Is using a cage for a dog cruel ?

Me idd never cage a dog without a reason, if you do the time limit had got to be small. Some people cage them as they cant be bothered. Cages for a car journey ok theres a point, training in small amounts i can see people do that, ive never had too and hope i never do..

 

Both of my beagles were cage trained as pups, it was their bed/safe place, they were only in the cage to sleep and to be fed so it was a happy/safe place to go for them without the others nicking their food or bothering them and I knew my living room was not going to be destroyed by chewing over night and that any little accidents were confined to one place so easier to clean up.

The cage is big enough for me to fit in and is in my living room, it still is and my dogs are 2 and 9 they use it as an extra bed for those times that the 2 sofas and 3 other dog beds just are not right!! The door is always open and the dogs come and go as they please.

I am so glad that they have no issues with the cage as my eldest boy is recovering from major surgery and is on cage rest for around 16 weeks and he had no problem going in there as it his bed anyway so no barking or trying to escape which is what most dogs would do if they were suddenly restrained in that way. I am all in favour of cages if used responsibly and safely and I am glad I trained my dogs to feel safe in them.

I do agree with you both though that some people may just put there dogs in there because they cant be bothered with them and that is wrong, my boys are part of the family and are normally found on my sofa.

 

I don't think its lazy people my dogs are part of the family but still are caged when we aren't in or at night time, a dog can do a lot of damage when no ones around no matter how trained they are, my dogs love there cage as its never been used as a punishment, its there own safe place, sometimes even when we are in they will go in of there own accord.

 

I think it depends how you use them.. mine are all crate trained but we no longer have their crates due to not enough space. Occasionally we have a visiting dog which uses a crate, and my 3 spend the whole time trying to cram into it because they like them so much!

So no, if used correctly not cruel at all.

 

I fully agree with pippywhippet .. it really depends on how you use the cage. If the cage is (ever) used as a punishment or because owners are lazy, then I'd say it is a wrong way of use.

Using a crate properly can be seen as a person going to their own (metaphorical cage) to sleep for example. I see no problem as long as the dog gets enough exercise and love from its owner(s).

 

Look most owners are great and know there stuff but its just the lazy .owners and they are out there, havnt got a problem with good owners, but like i say not.my cup ov tea.

 

Rocky has a crate in the hall which is his retreat/quiet place. The door is always open and he will come and go as he pleases.

When hubby and me are getting ready to go out Rocky will take himself off to his crate and sit there while we leave. He will then go and jump onto our bed for a snooze while we are out.

As our front door opens out straight onto the pavement we pop Rocky into his crate to avoid him getting outside and into danger from cars moving in the parking area just out the front of our property.

When used correctly they are a God send, but never to be used as a punishment.

 

Yes, but then you can't condemn the whole idea because of bad owners. ANY training tool can be abused. Dogs can be choked to death on regular collars, but you wouldn't say collars were cruel would you?

Or how about the person who believed crates were cruel. Wasn't lazy, thought she had completely puppy proofed her house, went out for 20 minutes and the puppy was dead - hung in the cord from the blinds (true story, friend of mine). I think it would have been less cruel for the pup to be in a confined safe place and be alive than to have strangled to death to put it bluntly (I never would ever put it like that to her).

No matter how careful we are pups are crafty, and we crate for THEIR safety, not OUR convenience. It may not be something you would choose to do and fair play, but please don't judge if you don't understand how they should be used and how they are responsibly used.

And I refer back to my initial statement, ANY training tool/aid can be abused.

Wendy

 

Fair point.. Im just glad i havnt had to go to the crate to train my dogs EVER, would you say crates are there mainly as a put the dog in there for a bit of peace or mainly as a training tool?

 

By the i wasnt condemning the whole idea as i said i havnt got a problem with them with good owners but what i do hate is useless owners with crates with the lack of thought of what they are doing, come on we still get people leaving dogs in cars in hot weather!!!!!

 

No.

 

No what?

They are a training tool, a safe place, a calm place. I try to have mine completely free in the house by the time they're around a year when it's safe. Because I kept two pups they ended up having the crate up longer (one in one out - rotating while out or I came home to chaos). They are now free again, and the crate will go away only to come out for shows or travelling to visit family. The nice thing about it is it is their safe place. When we are in a strange place they know the crate is their spot where they are safe and happy and can't get into trouble and will often just pop themselves in it. When I have a pup and the crate comes out the adults are often 'warring' over who gets to go in it.

If used properly to create a space for them where they're safe and happy it can be of benefit for years to come. If used as a 'time out' it's only because they are wired and need to calm so it would be with a chewy stick or something like that - though to be honest I've rarely used it that way. And if the worst happened and they needed surgery and crate rest later in life from accident or illness then it won't be something scary and foreign to them. Just some other reasons.

And I should say that I started 15'ish years ago as totally anti-crate, thought them cruel until our then only dog decided that in spite of having tons of toys and only be left a couple of hours a day that she would sit in her bed and chew the plaster/paint/skirting board instead. In a 200 year old building! NOT safe! So the lesser of the evils was crating - at least I knew she wouldn't die of lead poisoning. Trained her over a weekend and she adored her crate and I wished I would have done it earlier.

Wendy

 

My little dog loves his cage he goes in there sometimes when grand kids are around and they know they are never to bother him if he is in his cage we leave door open. When we go away in our caravan he sleeps in his cage quite happily I think it all depends on what each individual owner wants to do

 

Personally i don't like them, but then we have a small room (3x4m) that we leave him in at night and when we are out, and i accept not all people have a large enough house for the dog to essentially get their own room (lucky thing though he shares it with a piano. crates should only be for training and containment when you are out, plus must be appropriate sized for your dog - we simply wouldn't have the space as it would block the doors, nor could you fit it in the boot ( we use a dog seatbelt which are meant to be the safest car restraint)as he is med - large, if we had a toy size dog or a badly behaved dog it may be different

 

Sorry......have not been on here for a while.

No.....they are not cruel............I think they are a brilliant piece of kit.......I think every dog should have at least one! I have 4 dogs and 6 crates.....2 in the car and 4 in the house. Every dog has his own crate in the house and is trained to stay relaxed in it while I am not there to supervise. Every dog travels in a secured crate in the car.

Great piece of kit....there would be so many more happy dogs and owners out there if only they would use them!