# How long do you leave your babies crated?



## Paco Taco (Dec 12, 2005)

My husband is going to be working 1st shift starting next week. I work 1st as well. His shift will be earlier than mine and he'll be home around 3:45. I leave around 8:30 am so he'll be crated from then until my husband gets home.

Do you think this is too long?

I've also been thinking about confining him to the kitchen but he's just such a little brat that he'll probably get into anything and everything!


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## LexiAndNikkisMom (Apr 13, 2004)

Depends on how old your furbaby is, how long he can hold it and how he is potty trained (outside or pad).


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## k/c mom (Oct 9, 2004)

8 hours in a crate seems too long to me but when you think about it... there are people whose Malts sleep in crates and that is prob. 8 hours. But I try not to leave mine for more than 5 hours and I try for under that. If you have to leave him for 8 and you don't trust him in a room, maybe you can get a really large crate.. at least where he can stand and stretch really good or a safe play pen. If you do a play pen I'd try it when you're home to see if there is something that isn't safe about it first before leaving him in it.


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## Carole (Nov 1, 2005)

I never crated....but never left mine alone in the playpen (with their items of need) more than four hours.
If I was crating I don't think I would have the heart personally to go more than 3 hours. I get to nervous about being away at all and can never get home fast enough.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

If Paco is still a baby (under 6 months), then that is a long time for him to hold it. I would get a dog walker to let him out midday. If he's an adult, 8 hours is fine.


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## Paco Taco (Dec 12, 2005)

> 8 hours in a crate seems too long to me but when you think about it... there are people whose Malts sleep in crates and that is prob. 8 hours. But I try not to leave mine for more than 5 hours and I try for under that. If you have to leave him for 8 and you don't trust them in a room, maybe you can get a really large crate.. at least where he can stand and stretch really good or a safe play pen. If you do a play pen I'd try it when you're home to see if there is something that isn't safe about it first before leaving him in it.[/B]



I was thinking it was a really long time and I'd be nervous about it all day long. I get nervous when we go out at night for only a few hours at a time. He does sleep in his crate at night and he's usually in there for at least 8 hours at a time then.... he'd be out for a few hours and then he'd go back in for 8 more. I'd feel terrible.









I have a much larger crate that I was thinking about using for him. It's large enough for food, water and a pee pad.


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## fifi (Jan 26, 2006)

I do not know how your baby is, but Fifi is going to be 1 year old next week, and is confined in the kitchen from 8h00 am until 5h00pm, as we are both teachers. She never has any accident, does not use a pad (goes outdoor), and is really a happy dog. I know it may sound cruel, but she has known so much hardship in the past, that she feels pampered just being in the warmth, with food, water, and the radio on for music. She is like this since we got her at 6 months from the OSPCA, and this is what we have to do in order to work. It keeps the lamb chops and the chicken breast on the table for her







Our vet said to us not to worry so much: just like children, it is quality time that counts, and she gets plenty of that when we are home. I have to say that she is not confined during the night, as she sleeps with us.


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## kodie (Aug 24, 2004)

I always had a pen for kodie.







He never had to hold it.


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## Kisses-4-Princess (Dec 4, 2005)

I always think a crate within a play pen is a better idea, especially for a long period of time. One thing you can also do is set up a web cam to the play pen.

So during the few hours that we are at work and have to leave her at home. We have a webcam pointed at her play pen so we cann watch her and know what she's doing at all times. This is great because for small pups, we can see how often she is eating- if she's really peeing on her pee pad etc.


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## Caesar's Mommie (Apr 8, 2004)

Caesar had been in a large crate when he was younger when we would be gone. Then we left him out for awhile here at the apt. We have now gone back to the crate, we both think he perfers it. When he was left out he would bark like crazy at any noise outside (I'm sure drove our neighbors nuts), and when we put up a baby gate in the kitchen, he climbed it each time. Now that he is back in the crate, he doesnt make a peep at all, and when he hears us unlock the door, he just paws at the door. Where as before, while being out of the crate, when he heard us walk up to the door or unlock it, he would bark like crazy. This is what we have in his crate with him: a blanket for the floor, a water dish that attaches to the door, toys, treats, food, and this big "Meaty Bone" from Walmart that is like a very thick large dog biscut that he gets while in there. He scrapes his teeth on it to eat it and when it starts to get thin to the point where he can bite through it, we take it out of the cage and just let him have it while suppervised (to prevent choking). The time he is in there varies for us because of our crazy schedules. I think that if you are afraid of him not being able to hold it, maybe put a puppy pad in the corner for him to go if he needs to. We used to do that with Caesar, but don't anymore.


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## msmagnolia (Sep 8, 2004)

This is my suggestion: get an exercise pen similar to this: http://www.ferretstore.com/mw-10029.html

and get the pad for the bottom (because it is waterproof and can be washed: http://www.ferretstore.com/mr-00261.html

Then put a small crate inside and a pee pad and maybe even a water bottle on the side. This will keep your puppy safe while you are gone and still leave some room to move around. Make sure he doesn't have a collar on so it can't get caught in the bars.

I crate trained my bichon but I was never gone more than 3-4 hours during the day. My maltese had pens like this and it worked just as well, but gave them a little extra room.


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## puppymom (Jun 13, 2005)

Ty has always been crated for 9 hours a day. When he was 3 months old I left a small pad in the corner of his crate and he would use the pad. About the time he was 5 months old I noticed the the pad was most often dry when I got home so I stopped putting it down. He has a fairly large crate, big enough for his bed, a small play area and food dishes. He is now 11 months old is crated 9 hours while I am at work and does quite well. Because he is in the crate while I am at work I do not crate him at nite (he sleep on my pillow









I think one "price" I paid for crating him during the day for so long however was that he was not a good sleeper at night. He did not sleep through the night untill very recently. It was not at all unusual for him to wake me up at 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning to play. I would usually give in to him and quietly play and cuddle with him when he woke me up because I figured that if he was sleeping for that long during the day it wasn't reasonable to also expect him to also sleep that long at night. I'll admit that there were some night's it was pretty frustrating but at almost a year now he is doing very well with sleeping all night.


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## bklynlatina (Nov 16, 2005)

Chulita stays inside a play pen while we are at work/school. She is there from about 7:40am until 3:00pm during the weekdays only. I have been doing this since the day I brought her home. You can buy more "extentions" to it to make it even bigger which I plan on doing. I feel better while I'm at work knowing she is safe and still has plenty of space while I'm gone. She has her little travel crate in there, food, water, toys, and puppy pad.


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## steponme (Aug 26, 2004)

Macy and Dakota stay in there crates for about 8 hours they do just fine. I work from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm. Well one time Dakota did have a accident, that was because one day I had to work late. And I couldn't go home and let them out. I always make sure they have there toys and chew bones in there crates so they won't get board.


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## Dutymum (Jan 3, 2006)

Madeline is 5 months and is crated at night and when I go out, I dont work so its never for that long in the day time, if Im going visiting someone for a long time, I will take her with me. But she does go to bed at 11 pm and I get her up at 9 am thats 9 hours, she never even crys, I usually have to drag her out of there in the mornings, she must not be a morning person.

She has always done really well in the crate, when she was really little, I had a play pen for her, but she hated that, she would cry and jump up and have a fit, so I never used it, just put her in the crate instead which she seemed to like better.


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