Dog Question....

sponger wrote:

Wow, I can't believe how many people actually keep their dogs in a crate for several hours a day.

Would you do that to your own children. Dogs have the mentality of a 2 year old child. You wouldn't keep a 2 year old child in a box all day, would you?

There are ways to train dogs to deal with the anxiety of being alone. It takes a lot of effort...I guess it's easier to box them up.

Not even animal shelters keep animals in crates for that long, and those animals often develop mental problems from being crated as much as they are.

If you can't treat your pets humanely, then don't get any.

I've seen this before.....

"wow. just wow."

sponger wrote:

Wow, I can't believe how many people actually keep their dogs in a crate for several hours a day.

Would you do that to your own children. Dogs have the mentality of a 2 year old child. You wouldn't keep a 2 year old child in a box all day, would you?

There are ways to train dogs to deal with the anxiety of being alone. It takes a lot of effort...I guess it's easier to box them up.

Not even animal shelters keep animals in crates for that long, and those animals often develop mental problems from being crated as much as they are.

If you can't treat your pets humanely, then don't get any.

imalive wrote:

wish I could hold it that long! :rolleyes:

Actually, I think they can hold it a little longer. Might depend on breed...

yea, i think you are right...i couldn't remember exactly.

imalive wrote:

Whoa, whoa, whoa!!! You live in SF and your dog is named Dodger? WTF??

From a bladder standpoint, we tried to never leave Shelby for more than 9 hours, max. My wife used to say Shelby would explode before she would disappoint us (by peeing in the house). RIP, girl.

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll56/ddgrh8r/IMG_1293.jpg

my gawd that dog is gorgeous!
my old doggie sinead was the same way, NEVER an accident in the house, never destructive, etc. she was the BEST dog, by far, i have ever had the pleasure of sharing life with. my dog chloe now is such an obedient dog, just wants to do what you want her to, but she does have a few bad habits. our fault more than hers of course, but whatever. now igby does have accidents. not often, but sometimes. some of them simply b/c he doesn't go while he's outside b/c he's too busy playing...othertimes he simply can't hold it. he's a pug, so i understand it is difficult. most of the time though, he does manage to go accident-free 11 hours a day. if igby can, any dog over 1-1.5 can.


as far as crating, almost all reputable dog trainers WILL tell you crating is a very GOOD idea, an excellent training tool and also offers a dog a sense of security. no, they would not suggest crating a dog for 8-11 hours straight every day, but most especially at the puppy stage whenever they are not being 100% supervised, to crate them. i've used crates in the past with previous dogs, but never too long, and nevr for an entire workday. as whiz mentioned earlier, having a relativily doggie proof room or rooms that you confine them in is the best idea....along with toys for distractions and lots of love and exercise when you are home.

My dog -- 16-month old lab -- is by himself for at least nine hours a day and many times longer than that as I often have to pull after hours work.
But, he is not capable of being left alone in the house, as he is quite a fuck up still, so he stays in the backyard/garage.....I have a pet door in the back of the garage that allows him to go into the fence area