Crating 24/7 ? Opinions? - Page 3

They do like their crates....I used to be dead set against crating dogs, but with my GSDs, my first breeder insisted that Kali have her own crate as a pup, & of course she was right, Kali loved her own space, & would retreat to her crate when she needed her alone time (like after the grandkids went home...LOL). But--I always, & still, feel slightly guilty whenever I have to crate them for periods of time, like when Carl & I are both at work, fortunately we work different shifts so the overlapping time is not too long.  But to think of crating them for extended periods of time, day after day, blows my mind...they have so much energy...I would think that would cause psychological problems (like spinning), as well as physiological problems....for instance, how would that effect hip developement? Wouldn't inactivity cause poor muscle tone & lax joints, leaving a dog more prone to injury? I know it does in people, the infamous 'weekend warrior' syndrome....jackie harris

To whoever posted this thread...........................If you have to ask that question, you should not have a dog. I'll take the dog and it will have a dogs life of daily swimming, running, playing and training and i'll give you a fishtank with a fish of your choosing that you can contain 24/7. DEAL?

This is what dogs are supposed to do.

AND THIS!!!

Anyone who needs to crate dogs 24/7 has way too many dogs or not enough time for them or is not a qualified trainer or all of the above.

Jim,  your dog has the best sense of balance I've ever seen .

I LOVE that picture of the dogs in the mud !!

My feeling on this just to touch on the subject is that this is no quality of life for any animal.  My dogs have a time for their kennel, a time for their crate and much time to run the yard and come inside for some lovin'g time with our family.  I have decent sized runs for them but still do not like to keep them locked in constantly.  My older dogs are given a little more flexibility in the house and in the yard because they are not destructive or get themselves into mischief.  My younger 1yr old pup on the other hand requires more confinement since he will find things to drag around the yard and shred to pieces if he's not supervised. 

So my thoughts are if you need to have a dog confined 24/7 then there is no point in having it.  If you confine it because you can't deal with the dogs "issues" then the most responsible thing to do is place it with someone who can address the dogs issues, work through them and give it a loving home.  The method described above if it really is someone's theory of training sounds like more of an appetite for disaster to me as the dog is not being properly socialized and much frustration will build up inside the dog from being cooped up in a tiny area with no interaction with the world around him.

I like to crate mine 24/7 from birth to 4 months.  I use very small crates with holes cut out for urine and feces.  The puppies grow into the crate and the end result is like the square Japanese watermelon.  I'll post some pictures later.

Oh yessssssssssssssss, Bonsai Puppies.....................You should see my collection.................

Priorities,
What are your prioities?  Is it to achieve high marks in Schutzhund?  If that is your goal, at least some kenneling helps.  If it for strict protection work?
Personally at this stage in my life my priority is having as well balanced gsd as I can have.  These are social dogs for the most part.  They crave family attention and IMO they do best over all in a family setting, being apart of the family, having tasks to contribute to the family, protect the family, and share in the fun, exciting things that the family does.  Mine go just about everywhere with me.  Again though, it all depends on your priorities.

I am a strong believer that a dogs intellegence is enhanced the more stimuli they have, especially with the family.  They begin to read you and know you like a book, what pleases you and what doesn't.   They were bred to live with families, herd sheep for the family, and protect the sheep and family from harm.  A great delight in life for me today is having these guys to hang around with all day.  And they know what I am going to do before I take a step sometimes.   This is about a relationship for me that is fun, with  little in the way of high expectations, but then they always seem to meet them any ways.

Oh, darn, I forget about those bonsai pups. Do you have any available, Sue? I'd just love a breeding pair.

You may be interested in my latest developement.  Miniature Bonsai Puppies.  I've added Jack Russel to the mix and call them Jacks in the Box.