# How long should a puppy be crated in a day?



## Tiberius Rex (Mar 16, 2010)

Hi. I've been lurking for a while and learned a lot of great things from everyone so I hope you guys have some advice for me. 

Today my 12 week old puppy had to spend a day at the vet because he ate stuff he wasn't supposed to. Other than me feeling like a massive failure as a puppy parent, everything is fine now. 

I like to let him run around because he's such a sweet and mellow little guy. Sure, he has his land shark moments, but I always felt that he was trustworthy enough to leave uncrated. No destroyed furniture etc. 

He has a crate and loves it. He goes in there for naps and drags his favorite toys into his 'home'. He sleeps in there at night. His door is always open. The vet tells me that he needs to be crated every moment that I can't keep my full attention on him. 

I know that the recommendations vary from 3-5 hours a puppy can be crated at one time, but how often/long can he be crated throughout a whole day? 

In a semi-related note, how much exercise should he be getting if he's crated for long periods of time during the day?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

First of all, I wouldn't leave any plush type toys in his crate, he has already proven he likes to eat inappropriate items. Towels only(even towels can be eaten) and a filled Kong, or nylabone if you cannot supervise him. I would not leave a 12 week old crated without a break any longer than 4 hours. I think 8 hours during the day would be max for that age(with breaks of course). 
Mental exercise is as important as physical, so maybe lay his food in a track for his meal, working his mind while he eats.
I would mix up some obedience training short sessions with some games of tug and fetch, that would be considered exercise. 
This youtube video is great for exercising the mind and body of a pup. You can get the black livestock pans for perchwork at Tractor supply really cheap(in the background of the video) There were about 10 people in the training center and the pup was focused on the handler, that is what you strive for at this age.
Walks to a pup are ok, but get boring if they are trying to pull you around. Better to play and have fun as far as "exercise" goes for this age.


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## Tiberius Rex (Mar 16, 2010)

That's a lot of great ideas for playing with him. I never thought of using his food to exercise his mind before. 

My dog tends to be more interested in eating everything outside than taking a walk so it's a constant tug. If I let him off his leash, he just plops down the nearest dirt and 'salad' bar and starts going. Sigh. Live and learn, I guess. 

Thanks for the info. It helps a lot.


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## Raziel (Sep 29, 2009)

WOW, why would you let a puppy loose in your home when you are not there??
No offence, but would you leave a baby home alone??
Puppies at that age should not be left longer than 3-4 hours.
My pup had to pee every 20 to 45 min.
Its just cruel to leave them in there all day. (6-8 hours)
IMHO
Bash all you like......


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

I disagree. That would basically mean that the majority of people who work couldn't have a puppy. 

By 12 weeks my dogs were beautifully crate trained, and holding it the 8 hours I was at work. Of course when I got home it was puppy time. I think the quality of time is more important than the quantity. 

It may not be ideal, but I know that my puppies were crated for their safety when I was at work and when they slept at night. When I was home I was commited to ALOT of stimulation and interaction with my pup. My family ate frozen food so I didn't have to spend too muhc time making dinner or doing dishes.

Again, perhaps not ideal, but doable and I don't think cruel.


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## Raziel (Sep 29, 2009)

JKlatsky said:


> I disagree. That would basically mean that the majority of people who work couldn't have a puppy.
> 
> By 12 weeks my dogs were beautifully crate trained, and holding it the 8 hours I was at work. Of course when I got home it was puppy time. I think the quality of time is more important than the quantity.
> 
> ...


 
It IS cruel. Why even get a pup to leave it in a crate for most of the day????
IMHO if you dont have time for a dog you shouldnt get one.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

JKlatsky said:


> I disagree. That would basically mean that the majority of people who work couldn't have a puppy.
> 
> By 12 weeks my dogs were beautifully crate trained, and holding it the 8 hours I was at work. Of course when I got home it was puppy time. I think the quality of time is more important than the quantity.
> 
> ...


