I have a general question about how long you all feel comfortable leaving your dog in a crate. My Lab is 8 months old and very comfortable in her crate, but I struggle with feeling really guilty if I leave her crate for more than 3 or 4 hours. Fortunately, she never has to be crated for more than 6 hours, but I still get anxious just thinking about it. I asked a similar question in another forum and was flooded with responses from people saying they NEVER crate their dog for more than 2 or 3 hours, which only added to my anxiety.
It’s alright. In addition, I stopped closing my golden retriever’s crate door when he was about 8 or 9 months old. I was shocked to see how non-destructive he was considering how destructive he could be in the room with me. He does nothing but wait for me to get home while I go to sleep.
Instead of crating my dog, we keep her in a tiny laundry/bathroom area that has a bed and an optional crate, so it’s basically the same thing. When we tried to offer her some independence one day by leaving the door of her room cracked, she screamed and wept for twenty minutes while I waited outside and observed. She immediately fell asleep once I went back inside, put her in her room, shut the door, and left. More freedom is not something my dog enjoys.
Well informed! Determining the right time to decrate might be difficult. I believe that my girl learns to relax when she is in her crate because she is still very much a puppy and quite lively, but perhaps I should try opening the door earlier than I had anticipated.
She still causes havoc when I’m around, even after 2.5 years of mine. She basically lies about and sleeps while I’m not. When you arrive home, it’s time to go nuts.
I crate our husky between six hours and about 10 hours if my bf is traveling. But he loves his crate.
I spend almost eight hours a day crate-training my husky. When properly trained, they don’t mind if they recognize that as their den. Even when I’m home and the door is open, my daughter will eat and chew on her toys and sleep in her crate. If used properly, crates are not a bad thing.