to crate or not to crate

Hi everyone, we bring our female staff home in 4 weeks and I am trying to decide whether or not to crate train.your experiences of crate or no crate would really help whilst making my decision, thank you

Hi and welcome,

Crate training certainly does have a lot of advantages, we got one for Rocky when we first got him, the same day in fact, and he still loves to go in there.

Why not come and make an introduction:

https://staffy-bull-terrier.niceboard.com/f7-new-member-introductions

To be honest I have not used a crate but I have not had a puppy, I think I probably would though.

Lots of people on here use them so you should get some good advise and opinions.

I have never used a crate either but I think if I ever had a pup I certainly would

We've always crated darcy since she came home, it's her sanctuary

I have crate trained since day one with Vinnie. Apart from the first night we got him home it has been a godsend, I still use it now when I go to work and bed times, he loves it in there as it is covered over and always has treats when its time to go in. It is peace of mind for me as I know he is safe and for him as its his safe haven.

I dont mind them being used for beds and then the dog can be locked in for short times of up to one hour but i completely disagree with people who use them to lock the dog up whil ethey go out to work cause "they destroy everything"

Yes would definitely recommend crates, if used properly

We crated harvey from day one, and he took to it very quickly and it made house training him very easy

We also crated both boys when they were new to each other just incase.

I don't use them now, but they are still up should the boys want to go sleep in them for a bit

Hi everyone, thanks for such quick responses, and lots of positivity surrounding crates which has really helped

Hi, I don't use a crate, Katy has the run of most of the house when she's left. Luckily she comes to work with me most days & she hasn't eaten my car either

We never used a crate for Milo he was happy with his bed and he has the kitchen to roam around in. Reason we never tried to crate train was my parents tried to crate train their staffy and as soon as she went in the crate she just flipped out completely so we decided not to bother. My brother on the other hand his staffy loves his crate and uses it to escape the kids and go for peace and quiet

We didn't have a crate for Rocky, and we had him from 9 weeks old. We did get him a kennel, which he stays in at night, during the day he is free to roam around the backyard, we have made sure all fences and gates are completely secure, all gaps are closed off, and I also recommend putting away anything they can get their teeth into, Rocky actually ripped up all of my plants from the garden beds, vegies and all! But I do agree crates can be an advantage, only when used for the correct reasons!

My 2 were both crated in the early days for their safety and for the wellbeing of the house , stopped using around 4-5 months with them and we segregate them when we go out (3-4 hours max but rare) using safety gates . Nothing wrong with crating it was just our choice to give them free reign
I know lots of people don't allow the dogs upstairs etc but to us they are as much a part of the family as us so get to go all the best places in the house including my pc chair and sharing our bed

It all depends on you and your life really, if you go out sometimes, not all day and want piece of mind that your pup is safe and comfy, or if you have other animals then it's great.

Please don't use one for all day crating, if I had to leave Tiger all day I'd make sure she was so well trained she could be left with the run of the house, I don't believe in crating longer than an hour for puppies or 4 hours for grown dogs unless it's unavoidable for a few days, right now Tiger is crated most the day, with the door open because she's recovering from surgery but she happily sits in there like it's nothing, first few days she'd sit in it but once she was out she didn't wanna go back in but, couple treats and she loves it.

Oo! that's another good reason for crates, if there's ever an injury they won't go crazy if they're already used to it, my previous dog wasn't used to crates and when she dislocated her hip, she almost popped it back out trying to get out that crate, we bribed her with hot dogs.

Always always remember, it's a GOOD place to go, your pup WANTS to go in there, it's THEIR little house, it's NOT a punishment. See all those capslocks? Yup Your dog needs to see it as a safe place, not a horrible place you put them after you've yelled. Toys go in there, soft bed, maybe even cover it at night on 3 sides to make sure there's no drafts.

Other than her healing leg, Tiger needs to be in there because if it's chewable, she'll chew it, if it's not chewable, she'll give it a bloody good try so until she's a bit older it's nice to know we can both leave the house and leave Tiger alone. It's also gonna be her escape from the kitties when they stop being scared and start harassing her ;P

My girl loves it in her crate, she runs to get in there after her night time walk, mind you I am sure that's for the treats. it made toilet training easy and she uses it during the day for resting... Its her home.

Hi and welcome to the forum from me and Gwen! Crates are a GREAT training tool if used the right way! I would definitely recommend using a crate! It makes house training easier and it is also much safer to put pup in the crate if you need to leave the house for a little. A pup left out can get into a lot of trouble and even get themselves into very dangerous situations!

You need to introduce the crate very slowly! If you just throw her in there she will be scared and absolutely hate her crate! If you do it the right way her crate will become somewhere that she likes to go to take a nap and a place she feels safe in. You need to make it a positive place. Put a nice blanket or bed and a few toys in for her. Leave the door of the crate open and place a few treats around it at first. Then put a treat in the crate. Once you do this you can give her a kong and let her enjoy it in the crate with the door open. Once she is comfortable you can close the door. Only leave it closed for about 5 minutes at first and stay in the room where she can see you. Then you can gradually increase the time.

Hi everyone, thank you for your help.sarah is now almost 10 weeks old.we did get a crate for her.we were worried about leaving her down stairs at night with our other dog max.the first 2 nights that she was with us we closed the crate door and had a gate on the kitchen door as extra protection (so I could sleep without worrying, clearly being over orotective lol) night 3 we left the crate door open.little did we know that with enough persistance sarah could squeeze through the gate.we found her curled up next to max the nexr morning.they've been inseparable ever since.so we do have a crate, she loves it, she uses it to sleep in or to retriet if the house become to noisey but we chose to leave the door open.there may become a time when she looses free rain of the house but unless she gives us a reason not to trust her we are happy as is.....
So to crate or not to crate? Ask me in 6 months lol and ill let you know if my house is still here xx

Awww glad it's going well  

Have you got any pics?

I prefer "areas" to crates. I hate the thought of a dog in a cage unable to walk about.