it.


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## Maya's_Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

Covering the crate keeps Maya quieter too... we drop the blanket over the front and say "sleepies!!!" and she knows it's bedtime.


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## jakeyboy21 (Mar 5, 2010)

Absolutely cover his crate at night ! We did it right from the start with Bode (8 months) and to great success. It caters to their "den-ing" instincts. We live on a river and the boats and lights at night would be a distraction for Bode ( his crate faces a patio door overlooking the water), of course not to mention our cat tormenting him. The tables have turned with that situation, however. LOL.


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## dogdude (Jun 25, 2010)

Thanks all for the advise. 2 nights in a row with peace!
I knew the crate was the "den" but just was not sure about a complete covered crate. Sure makes a difference.

I will keep an eye on the temp, good point.

Kevin


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