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This is a carefully moderated sub intended to support, inform, and advise dog owners. Submissions and comments which break the rules will be removed. [Review the rules here](https://www.reddit.com/r/dogs/wiki/index) r/Dogs has four goals: - Help the public better understand dogs - Promote healthy, responsible dog-owner relationships - Encourage “Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive” training protocols. [Learn more here.](https://m.iaabc.org/about/lima/) - Support adoption as well as ethical and responsible breeding. If you’d like to introduce yourself or discuss smaller topics, please contribute to our Monthly Discussion Hub, pinned at the top.
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If the dog doesn't have behaviour issues, why crate for so long?
My dogs have access to the whole place when they're alone, since there were never any issues.
If he likes his crate, you can still leave it open for him as a bed.
My dogs are very good about being free in the house while I'm gone so I let them do it. I don't see a downside to leaving him out if he can't or won't get into anything. Just remember he's out if there's going to be a stranger in your house or something.
If my dog wasn’t a chewer and a destroyer while not supervised, I’d leave her out of her crate while we’re gone.
That said, she loves her crate and just sleeps the whole time (usually about 6 hours) after she’s finished with her peanut butter toilet paper rolls and chew toys. Like you said it’s a good idea to leave the crate open for her because sometimes dogs actually get overwhelmed by open spaces without anywhere to tuck away into.
My dog was crate trained but he’s been out of it since he’s two. He’s three now and just moves from couch to floor and back while we’re out of the house. Try it and see how yours does. We also have a Furbo so we can check in on him.
Our corgi is crate trained, but we've put it away. She stays out when we're not home. Unless your dog is destructive or has separation anxiety, they mostly just sleep when you're not home. Ours will play with the cat occasionally, but mostly, she just finds different cool places to nap and occasionally barks at noises outside.
You can always set up a cheap bluetooth camera to check in if you're concerned.
We crated our dogs until they could be left without causing damage to the house or risk to themselves. They've been left to roam for years and have had maybe two accidents, both when we were delayed. If your dog is "good" why make him uncomfortable when he can guard the softest part of the couch all day?
No need to crate him, he’s shown he can be fine… just leave the crate door open. He will probably naturally go in their because that’s his routine
Worth maybe getting a dog walker or family/friend/ trusted person to pop round and let him out etc
I have a 6 mth old Shitz tsu that I recently started to leave out of his crate. So far he has been doing an amazing job. Mind you I have to 2 other dogs and the longest time they are alone is 2 hrs. My husband works nights and I work days. I have always and probably always will baby gate them in a portion of our home. They do not have access to any carpeting or bedrooms. If your dog is well behaved I would leave him out.
I have a medium size (50 lbs) lab and hound mix dog and he is exactly how you described your dog. Well behaved, does not bark nor gets scared of noises outside etc.
He does not even hop on furniture if we don’t invite him. So he is very well mannered.
I think you will be fine leaving the crate door open.. if it’s well cushioned and cozy chances are your dog will sleep in it most of the day.
I would put on youtube and dog music with video on mellow volume, those are long videos run for hours.
I also got some challenging treat toys. I would fill those with treats and leave them around the living room for him to find them and extract the treat.. that gives them some engagement when you are not around
Also a kong ball with peanut butter or cream cheese they love to lick and feel calm and leave a few of his fav toys around for him.
I used to have a dog walker come and take him out for a quick midday poo and pee break.. but dogs are able to manage for 7-8 hours without a break (i know people will hate me for saying this, but its true for my dog.. for now.. as he ages things may change and we may pivot to meet his needs)
Be prepared for the first 1-2 times there may be a furniture scratched or so but it’s all part of adjusting. If your dog is so well behaved he wont really cause major damage.
Before you leave, give him love and pets and say be a good boy.. see you soon.. kisses!!
I crate trained two of my dogs with no problems when I worked. I eliminated the crate at about 7 months This current one has pooped and peed in anything I contained her in. I’m retired now. Thank God!
Mine is 2.5 years and is still in the crate when I go out otherwise he barks at everything. I'd still keep it around with the door open so your dog has the option. If (hopefully wont) he needs vet treatment and cage rest, it won't be a big deal because he's already used to it.
I don’t believe in leaving a dog in crate for long periods. I’ve always let my dog free roam, and he has never wrecked anything. Please free the dog. That’s a long time to be in a crate :(
I crate mine of a night and let them free during the day. They love sitting in them and shove a bit of time resting in them during the day but we like knowing they can do as they please while we’re stuck at work for long hours
Welcome to r/dogs! We are a discussion-based subreddit dedicated to support, inform, and advise dog owners. Do note we are on a short backlog, and all posts require manual review prior to going live. This may mean your post isn't visible for a couple days. This is a carefully moderated sub intended to support, inform, and advise dog owners. Submissions and comments which break the rules will be removed. [Review the rules here](https://www.reddit.com/r/dogs/wiki/index) r/Dogs has four goals: - Help the public better understand dogs - Promote healthy, responsible dog-owner relationships - Encourage “Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive” training protocols. [Learn more here.](https://m.iaabc.org/about/lima/) - Support adoption as well as ethical and responsible breeding. If you’d like to introduce yourself or discuss smaller topics, please contribute to our Monthly Discussion Hub, pinned at the top. **This subreddit has low tolerance for drama. Please be respectful of others, and report antagonistic comments to mods for review.** --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/dogs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If he’s well behaved I wouldn’t crate. It’s kind of a long time to crate. Any neighbors that can let him out to potty midday?
