# Sleeping out of the crate



## Meeko (Apr 14, 2011)

When did you allow your dog to sleep out of the crate if u used one? Meeko is 13 months old. He still goes in a crate when we are not home and for bed. Knock on wood he has never chewed anything, but that's probably because he has never had the chance. 

How would I go about starting the process of leaving him out of the crate at all times. Since he has known it for so long I'm completely okay with keeping it for him to go back to any time he wants with just having the door open. Thanks in advance

~Sarah~


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

Shasta and Riley go into their crates while we're gone. Riley is 6 years old and has been sleeping out of a crate (we didnt have crates until a couple years ago) since we got him. Shasta has been crated since i brought her home at 12 weeks. She'll turn a year old on may 5th. just over the last couple days she's been allowed to sleep out of her crate in our room with us. Neither dog has run of the house at night. They're baby gated in the bedroom. She's 11 months old and hasnt chewed or messed up anything.


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## BRITTani (Feb 10, 2011)

My german shepherd pup is 5 months old and shes never slept in the crate at night. She is crated when I am gone but shes shut in the room with me. I think it really all depends on the dog, shes never once chewed up anything she shouldn't have. I will add my floor is covered in bully sticks and bones though haaha.


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## Pattycakes (Sep 8, 2010)

I let my GSD out of her crate at night when she was almost 18 months old. She never did get into anything and still hasn't. 

What I did was put her in her crate the first night, and then a couple of hours later, I let her out and left her out. The next night I did the same thing and then the third night I just left her out and she never did get into anything so she has been left out ever since.


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## stacey_eight (Sep 20, 2010)

I started letting Zeke be loose in the bedroom at 9 months. He's baby gated in and I check around for stray socks and such on the floor before I go to sleep. So far it's been no trouble. I'm not sure when (if ever) I'll trust him in the house when we're gone.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

I start letting them out of the crate at night once they are solid about no destruction in the home and housebreaking while I am home and awake. I then super dog proof my room and baby gate it off so I can hear anything the dog might be up to at night. As the dog is good, I will remove the baby gate.


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

We started leaving the crate door open, I think Lakota was about 6-8 months old. Since my bedroom is so small, we took the crate down shortly after. My dogs all learned bed time is bed time and now they just go to thier beds. She's confined to the kitchen when were not home but other than that she free. Right now she's about 15 months old she likes to steal things so I can't trust her 100%. At night (I wake up a lot) I will look around and see the dogs all asleep in their beds its so cute.


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## ayoitzrimz (Apr 14, 2010)

we started when we saw his need to chew slow down... He was allowed to sleep in the bedroom out of the crate (the crate is in the bedroom) since around 9-10 months. He's 14 months now and we've been leaving him out when we are gone since he was around a year old unless it's later in the evening or for an extended period of time (for us that means 3 hours or more)


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## Bristol (Apr 14, 2011)

I started keeping my dog out of the crate at least at age 4 so she wouldn't chew up anything and shes mature then is a good time.


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

We got our pup when she was 8 weeks old. The trainer recommended we have her sleep in the crate for at least two weeks. I'd say she was about 13 - 14 weeks old before we took the crate away. We did have a few accidents,but usually she would come panting by my bedside to wake me up to go out.

We have never crated a dog beyond the 3-4 four month age. Never had any major damage from chewing. Our new dog did chew up my Nextel and the cover of my $100 psych book, but that's it.


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## Tihannah (Dec 27, 2009)

We started letting Kaiya sleep out of the crate around 5 months old, but only because she was showing signs that she could be trusted. I think it's different for every dog. At around 3 months Kaiya would go and stand at the door when she had to go out. She would cry during the night to let us know she had to go. We started off with short periods during the day. Like going out to get groceries, and leave her uncrated. We always came back to everything just as we left it. When we saw she could be trusted during the day with us away from the home, we started leaving her out at night, but only in our room with the door closed. She would paw at us from the side of the bed when she had to go out. But she has always been mature far beyond her age as far as house manners. We now have a 10 wk old male who is doing well with crate training, but it will be interesting to see when he can be trusted if at all, uncrated...


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## TriadGSD (Feb 19, 2011)

Triad will be 4 months sunday i been letting him sleep out of his crate recently if i leave for a few hours ill leave him out though, i have to run to the door or else he will try and follow. if i am gone longer i put him in the crate. if i leave him out when im gone i will put paper by the door just in case since he know that he has to go out but will have accidents by the door.


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## wilbanks17 (Feb 11, 2011)

I always leave mine out of the crate at night. It's there and the door is open, but we leave them to sleep in the floor by the bed.


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## JanaeUlva (Feb 5, 2011)

It does depend on the dog and maybe a few other factors. Minka started sleeping out of her crate at night when she was almost 5 months. I always make sure she is taken out just and I mean just before I go to bed. I give her ample time to pee and poop. Since I know her bowel habits I knew if she had to poop and i'd walk her until she went. Then besides the potty issue, you need to take care of the energy level issue by providing enough physical and mental activity so they want to sleep thru the night. There were occasional times when I just felt she'd be better sleeping in the crate. Also, for the first month out of the crate, I did child gate off the door so she couldn't leave the bedroom.