My pups have all been raised exactly the same way. CLEARLY it would be nice if I had someone come during the middle of the day, but that can't be worked out. 

As easily as my pups last the 8 hours at night by 12 weeks, they also can last 8 hours while I'm at work. It's not so much about that time that matters, it's that I have 'a plan' when I hit the door coming home.

The first year is a real time consuming thing when I get a puppy. I PLAN what I'm going to do at least every other day. Almost all the time it involves packing the pup into the car and going somewhere to socialize (go to friends homes? grocery store lot? Main St, USA?), exercise (hiking, swimming, playdates with other dogs I know that are healthy and friendly), PUPPY CLASSES!!!!

I also try to use food to entertain them. Freezing treats in a kong, I LOVE the Purple Squirrel Dude (though you have to put easy food like kibble initially or puppy can't get the treats out), clicker training and tricks!

















Tough Dog Toys, Durable, Tuff, Heavy-Duty Toys for Dog, Dog Chew Toys

I like the large squirrel dude cause I can fit more than 1/2 cup of their meal in there and it takes way longer for them to eat than in a bowl!

This is what a NORMAL weekly activity is for me when I have a puppy. Meeting up with friends and hiking, even though it was sprinkling!





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc3p...Maggieroselee?feature=mhw4#p/u/20/dc3pNhDOuwU


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## lrodptl (Nov 12, 2009)

Raziel said:


> It IS cruel. Why even get a pup to leave it in a crate for most of the day????
> IMHO if you dont have time for a dog you shouldnt get one.


You're singing my song


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## angierose (Apr 20, 2009)

Kaylee is crated for 8 1/2 to nine hours during the workday, depending on if I'm at the lab or the field. She's a year now and has been crated like this since she was six months old. She's never had a accident in her crate, never chewed up her bed or attempted to destroy the crate. Can't leave her out, because she might be a bother to the cats and our very old small dog, and to herself. 

I get up ninety minutes before I have to go to work. The dog and I are fed, she rests, and then we play fetch, do some obedience, maybe go for a walk, until I have to get dressed. While I dress, she enjoys a frozen Kong treat and I pass off her care to my husband. He plays with and trains for another twenty minutes or so before he leaves.

My job is physical. I'm tired when I get home. But the first thing I do when I get there is let the dog out, and play play play. Dinner... a little rest.... training!... housework... more play!... preparations for the next day... more play/training/socialization...some sleep eventually. We go hiking, we track, eventually she'll go jogging with me. Trust me, she and I both stay busy.

Kaylee may sleep in a crate, but no one can tell me I don't have time for a dog. I'd love to take her to work with me, but that'd be dangerous. I love my job-- and need it to pay for the dog!-- so I'm not getting rid of that. I don't make enough to afford paying someone to come let her out or to take her to daycare every day. But she's the main focus of my life when I get home, and I can't imagine it any other way. Neighbors see us playing and say she's the happiest dog they've ever seen. She is. She's happy, well-socialized, obedient, playful, and smart. I wish I were independently wealthy, or had a job that was a bit closer to home, but no one in this house is suffering.


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## sagelfn (Aug 13, 2009)

I too LOVE the squirrel dude, IMO its much more fun for the dogs than a kong




Raziel said:


> It IS cruel. Why even get a pup to leave it in a crate for most of the day????
> IMHO if you dont have time for a dog you shouldnt get one.


when every moment other than work and sleep is devoted to the dog how is that not having time for the dog?


