Question:
I am a member of a Pit Bull forum and many people on the forum work and crate their dog while they are gone during the day. There is one member who is strongly opposed to crating for long periods of time. Unfortunately, if we do get a dog, the dog will have to be crated when we are not home during the day. What do all of you think? Is it cruel to be in a crate for 7 hours a day? The other option is building a kennel but there is no way in heck I would leave a dog unattended, outside! That is a disaster waiting to happen.



Answer:
How big of a crate? Would the dog be able to move around in the crate?

My dog used destroy the house when she was a puppy and left alone, so she had to stay in a large, homemade indoor kennel (made out of fencing), in which she had plenty of room to walk around and to play. Would something like that be an option?


Answer:
hrm..i guess it depends on the dog..

personally, i would PREFER to have two dogs that can keep each other company, but if they are destructive or not completely potty trained, then crating is the only alternative, until the destructive behavior (which having a friend can help) and potty training (which the crating helps) is solved.

it's much LESS cruel than some of the alternatives

though i think putting the television on or something where they can watch would be nice...i don't know if they actually DO watch it, but Lucy seems much more comfortable with that kind of background noise...but then, lucy isn't exactly your normal mutt


Answer:
We used to leave the radio on for Jessie.


Answer:
Danielle, yes, the crate would be big enough to move around but not huge enough where the dog could use the bathroom in one area and sleep in another. As for an indoor kennel, we would have room in the dining room for one.

When we fostered a Pittie we kept her in the kitchen and she was not destructive at all.


Answer:
Jami, I will be thankful enough if the owner allows us to have 1 dog but 2? Not likely. I always leave the radio on for the chinnies so that wouldn't be a problem.


Answer:
Originally Posted by Denise
Jami, I will be thankful enough if the owner allows us to have 1 dog but 2? Not likely. I always leave the radio on for the chinnies so that wouldn't be a problem.
lol yeah, i was just speaking ideally

i don't think it is exactly cruel, but like was suggested, allowing a bigger space might be a better alternative (if the puppy is potty trained and out of teething and stuff :P)


Answer:
From what I read, the crate should be big enough for the dog to turn around and stretch its legs. Any bigger, and there is a chance the dog will use an area of the crate for its bathroom.


Answer:
crating actually can protect the dog while you are gone, who wants to come home to a dog that has been hurt by chewing on wires or something in the house. pippin is crated when we go to work, but luckily for us scott and i work opposite shifts most of the time and i leave at 2pm and scott gets home at 5pm. the nights when we both work late, scott comes home on his lunch and lets the dogs out. the rest of the time that we are home we leave pippin out. a crate eases your mind when you have a puppy and when he/she is old enough to be left out you can start doing that. we crated pippin always with the thought that it is temporary.
at night he has started sleeping with us, ( mental note, get a king sized bed he he ) when i leave i always leave the radio on for the dogs, or.. i leave on animal planet so they have some company


Answer:
Originally Posted by Denise
From what I read, the crate should be big enough for the dog to turn around and stretch its legs. Any bigger, and there is a chance the dog will use an area of the crate for its bathroom.
Jess' kennel was really big, and I don't think that she ever used it as a bathrooom.