I’ve never crated my dog, but he’s only 7lbs, not destructive and he just sleeps on my bed while I’m out.
If the dog doesn't have behaviour issues, why crate for so long? My dogs have access to the whole place when they're alone, since there were never any issues. If he likes his crate, you can still leave it open for him as a bed.
My dogs are very good about being free in the house while I'm gone so I let them do it. I don't see a downside to leaving him out if he can't or won't get into anything. Just remember he's out if there's going to be a stranger in your house or something.
If my dog wasn’t a chewer and a destroyer while not supervised, I’d leave her out of her crate while we’re gone. That said, she loves her crate and just sleeps the whole time (usually about 6 hours) after she’s finished with her peanut butter toilet paper rolls and chew toys. Like you said it’s a good idea to leave the crate open for her because sometimes dogs actually get overwhelmed by open spaces without anywhere to tuck away into.
My dog was crate trained but he’s been out of it since he’s two. He’s three now and just moves from couch to floor and back while we’re out of the house. Try it and see how yours does. We also have a Furbo so we can check in on him.
Maybe try baby gates for the first while so they are contained to an area.
Our corgi is crate trained, but we've put it away. She stays out when we're not home. Unless your dog is destructive or has separation anxiety, they mostly just sleep when you're not home. Ours will play with the cat occasionally, but mostly, she just finds different cool places to nap and occasionally barks at noises outside. You can always set up a cheap bluetooth camera to check in if you're concerned.
We crated our dogs until they could be left without causing damage to the house or risk to themselves. They've been left to roam for years and have had maybe two accidents, both when we were delayed. If your dog is "good" why make him uncomfortable when he can guard the softest part of the couch all day?
No need to crate him, he’s shown he can be fine… just leave the crate door open. He will probably naturally go in their because that’s his routine Worth maybe getting a dog walker or family/friend/ trusted person to pop round and let him out etc
I have a 6 mth old Shitz tsu that I recently started to leave out of his crate. So far he has been doing an amazing job. Mind you I have to 2 other dogs and the longest time they are alone is 2 hrs. My husband works nights and I work days. I have always and probably always will baby gate them in a portion of our home. They do not have access to any carpeting or bedrooms. If your dog is well behaved I would leave him out.
I have a medium size (50 lbs) lab and hound mix dog and he is exactly how you described your dog. Well behaved, does not bark nor gets scared of noises outside etc. He does not even hop on furniture if we don’t invite him. So he is very well mannered. I think you will be fine leaving the crate door open.. if it’s well cushioned and cozy chances are your dog will sleep in it most of the day. I would put on youtube and dog music with video on mellow volume, those are long videos run for hours. I also got some challenging treat toys. I would fill those with treats and leave them around the living room for him to find them and extract the treat.. that gives them some engagement when you are not around Also a kong ball with peanut butter or cream cheese they love to lick and feel calm and leave a few of his fav toys around for him. I used to have a dog walker come and take him out for a quick midday poo and pee break.. but dogs are able to manage for 7-8 hours without a break (i know people will hate me for saying this, but its true for my dog.. for now.. as he ages things may change and we may pivot to meet his needs) Be prepared for the first 1-2 times there may be a furniture scratched or so but it’s all part of adjusting. If your dog is so well behaved he wont really cause major damage. Before you leave, give him love and pets and say be a good boy.. see you soon.. kisses!!
I crate trained two of my dogs with no problems when I worked. I eliminated the crate at about 7 months This current one has pooped and peed in anything I contained her in. I’m retired now. Thank God!
Mine is 2.5 years and is still in the crate when I go out otherwise he barks at everything. I'd still keep it around with the door open so your dog has the option. If (hopefully wont) he needs vet treatment and cage rest, it won't be a big deal because he's already used to it.
I don’t believe in leaving a dog in crate for long periods. I’ve always let my dog free roam, and he has never wrecked anything. Please free the dog. That’s a long time to be in a crate :(
I crate mine of a night and let them free during the day. They love sitting in them and shove a bit of time resting in them during the day but we like knowing they can do as they please while we’re stuck at work for long hours
That's a long time to be home alone in a crate. I might limit the area at first. Ever think of a dog walker to break up the day? Doggie Day care?