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## Raziel (Sep 29, 2009)

Its like having a child when you spend 12 hours a day working, and stick him/her in daycare all day since he/she was 4 months old.....
NO OFFENCE to anyone here, but I wouldnt do that to my kid.
Nor would I do it to my dog. They need MASSIVE interaction with people and other animals.
Im not saying your dogs arent happy or well adjusted, but ITS JUST NOT FAIR.
If you have a WORKING lifestyle you should get a dog that can be left inside all day.
Like a weiner dog or a yorkie. OR a cat!
My dog is miserable when he doesnt get to be outside.
What you guys do is your business, but I woulnt get a dog to leave him inside a crate all day.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I think I'd rather have my dog at home in a crate than at a daycare where who knows what he may be subjected to. I am overprotective probably...
Though I only have to crate him for 6 hrs max and he is in the birdroom where he can listen to Magnum call him and harass him, LOL!
My other two have free run of the house, so who knows what goes on when I am gone, I think alot of ZZZZ's
That purple squirrel was never a fav of my dogs, it still looks good as new. Maybe because it is heavy?

Angel, no offense~that is great that you can spend every moment with your Kilo, but reality is not that, unfortunately~some of us have to work for a living and we can't take our dogs with us.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

> Originally Posted by *Raziel*
> _It IS cruel. Why even get a pup to leave it in a crate for most of the day????_
> _IMHO if you dont have time for a dog you shouldnt get one._





lrodptl said:


> You're singing my song


So I'll let you tell me which of my dogs is the more abuse and misused...

Poor Ms Glory B or my Ms Bretta Lee!





 
We do the best we can with the life we have. And it seems to work for me that when I AM home, it's all about the dogs.


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## Raziel (Sep 29, 2009)

Maggierose,I didnt say it was abuse.
Just mean.


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## angierose (Apr 20, 2009)

I have three cats. They're not interested in camping with me. I don't like small dogs very much. 

To the OP, it might be a good idea if you haven't already to get your puppy accustomed to being in its crate even when you are awake and it's not too sleepy. This way if you need to, you can put him in there if you have visitors who are afraid/would be bothered by him, or if you're doing something very involved or dangerous for the dog to be around. Be sure he knows that just because he can see and hear you, doesn't mean he gets to always be out with you. The crate is the place for calm, which it seems he knows already, if he naps there voluntarily.


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## Raziel (Sep 29, 2009)

Actually, I should take that back.
"working lifestyle"
I am fortunate enough to be able to bring my dog to work which is right next door to my home.
So I forget.....Im sorry everyone.......


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Raziel said:


> Maggierose,I didnt say it was abuse.
> Just mean.


Oh, that's ok then................ right? :wub:

My dogs are fine. I get them so nice and tired it's a relief to crawl into the crates some nights.

Be different if they were crated all night, and when I was at work, and if I was then too busy when I got home to deal with them and so ........... kept them in the crate...


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## IllinoisNative (Feb 2, 2010)

MaggieRoseLee said:


> My dogs are fine. I get them so nice and tired it's a relief to crawl into the crates some nights.


I'm similar to you. I was working full time when I got my puppy. A puppy with parvo that would have been put to sleep if I didn't take him. Would that be better?

I worked 30 minutes from home. For TWO years, I came home every lunch hour and let my puppy out, played fetch with him, crated him back up and drove back to work. I also developed great relationships with my neighbors as a result of this puppy, and they let him out if I was running late at work.

And every minute I wasn't at work was devoted to his socialization. 45 minutes of play with three of my neighbors dogs, dog parks on weekends, going to pet stores, walks/hikes, puppy classes, vet, took in foster dogs, etc. There were times he wanted to go into his crate to get away from ME. LOL!

So while I worked 8 hours a day, I made it work. He is well socialized, good with dogs/cats, no aggression or food guarding, loves kids, great off leash, and no longer needs to be crated when I leave. Nothing freaks this dog out except for a floating plastic bag. Heh. He sleeps through thunder storms, fireworks, and our latest earthquake.

On his first Forth of July, I canceled plans so I could play fetch with him DURING the fireworks so he wouldn't develop a fear of them. It worked. In other words, I had no life the first year I had him. But that was the sacrifice I made to have this dog in my life. 

I don't think I'm mean, either.

