"mike d." wrote in message
. ..
Why do you(or pet owners in general) keep the pup or dog in a crate? We
never kept any of our dogs in a crate, although we only had one dog at a
time. We used to set up a little fence/gate contraption when the dog was
a puppy, in order tpo keep her out of the living room, but after she was
reliably housebroken, the dog was allowed to go where she wanted, for the
most part. Mike.


That's the way I've housebroken dogs too Mike. We did borrow one to use
when we first got our Gracie, as an adult rescue, because we were told she
was very destructive indoors, if left alone. I did use the crate while
training her to be left alone in the house. But once she was reliable, the
crate came down. She never much liked it, she preferred to sleep on the bed
in our guest room when we weren't home or when she napped. She could see
out the front windows in that room while sprawled across the bed.

Of course if I had a dog who liked their crate, I'd certainly leave it up
for them. All ours prefer to use one of the beds in the house as *their*
spot.

td

"montana wildhack" wrote


If we travelled with dogs that were going through a heavy chewing period,
having the dog in a crate while we slept was a better choice than closing
it off in a bathroom or some place away from us.

While there is variation as one would expect, beagles are chewers lifelong.
Compared to most others they do not grow out of it all that well. Thats what
the books say at least.

Meantime, Don shufled his feet and Cash wandered down to snooze in his
'den'. Door's open. He likes the furry blanket in there. One advantage to
living in Asia the past 6 years, we have 7 mink blankets. One to spare for
his crate plus another when that is being washed. Charlotte outgrew the
disney patterned ones so we use them for Cash.

Cute. Both have a rawhide bone tucked under their arms. Wish I could find
the digital camera...

On 2008-03-03 12:45:38 -0500, "cshenk" said:

While there is variation as one would expect, beagles are chewers lifelong.
Compared to most others they do not grow out of it all that well. Thats what
the books say at least.

If dogs like to chew things, then humans have to train them what they
may and may not chew. We've had a GSD mix and a Lab mix who loved
chewing and they had different toys that were fine for them to chew.
Other dogs haven't been as interested.

So while you're in training with your dog about what's good to chew, a
crate would be good when you can't supervise.

If our dogs are going to be good family members, we have to teach them
this stuff. And yes, we've had dogs who didn't get the message for a
while. I'm still unhappy about Bella and my pristine vintage World
Series sweatshirt. I forgave her for the brand new sheets, though.

Both things were our fault, not hers. Not enough training.

"cshenk" wrote in message
...
While there is variation as one would expect, beagles are chewers
lifelong. Compared to most others they do not grow out of it all that
well. Thats what the books say at least.

I keep reading your posts about your beagle and I think you need some new
books. Or perhaps just to throw out the ones you're reading and pay
attention to your own dog.

I have had many beagles over the years. Never had a lifelong chewer.
Although I probably wouldn't do it now, I also always free fed them. They
also always slept in my bed. And they always got more than the slight
amount of exercise you are mentioning you have planned. A rainy day here
and there where they barely leave the couch is fine but that mile and a half
walk needs to be twice a day at least twice a week. And it should not be a
leisurely stroll.

If all your dog is going to get is a mile-mile and a half a day, then you
need to eliminate ALL treats. ALL treats. Measure out the amount of food
he is to receive for the day. All treats come out of that pile of food. A
single piece of kibble is a treat. He does not get cheese. He does not get
special packaged doggie steak treats. He does not get the empty calories of
those packets of gravy and chemicals and preservatives. Save your money and
buy a premium dog food - this means not from the supermarket - and at a
slightly greater cost per bag but without the fillers so you'll actually be
feeding less. Pay no attention to those eyes. And keep your garbage cans
secured.

Yes, he should have a tuck-up. You should be able to see a waist when
looking at him from above. You should be able to *easily* feels his ribs.

Judy

Janet Boss said in
rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

I have a small bedroom, and have had smaller.

I have smallest.

