To crate or not to crate that is the question?
We are trying to decide whether or not we should crate Lola or not. I have had good and bad experiences with crating dogs in the past so I'm not sure what to do this time around.
When my mom and I had our Brittany Spaniels we crate our 1st one Jax. He was used to being in a cage from where he was breed so it wasn't a problem. Our other dog belle on the other hand was never used to being in a crate so when we put her in she used to squeeze herself through the bars. We were so nervous she was going to get stuck and strangle herself that we gated her off iin the hallway and it worked GREAT!! So we are contemplating doing the same thing. Number 1 crates are very expensive and number 2 they take up a ton of space!! I think I'd rather let her have a little more room too.. And by gating her in our hallway that would do so.
I'm also nervous that since she has never been crated she'll hate it and cry and whimper and be upset. And the last thing I want to do is upset her. I think taking her away from her mom and litter is cruel enough (yes, I'm upset and having extreme anxiety about that, I don't want her upset, but that's for another post another day, lol)
So I guess I'm looking for any advice you may have whether it be about crating or not. Let me know I'm like a new mom wanting all the adive I can get, lol....
Happy Wednesday!!!
5 comments:
After a couple of days Lola will get used to being away from the mommy and the litter. It literally took Dallas 2 days to get over it. He's crated when we are at work and its good for him.
People don't crate their dogs because they don't want the dogs to make a mess but rather to protect them. You don't know if your dog will find an electrical outlet and start chewing on it and hurting herself or burning your house down.
When its time for us to go to work Dallas gets in his cage and doesn't cry at all. They get used to it and start to feel like its their home.
www.petstore.com is a great place for a small cage for Lola at great prices (I work in the pet industry). I think that you will all be better if Lola is crated.
I agree, crating is the best. It teaches them boundaries early on. We crated our puppy right away when we first got him, and it helped potty train him and give him boundaries. best decision for us and the pup. after a few months we thought we'd give him "freedom" and let him sleep outside his crate for a while he ended up peeing everywhere, and not sleeping through the night. big mistake, we went back to crating him and things are good now. now that he's older we only crate him at night and at dinner while we're eating to prevent from begging or forming bad habits.
I crated Brodie when I was in my apartment in college, did not have any problems. Now we have a backyard, so he and Maisie are outside during the day while we are at work, but we still crate Maisie at night. She likes it; it's her little den, and it's the best way for her to get a solid block of sleep without being distracted by all the mischief she could get into if she was left out at night (i.e. peeing in the kitchen! ugh the most annoying thing to wake up to!)
I didn't take Lucy away from brothers and sisters since I got her from the pound, but the very first thing I did for her was to crate train her. I definitely recommend it. It keeps her out of trouble during the day, and it's a safe space for her.
My dad sent me a video on bring a new puppy home last summer. I'll look it up and send you the information on it, if you would like. It had some fantastic information in it on starting off in the crate slowly and getting the dog used to it and to enjoy it.
CRATE!! I can't say it enough! CRATE!!!
It is actually the best thing for her and they actually crave a space that they know is safe. It actually makes them less stressed and more comfortable because they know their space and they fee safe.
Also, it keeps your shoes safe! :)
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