Crating a Chocolate Lab

[kissofthegypsy]

Hi everyone

 

We are getting a choc labrador and had a few questions.

 

When training her I have been reading up on crating and wondered if anyone else has done this, my wife thinks it sounds barbaric but she hasnt read anything on it yet, just heard me say the term.

 

Also, the puppy will be 8 weeks and we have 3 cats, anything I should be worried about, apparently, if you raise from a puppy with cats then they dont try to kill them as much?

 

Also, anyone else with a chocolate lab care to tell me how awesome they are and what to watch out for, I know the chew and eat lots.

 

Cheers

Sean

[Harpodom]

sorry, I thought this thread was about 'creating a chocolate lab' (along the lines of a meth lab). Hopefully someone will know the answer.....*walks away, mumbling to self*

[RockDr]

hehe, I also read "creating"

 

to be honest, with a dog that size, when are you going to be using a crate outside the house? You can get dog harnesses that clip to the middle seatbelt, or set up something in your car boot, so day to day car travel/going to the vet you probably wouldn't be using a crate. For air travel you'd need a different crate anyway.

 

So I don't really see any benefit in using a crate rather than a normal dog-bed as a "safe" place.

[Guest GeorgeD]

We have a Cocker Spaniel and crated him when he was a puppy at night and when we were out. It helped with his toilet training. He's now nine months old and still sleeps in his crate...it keeps him out of trouble! We keep him outside during the day now, and there isa covered area so he's fine, but at night we pop him in the crate if leaving him unattended. It's not barbaric at all, you're doing it to keep him safe. It's not a punishment for him, it's his bed and he feels safe in it. We have it in the living room and he'll wander in to it from time to time as the door is always open when we are around. At night when we switch the TV off it makes a noise and he recognises the noise...so he gets up from where he was lying and wanders into his cage, looks out and wags his tail because he knows he gets a treat for going to bed!

 

Make sure the crate is big enough, but not too big. You want the dog to be able to lie down or turn comfortably but not much more...this helps with their toilet training as they don't want to wee where they sleep (allegedly!) Ours didn't seem to mind at all sleeping in his own wee but then we discovered he had a kidney infection and this meant he couldn't hold his water. When the tablets cleared that up we never had any more toilet accidents in the house.

 

We'll probably have the crate for as long as we have him. It's his safe place and he likes it. It's also useful to have a place you can send him and know he'll be safe...because it's not a punishment, it's just normal, or in fact he gets rewarded for going into it, he's quite happy being in it.

[Elliott-Family]

hiya

 

We crated both of ours as puppies and they really loved it, just use it as a safe place where they can relax,

we used to put them in to start with for a few mins at a time, it had bedding and some toys and we always used to leave a little treat in it,

we also used it to get them used to being left alone, once they happy in it start popping out of the room, first for a few mins and them longer.

We also had a very strict rule that puppies crates were their santuary and if in it they were not to be fussed or stroked it was their place for time out.

I also believe you should never ever put them in it for punishment, if our were ever naughty they used to get time out in another room but never in the crate.

 

Our first dog always slept in it until a year old even with the door open and we used to store old towels etc on the top, when we got our next puppy she waltzed into the house and into the bed in the crate, our first one too umbrage to this and started sleeping on the top so in effect they had bunk beds lol

 

Claire x

[NowPerth]

Our labrador cried at night when we first got him (8 weeks). After 2 nights we got a crate and he was happy and relaxed at night straight away. They find it secure and reassuring because it's like a den which is natural for them. Make sure you cover half of it with a towel or something to make it a bit dark and cosy. I'm sure the word 'crate' is what makes it sound barbaric to some of us, it's an emotive word. If we used the word 'den' I'm sure we'd be much happier about it. Make sure there is a water bowl in it. Our dog rapidly out grew it, but he used to try and squeeze in anyway because he liked it.

 

We have a cat too. The puppy would try to chase it and was desperate to play, so the cat just kept out of his way (for nearly a year!) until he had calmed down a bit. The cat was definately in charge from the word go, and the dog knew it. If he was on his bed, the cat would walk up and stare for a few seconds, then the dog got up and gave his warm cosy bed to the cat. Now they just share.

 

[Guest]

I've never crated a single dog/pup and we have had many. In puppy days when owners are out it can be good but obviously not for hours on end as it can give the pup issues if shut in and left and they don't just sleep for hours on end.

 

Put it this way, I don't see using them as an excuse to leave them in it all day while out at work. If you get a pup, you need to be around plenty to help socialise it, spend time with it and imprint on it. Crating goes wrong often when dogs are left alone for hours in them while owners go out to work and so on. Not good for a creature that likes to move round a bit, enjoys company and so on. And a pup that will want to play, its not fair to expect it to sit in a wire cage all day.

 

I think if you go about it the right way, let the dog use it as their bed, their place, and don't use it as a place to shut them if they misbehave or chew or some such, or like a punishment, then it can be ok. But again, I personally would never use one. We used to have an iron gate in our hallway so our dogs could have the run of two rooms and a hallway but couldn't get into the sitting room, the front of the house or upstairs. And they could see through it and have plenty of room to move round and not be confined. They had beds in there if they wanted them. If a pup chewed anything in those rooms while we were out it wasn't a biggie for us. TBH though they were not left for that long that they got bored or destructive enough to chew chair legs or pull skirting boards off or chew kitchen cupboards, but pups can do this sort of thing.

 

With cats, I think any pup will want to play initially. You may find your cats will have their noses well and truly put out of joint by the arrival of a pup. And will let their displeasure be known. Usually most pups won't really harm cats in the home, they may want to play but a cat getting in a swipe or its claws out will be enough to put a pup off. I'd be more worried about the cats reaction than the dogs.

 

Labs tend to be chewers of the highest order. I used to find random shoes and wellies out in the paddock and you could be sure it was one of the labs. Same with the kids toys. I don't recall them being furniture chewers though. Just loose objects they would 'find' laying around, steal, play with and abandon.

 

Look at your house and your lifestyle. Will the dog be inside or out living mostly? Is someone home lots to spend time with it that you can build up the time it is left in those early weeks and months? Those sort of things I'd be looking at to see if it maybe would be better to opt for a crate or not bother.

 

People are divided on crates. There are for and against arguments on them. I know a number of rescues who have an absolute no crate policy as many dogs have issues with being shut in confined spaces and crating (I dread to think of their existence before coming in to the rescues in those cases) and I do know of many people who use them as all day shut in's while out or whenever they don't want to be bothered with the dog or some such. Since being in dog rescue I've had my eyes opened far more to things that go on and how people keep their dogs. I've seen some dogs come in that have literally spent their entire lives in crates and confined spaces. Those dogs are tragic to see. Of course, when done responsibly crating can be ok, but at its worst, its cruel.

[JoandJon]

I've never crate trained any of my dogs (ok apart from getting Satch used to the travel crate for her adventure!) and they've been fine.

 

What I did do (and have now converted my entire family to doing) is 'bed' train them They all think of the bed (or each other's beds if they're visiting.... which gets confusing) as a safe place.

 

As for chewing stuff - it's a great way to train yourself (and kids) to put stuff away. Mum had no sympathy if our shoes got chewed if they were left out, you soon learn

 

A lot depends on what you're used to - if you're comfortable with crates and how to use them properly (as the others have described) then it can be good, but I wouldn't bother.

 

Also if you and your wife have very different views on it - it won't work regardless. Think of it like 'training' a teenager, (HA!) you both have to be consistent and calm and positive. If one of you does the opposite or has the wrong energy - it won't work.

 

I love labs