Why are your family members saying it has to be done??

Up until my beagle, I'd never had a dog that was crate trained. She NEEDED it, for her safety, our sanity, and the safety of our belongings.

Now, I don't think I'll ever use any other training tool. It was great for so many things. She felt comfortable - I knew she was safe. It made house training much easier and super quick. I didn't worry when we went out that she was chewing up the baseboards or whatever she could get her mouth on. I was home all day with her - so she was never in it for more than half hour at a time for showers, etc, unless we went out somewhere. Or at night.

We took it away eventually, and she's great without it, she doesn't need to be confined anymore when we aren't around. But, she had to have surgery a few months ago, and we needed to keep her quiet and confined when we weren't home - she was so excited to see her crate, and slept in it even when we were home, with the door open. It made it much easier to confine her and keep her quiet, because she was already used to it.

That said, lots of dogs don't need crates, and lots of people have done just fine without them. It depends on the issues you're having with your dog, honestly. Even then, there are other ways to keep them confined (in a room, bathroom, etc) without using a crate, if destruction isn't an issue.

I hated the idea of crating as well...until I saw how much my dog loved her crate. I got her when she was 10 months old from the breeder. She was used to being in the crate already so I did not have to work on that. We continued to crate her anytime we had to leave for a long time or when we went to bed. We continued her crating until she was housebroken which took less than 1 month. When we first brought her home she would go into her crate whenever she wanted alone time. Crate training is good for housebreaking. A couple things about the crate. 1) Never use as a punishment. 2) I liked to take my pup out before she went in the crate for the night and as soon as she got up in the morning. 3)anytime you let your pup out of the crate take outside. 4) Make sure the crate is not too big...a dog will not mess where it sleeps so if the crate is too big the dog will get used to going in the crate and that will be a problem. They have crates that have dividers so you can buy one size and just keep moving the divider. If used correctly your dog will think of its crate as its own safe place....my dog is rarely locked in her crate now...although she goes in it by herself occasionally just to play and check it out. The crate will also keep your pup safe when you can't keep your eye on her. I know it looks bad...I hate seeing a dog locked up...but before your dog can become a real part of your family it needs to learn rules and until she knows the rules and is smart enough to stay safe the crate is better. If the crate is used properly your new pup will become housetrained, will stay safe and eventually will be able to be free all the time. I look at it as a child....parents put babies in cribs and playpens for a reason. Same with a pup. As long as pup is not locked up all the time you should be fine. Another point is that puppies should be taken out every couple of hours even when in a crate. Its the fastest way for them to learn the proper place to mess ...if they never get a chance to mess in their crate or in your home it will never become a habit. I did not crate train my old dog either, but she was locked up in a room all day when I was gone...I think the crate is basically the same thing except it keeps your pup safe and your home free from damage. You may want to put a favorite toy or two in the crate so the pup does not get bored if it is locked in for long. When your pup is out of the crate you should always keep your eye on her...if you can not do that then get a leash and keep her with you so you can see what she is doing and know when she has to go mess. Congrats on your new pup and enjoy.

Ah-h a new puppy! Do we have one ear up and one down?

Why are family members telling you to crate? Are any of your other pets dogs? I do know that GS's have been known to chew through walls.

If you are leaving for 4-5 hours you are going to want some kind of containment to keep the dog safe. When you are gone for that long of period, the pup is going to find something to do, and you need to keep him/her out of trouble.

Personally, I've used crates when a puppy was new. Basically to keep them safe when I was gone or sleeping. Also helps with potty training. Has to be a small enclosure for potty training. But gradually I just go to confining them to a room while I am gone. That said, my indoor dogs have all been small. So they can't be as destructive as a GS. And when those puppy teeth start falling out, look out for the chewing.

My current dog was 16 weeks when I got her, and I used the crate for about a month. By that time she was old enough that it wasn't necessary for potty training. She could hold for the short periods I was gone. Now at 10 months she is just confined to the laundry room when I'm gone. Basically to make sure she doesn't chew something up. Otherwise she has free run of the house. She does fine in the house when I'm out mowing the grass, but I still think she's a little young to get complete run of the house for long periods of time.

Have fun teaching your pup his doggy manners.

housefairy - I don't want to hijack this thread, but your comment one ear up, one down?

My adopted german shepard mix,Lily, has ears like that. I always wondered why??

{{!gwi}}

Pamghatten, purebred GS puppies ears will gradually stand up as they get older. So usually one ear will start then the other will follow. Since Lilly is a mix, her gene pool is playing with her ears. She probably has a mix of a flopped ear variety of dog. She's still a cutie.

She is a cutie, and very sweet. I found her on petfinder.com and adopted her when she was 8 months old. She's going to 5 in July, and still has the silly ears.

Thanks for you reply ...

Thanks everyone for your input. The reason for the crate is if and when I go back to work. Leaving the house at 10am and my daughter is home at 2pm. And to use just like all of you mentioned for safety and yes our sanity as well. Thanks again I am going to start using it gradually.

Make certain the crate is big enough for your growing dog better to buy once and have your dog grow into it. I recommend no more than 3 hours crate time. If you are vigilant about giving your dog a really good health half hour walk in the morning before you go out, you should not even need the crate. Add another walk in the afternoon when the first family member returns and another at night and your dog should be more calm in the house. Good luck with whatever you chose. PS - some dogs never need crating, mine have never been crated and they do just fine alone in the house. Some dogs hate crates, some love em. Be certain you have water available and some Kong type toys for boredom relief.

How do you house train a puppy for all night sleep if you don't crate it? That is the only time we ever used a crate for our dogs but it sure does making house-breaking a breeze. By 12 weeks all of our dogs slept 10 hours at night in a crate and of course, didn't soil their beds.

We usually stopped using the crates when they outgrew them or when we could trust the dog to roam the house at night without eating anything they shouldn't.

Usually by locking them up in a room....same principle as crate training without the crate.