Then with good morning exercise of walking and fetching etc. I started to see that she was pretty much content to rest during the day so I started leaving her in the house when I went to work. That was around 7 months. My husband was in and out so he always took her out to pee during the late morning. If he was going to be gone more than an hour he put her in a nice outdoor kennel with an insulated dog house, water and puppy safe chew toys.

Too me, proper exercise is crucial to a puppy doing well out of a crate or kennel. And I puppy proof everything just in case.


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## Meeko (Apr 14, 2011)

Thanks everyone.
I'm going to leave him out of his crate for a few more hours tonight and lengthen the time each night assuming all goes well. I let him out right before I went to bed and had a nice training then play session to get his energy down. Wish me luck


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## rjThor (Mar 27, 2011)

Thor is 18weeks old, and we've always let him sleep in my room at night with my door closed, I have a real large master bedroom, so plenty of room for him. The only time he's in his crate is when we are gone, and are not able to take him with us, or I'm at work, and my son is in school. Can't say he doesn't chew on a few things, but has plenty of toys also to keep him busy. I just think spending the day in the crate while my son is in school is more than enough, plus he's house broken.


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## Sue Smart (Jul 12, 2002)

I crate the girls if I'm going out but not at night. The labradors I look after (they're here at the moment) will open the crates and sleep in there of their own accord.


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## Meeko (Apr 14, 2011)

Well, Meeko made it until 3 am last night. I really think I could have left him out the whole night but he got up and started to wonder around the house...checking on each of the kids then us. I thought maybe it was a little stressful being his 1st time so put him in his crate. 

Tonight I'll try it again until he's crate free at night I don't mind him having the house to himself. 

~Sarah~


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## JanaeUlva (Feb 5, 2011)

Meeko said:


> Well, Meeko made it until 3 am last night. I really think I could have left him out the whole night but he got up and started to wonder around the house...checking on each of the kids then us. I thought maybe it was a little stressful being his 1st time so put him in his crate.
> 
> Tonight I'll try it again until he's crate free at night I don't mind him having the house to himself.
> 
> ~Sarah~


Cool! 3:00 was about the time my 5 month pup would move around so I would get up and take her out for a potty break. That way, I felt comfortable bringing her back in and going back to sleep. Just a thought.


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## VDAL (Mar 3, 2011)

Nuka is 4.5 months now.I've start letting her sleep out of crate for like 3 nights now.Before my husband will let her out and let her sleep at the doors of our bedroom and she will be fine.So that's why I decide that is time to let her sleep out of crate.First night I was stress out so I left my bedroom door open(which I hate).I had a really light sleep that night so I've herd few times that She would walk to our doors to look at us when somebody had moved , to check on us and then She would go back to her pillow.She wake me up at 6 am, so I took her out.No signs of trouble in the house so I was really happy.If this gonna go like that I would probably left her out when I'm going to work.


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## we4elves (May 11, 2010)

We tried several times letting Matty (1 yr) sleep out of the crate/laundry room at night...but she kept waking everyone up by "checking" on them...She would walk in...lick their face and walk out...so now she generally still sleeps in the laundry..so everyone can get a full nights sleep... she is also still a chewer occasionally so I was always waking up to check on her...maybe someday


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## heatherr (Jun 5, 2010)

My dog started sleeping in my bedroom (door closed) around 6-9 months, he is just about a year now and doesn't get crated when I make quick trips (less than 20 mins), and is baby-gated out of the basement where the act boxes are.

He has been great so far, but won't have free run of the house until he is at LEAST 3 or 4 and fully matured. Plus, he loves his crate. Most of the time when I get back from food shopping I come home to him napping in the crate.


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## kelso (Jan 22, 2007)

Meeka...never had a crate...ever

Kelso...he will be 5 this next Sept and still is in the crate most of the times (but he likes it)

Allie, she could be trusted at a year old when we adopted her

Just depends on the dog....and how much you trust them...and or like Kelso who just does better in a crate and lays in there on his own:apple:


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## GSD84 (Apr 27, 2011)

This forum is amazing! Learning so much in here. When we get a new pup, I am assuming we should have a crate, is this correct? And place the pup in the crate for the first two weeks? What is they need to pee? Do we take him/her out before we crate them? And how do you know what size crate to get?


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## spidermilk (Mar 18, 2010)

We have had Dax out at night (in our room) since probably 6 months. He is still crated when he is alone in the house for more than 10-20 minutes though. I think that if he was out the entire day without someone there he might get bored and find something fun [and naughty] to do. Also I have an older, declawed cat and although Dax doesn't chase, I fear that it might be too tempting if they were alone all day.


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