Curbly

We raise German Shorthaired Pointer's. We currently have our 6 adult dogs + 6 puppies from this years litter. 4 of my dogs can be trusted completely while 2 can't be trusted free range in the house when we aren't home. 3 sleep in bed with my husband & I (king sized lol), 3 sleep in their dog room. The puppies each have their own crate & 1 of our dogs has her own crate because she runs inside it & screams until we close the crate door at night. LoL! Obviously I'm an AKC breeder. I believe crate training is important both for the dog & the owner. Each individual dog has different idea's of their safe zone & each individual dog owner has the responsibility to choose what's best for their furry family member & the humans involved. With high-energy dogs that become bored easily a crate is highly recommended. With less active dogs, maybe not. What I don't believe in is keeping an outdoor-only dog. Some dogs, including my own, prefer to spend the majority of the day outside (we have a pet door), however I believe if your dog isn't a family member & given his/her own spot inside the home, you probably shouldn't own a dog. Just my opinion. ;-)

I crate my dogs at feeding time to make sure everyone is eating the right amounts and so that any special needs animals get their special food or medications without conflict. At other times of the day and night, the crates are left open and the dogs often choose to go into them. Some of the dogs pace and get frustrated at times when no crate is available. They prefer them to the dog beds. I like the idea of incorporating crates into the home furnishings.

Charmander-
There is a huge difference between crating a dog for awhile and crating a dog all day long.  I have a boy I adopted that spent the first two years of his life living in a shelter run, while bigger than a crate, it is hardly healthy, and his mental disabilities became worse from it.   I will also add, that if I want to ensure that my 70 lbs special needs mutt will have a long life, it is absolutely necessary that he be locked up when no body is home.  I've tried putting things away, building enormous barricades in front of the kitchens entrance, child locks, you name it..but when it comes down to it, my dog WILL get in the kitchen and into the trash, cabinets, and fridge one way or another.  He'll remove barricades, tear things down, tear things apart, he opens cabinets, fridges, you name it.  Some doors he will open, he can turn on the oven accidently by jumping up to sniff whats on it, and can open the oven.  Turns on faucets because running water is more appealing than water in a dish.  He's tried to literally eat walls, flooring, plates, and has successfully eating a glass bottle before.  He KNOWS he is not allowed to do this, and he is the perfect dog when someones here, but the minute he is left alone he turns into a stubborn jacka*s who does what he wants.  To me, I don't give a rats a*s what he could ever do to my house or furniture when I am away, it's about the havoc he creates for himself and the danger he puts himself in.

CRATE if you don't want your damn house a mess when you return! I HAVE PICS TO PROVE IT unfortunately. Great project!

 I honestly do not undertand why people feel compelled to place their animals in boxes all day long. Why have an pet if it spends the majority if its day in a crate?