And my other dog is a chow mix. He doesn't "do" anything. I take him for a walk around the block and he looks at me as if I'm abusing him...like, "You can't be serious?" It's hysterical. I've never had a dog so adverse to exercise. I take him to the dog park and after one lap, he's done. So, no, it's not cruel to lock him because he would sleep while I was gone anyway whether he was crated or not. But since this one eats any plastic, paper, sock on the ground, it's safer to lock him up then let him loose. He doesn't care.

But neither of my dogs are crated at night. They were as puppies but now they're fine. It was just until they learned. It's easier to prevent bad behavior than to fix it after the fact.

I consider myself a darn good owner.


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## Kayla's Dad (Jul 2, 2007)

Tiberius Rex, you've gotten great advice from folks who do crate their dogs for extended periods and find a balance between work and spending time with their companions.

I'd like to address something else in your thread.



Tiberius Rex said:


> I like to let him run around because he's such a sweet and mellow little guy. Sure, he has his land shark moments, but I always felt that he was trustworthy enough to leave uncrated. No destroyed furniture etc.


With Tiberius, I would recommend that you keep him with you when he's out and running around. If you can not watch him, you may want to consider crating. Keep him tethered to you, it's a great time to start teaching him behaviors that you want to enforce. You may want to have a treat bag and plenty of treats within reach to reward behaviors from your puppy. If you haven't yet consider it, looking into a puppy class and socialization. Tiberius is the right age to start. There are great threads for socialization ideas. You may want to look into clicker training if you have not considered it. It's a great training tool with a puppy when starting out.

And ask plenty of questions here as you scroll through the puppy section.

And post more pics! Puppy pictures are a sure winner here!

Welcome to the forum and have fun with your puppy!


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## Tiberius Rex (Mar 16, 2010)

Thanks guys. It really helps to get it straight from people who deal with similar issues. The videos are really helpful since it's a lot easier to see these kinds of things. 

See everyone elses' daily schedule/habits really helped too. Glad to see how others are handling their pups. 
*
Kayla's Dad*, he sticks to me fine when I'm actively doing something. But I mostly work from home so when I'm at my desk or on my computer, he often gets bored and walks around. I find it boring myself. I thought I could keep an eye on him while I work, but it is not seeming to work out. So in the crate he goes. 

He was just kicked out of puppy 'kindergarten' aka socialization classes for being "too social". He's in basic obedience instead with the bigger dogs. haha. 

Trust me, if you guys don't mind the sudden flood of Tiberius pictures, I would love to share. He grows so fast that I feel the need to constantly take pictures. 



Raziel said:


> WOW, why would you let a puppy loose in your home when you are not there??
> No offence, but would you leave a baby home alone??
> Puppies at that age should not be left longer than 3-4 hours.
> My pup had to pee every 20 to 45 min.
> ...


Uh. "No offense"? Alright. Then I'll disregard my initial response after reading this. 

He's not alone in the house. We always stay in the same room. I can't play with him and keep an eye on him 24 hours out of the day. His crate is in the family room/kitchen where I have been doing all of my work lately. (Mainly to keep an eye on him.) Unfortunately this area is too large for me to see everything and I work best with music so I can't hear everything. So when he's not playing on me, in front of me, or next to me, he has to go in the crate. Two vets, his breeder, the obedience trainer, and basically everyone else I've talked to has told me to crate. 

Would you let a baby roam around when you can't keep your eye on him at all times? Isn't that what play pens and cribs are made for? 

Trust me, I had the same idea as you when I first got him. I waited two years to get him for a reason. It took a trip to the vet to set me straight.


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## Raziel (Sep 29, 2009)

Well when out of his crate YOUR EYES should be on him at all times.
Puppies eat EVERYTHING.
And kicked out of puppy class???
Yah.


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## scott26 (Jul 18, 2012)

You could put a leash on him and tie it around your ankle/wrist.


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