I manage to squeeze 3 retrievers in
there anyway (Lucy helps by sleeping UNDER the bed most of
the time), and when there's a puppy, there's a crate. I
have a few bruises during that period of time, but it's
brief.

Rocky always sleeps in the same spot, on the floor at the foot
of the bed, so I can step over him easily in the dark. Friday
roams between couch and bedroom and, when in the bedroom,
curls up in the corner as if he knows what damage can be
wrought in the middle of the night.

Maybe is on the bed and understands "Stay there, it's not time
to get up yet, I just hafta pee." (Border Collies tend to
have a good vocabulary and ken sentence structure.)

Small bedrooms provide good incentive to housetraining
puppies.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.

"mike d." said in
rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

Why do you(or pet owners in general) keep the pup or dog in
a crate?

"Keep"? That implies husbandry.

I prefer that my dogs are comfortable in crates because:

1. I drive them all over the place doing stuff with them.
2. I take them on airplanes.
3. God forbid they'd spend the night at the vet, but it's poor
guardianship to *not* be prepared for the worst.
4. Crates are a tool to gradually acclimate a dog to a new and
potentially frightful environment.

I've only given four points, though the last encompasses a lot.
I'd like you to provide four points as to why you wouldn't make
your pet comfortable in any and all environments she may
encounter.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.

On 2008-03-03 13:23:35 -0500, elegy said:

When he was gorked out on valium,
he was crated, also.

You've had a lot of experience with dogs that needed to be crated to
recover from surgery, injuries or h!ealth problems!

"Judy" wrote
I keep reading your posts about your beagle and I think you need some new
books. Or perhaps just to throw out the ones you're reading and pay
attention to your own dog.

It's a new dog so we are watching him to see what matches.

I have had many beagles over the years. Never had a lifelong chewer.

Good, not all are. Just a trait to watch for as more prone to it per the
books. Google searches show same. So far, we havent seen much of that yet.
Could be Cash isnt a chewer.

also always slept in my bed. And they always got more than the slight
amount of exercise you are mentioning you have planned. A rainy day here
and there where they barely leave the couch is fine but that mile and a
half walk needs to be twice a day at least twice a week. And it should
not be a leisurely stroll.

Not much help for that. Selected breed based on our medical restrictions.
Minimum 1.5 mile a day walks, all fairly short. May be double some days.
Realtively brisk pace for walking though if that helps.

If all your dog is going to get is a mile-mile and a half a day, then you
need to eliminate ALL treats. ALL treats. Measure out the amount of food
he is to receive for the day. All treats come out of that pile of food.
A single piece of kibble is a treat. He does not get cheese. He does not
get special packaged doggie steak treats. He does not get the empty
calories of those packets of gravy and chemicals and preservatives. Save
your money and buy a premium dog food - this means not from the
supermarket - and at a slightly greater cost per bag but without the
fillers so you'll actually be feeding less. Pay no attention to those
eyes. And keep your garbage cans secured.

Will keep this in mind. A few a day with reduction of food base is
workable. We put kid-safe latches on the garbage can area under the sink
before he came home.

Yes, he should have a tuck-up. You should be able to see a waist when
looking at him from above. You should be able to *easily* feels his ribs.

Heck, you can SEE his ribs. We think he's a little underweight but not sure
by how much. We do not think he is drastically underweight. If we are
right that he weighs about 35lbs, I think he might be 3 lbs under what he
should be.

On 2008-03-03 13:32:15 -0500, "cshenk" said:

I think he might be 3 lbs under what he
should be.

New dogs + happy new owners + training can put three pounds on a dog in
no time at all!

In article ,
cshenk wrote:
It's a new dog so we are watching him to see what matches.

??? Watch him to see what he does. I think this whole
"beagle" thing is creating all sorts of expectations for you
and consequently you're making some weird decisions.

Heck, you can SEE his ribs. We think he's a little underweight but not sure
by how much. We do not think he is drastically underweight. If we are
right that he weighs about 35lbs, I think he might be 3 lbs under what he
should be.

Why do you think he should weigh 38 lbs?
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community