Do MOST people just crate their dog when they are away?
The reason I ask is this:
I live in the beautiful penthouse apartment of a very large downtown building.
I am a professional dog trainer and live with my husband and my Giant Schnauzer.
Magic has an incredible dog (and guard) and has always had full run of the house –especially when we are asleep or away. He barks ferociously whenever anyone is just outside our door. If someone is coming down from the roof of the building and passes our door on the way to the elevator, Magic stays silent. If all hell is breaking loose on another floor or outside he will actually sleep through it. He only barks if someone is FACING our door and yes, he can easily hear the difference.

So, today a woman went to the roof and accidentally dropped her sweatshirt onto my terrace. She came down and rang my bell to ask for it back –to the fury of my dog.
I was in the tub and chose to ignore the bell thinking “I’ve dreamt of this all day, no way am I getting out for nobody…” realizing that Magic would PROVE I wasn’t home as no one with proper hearing in this side of town missed Magic’s loud barking (I figured the ringer would think I was either dead or out). BUT NO! She rang for a full 10 minutes! I got out of the tub, put the growling dog in a down right beside me and yelled at her real bad. “HOW LONG WERE YOU PLANNING TO STAY THERE?” I asked.
“If the dog was in I figured you must be too…” she whimpered.
“And that I’m DEAF????? FINE! Keep trying forever then!” I yelled slamming the door in her face!
This was not the only time people took it for granted that I’m home when I’m not, just because Magic’s home. The last time, I REALLY wasn’t but I KNOW someone was ringing for a LONG time because Magic CHEWED the doorbell speaker (which is 5,5ft off the floor). Magic has never, ever damaged anything in the house so he must’ve been really insanely annoyed to do that. On other occasions when my husband and I are out with friends people ask where Magic is while we are away (this they ask VERY often). They find it hard to believe he’s wherever he wants to be! I don’t get it! I know people that leave their pets free in the house when they are gone. Most are toy breeds or cats but so what? Magic is at least just as smart as the best of them PLUS he’s got a job to do! And I’m a trainer. If I couldn’t teach my own dog to leave my things alone and behave himself then I would automatically choose another line of work! And what use is a guard dog anyway if he’s in a crate or locked in one room? Dogs like this can be trained to do a myriad of more complicated jobs than just behave and guard my home. I realize this post isn’t really informative or entertaining but I am so pissed and I had to let off some steam in the only place I knew I would surely be understood….

Nope, crates aren't for me either. I have one that has the full time run of the house, and two in outside kennels. The one in the house never damages anything; I never understand why others don't simply expect better manners from their dogs either.

As you pointed out, what good is a dog for protection/home defense if he's locked in a crate. Also, like Lee said, if we teach our dog manners they don't need to be in a crate all day. (odd thing is, my boy spends much of his time in his crate with the door open. he simply likes it in there - plus, it's the one place in the house my daughter is not allowed to go <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> )

I think crate training is essential for housebreaking, car trips, hanging at the training field, as a break time when you need it, as down time to add some frustration before training, as down time after training to absorb the lesson in peace. . .etc.

All dogs should be crate trained. . . .BUT, I don't crate the dogs as a place to keep them.

I have kennel dogs and I have house dogs, all are crate trained, but only rarely do they see the inside of a crate.

How can they protect the house, or you, in a crate?? Thats the primary reason I have my dogs. I get about 3-4 death/other threats a year from all kinds of bums. The land sharks are an important part of my security plan.

What do you do for a living VanCamp? With your pleasant demeanor and calm attitude I can't imagine you getting threatened. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

ha ha ha

Collection and recovery business.

I agree that all dogs should be crate trained. Magic is also a show champ and LOVES getting out of the dizzying buzz and taking a nap while at a show. I would go as far as to say that showing your dog without a crate (or a place for him to get away from it all) is torture when you think about all the hours you are there. We do working trails too and I would say it goes double after bite work. But even if you don't do tons of activities with your dog -you never know when you might need to take a long trip with him in a crate and its way stressfull to just shove him in there the last minute.
Yeah, all dogs should be crate trained (before you remove the crate's door <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> ) Magic of course could never be convinced to sleep in one at night -unless I move it right in front of the entrance to our home where he can keep one eye open for the 'baddies'.

Originally posted by VanCamp, Robert:
ha ha ha

Collection and recovery business. Not the dog training business?

My two older ones get run of the house when home alone (but I must remember to put the garbage can in the laundry room, since the Lab just cannot resist the little voice that calls his name), but the new one (9mo) still needs to be crated when home alone. She chewed the corner off the kitchen sponge last time I let her be home uncrated, and just today I was working out in the yard and came back inside to find some yogurt containers and spoons on the floor (if it had been the Lab, the yogurt containers would have had teeth marks; they didn't). She's not super destructive, and doesn't soil the house, but she does get into things, which makes me worry for her safety. I only work part time, so she's never been crated longer than a couple of hours.
If I leave them with stuffed Kongs, I crate all of them, since they will fight over food.

We keep their crates in the living room, and they are fed in their crates. I sometimes will crate one or two of them, and rotate which ones are out and which ones are crated; this is good for spending some one on one time with each of them, or just enforcing house manners. They sleep in my room uncrated.

Anyone who does not use a dog crate on young dogs is only asking for problems. I would never allow a dog under 18 months to have free access to the house when I was not there - and even then only on short occasions. The name of the game is PROVE IT TO ME before I am going to allow full access. To recommend anything else only asks for problems. This thread is closed.