Questions about Crates?

[ehall5]

I am going to be moving in with my sister this weekend, and she would prefer that my dog stay in a crate when no one is at home. Do any of you keep your yorkies in a crate? If so, how do they like it (or do they)? And what kind of crate do you have (wire, soft, etc.) and how big?

Also, my Bentley is just over a year old. Is he going to have a hard time adjusting since he has never had to be in a crate before, except at the groomers?

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks,
Elene

[TatumsMom]

I think Tatum is very comfortable and feels safe in her crate. I do not keep food or water in her crate because we are not gone long enough at a time that she can't wait. Also is too tempting for them to eat and drink and then have to go potty. Her's is pretty small - big enough for her to stand up, turn around. I did have to buy one for our older toy poodle to use the last maybe 3 years of his life and since he wasn't use to one, I bought the biggest plastic one I could find (for a 100 lb. dog) so that he could have a place to potty away from his blanket if he had to. He was old and couldn't hold it sometimes so I had to give him the room to do this if he needed to. But they say that it should not be so big that they really have room to potty in it as this teaches them to hold it better.

I think at a year old, yours shouldn't have too much of a problem adjusting. Just be firm and don't go get him out as soon as he starts barking right after being put in. I think he'll do just fine.

[chachi]

I have a small crate that I transport them in but i wouldnt recommend that for keeping them in for a long time. I also have an xpen they are great. They fold all up which makes them great for traveling. You can make them bigger or smaller by folding the panels. I got mine at Pets Supplie Plus but they have them on Ebay too.

[JeffJ]

Ours are crate trained, and have been using their crates since we brought them home at 12 weeks old. They are now almost 2 years old and they spend about 8 hours a day (when we're at work) in there with an hour break for lunch, and occasionally some time on the weekend when we're running errands. They don't seem to mind because we give them treats anytime they have to go in there. They practically kick me out of the house in the morning so they can "go to bed" and get their treats.

Here's a picture of their daytime crate - it's wire, and 24" by 36" for the two of them. At night, they sleep in an 18" by 24" crate of the same style. We don't give them treats at bedtime, but they still hop right in and are comfortable in there. Occasionally they'll go in the crates for naps without us making them go in there, so it can't be too horrible for them.

[margaritaville]

I had a wire crate 24x24inches when it was just Bubba. He didn't mind it at all. All I had to do was tap it and say crate and he'd go in because he knew he'd get treat. When we got the next one the crate was a little too small for both so we purchased an exercise pen, most of the time we don't open it to the full size. Now they both stay in there when we are out and have room for their beds in there with some toys. When we are home the door stays open and sometimes they just go in and lay down. I think they feel safe in there and I know that when I'm out I feel more comfortable in knowing that they aren't in to something like chewing on electrical wires or plants.

[Meg]

Oh, I just had this happen!!!
We recently moved from one apt to another and we used to put him in a large bathroom while we were gone, but when we moved I felt horrible because he had kind of thrashed it.

So when we moved here we got a crate like Jeffs (big and spacious, room for bed, toys, food and water bowls). And we started putting him in there and I feel so good about it. We got it at Wal-Mart. It was the X-Large size, so he actually has plenty of room. And I have it set up in a room with big windows and a celine fan to keep it bright and airy.

I have also read that having a small dog in a smaller area can actually be better for them. It helps with anxiety, because they don't have the whole house to "look after". (Book:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/079...Fencoding=UTF8)

Good Luck!

[YorkieGuru]

I crate trained mine at an early age. He doesn't mind it at all. He feels safe in there. I have a bigger one so he has room for toys, a pillow to sleep on, and plenty of room to move about. I have left him out to see if I could trust him to run the house, and he chewed on some pieces of wood trim I had. And he loves to chew on phone cords, so I feel he is alot safer in his crate.

[ehall5]

I just wanted to thank you all for your advice and help! This definitely makes me feel better about using a crate. Except now I can't decide if a crate or a playpen would be better. He would not be left alone for too long, and he is also potty-trained on the pee pads, so maybe the playpen would be a better option.

Anyways, just wanted to say THANKS!!!

Elene

[Mydogkelsey]

Originally Posted by ehall5

I am going to be moving in with my sister this weekend, and she would prefer that my dog stay in a crate when no one is at home. Do any of you keep your yorkies in a crate? If so, how do they like it (or do they)? And what kind of crate do you have (wire, soft, etc.) and how big?

Also, my Bentley is just over a year old. Is he going to have a hard time adjusting since he has never had to be in a crate before, except at the groomers?

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks,
Elene

I leave Kelsey in her crate while I'm away..working, running errands, etc. I put a very comfy blanket and a few toys she can't tear apart in with her to keep her occupied. I think your dog wont like it at first, but will adjust over time. He might cry and throw a fit at first..but give him time. When you let him out of course shower him with praise and let him know he was a good boy while in his crate..

[Mydogkelsey]

Originally Posted by YorkieGuru

I crate trained mine at an early age. He doesn't mind it at all. He feels safe in there. I have a bigger one so he has room for toys, a pillow to sleep on, and plenty of room to move about. I have left him out to see if I could trust him to run the house, and he chewed on some pieces of wood trim I had. And he loves to chew on phone cords, so I feel he is alot safer in his crate.

I feel the same way about Kelsey. Occasionally she'll mess up and get into something..so If I'm gone for a while (a few hours or more) I will leave her in her crate where she can be protected.