How Long Is Too Long to Crate a Dog?

Dogs should not be forced to spend all day in a crate.

Q. My 2½-year-old dog, Zoe, is a lovable, friendly, fun-loving part of our family. She is also the first pet I’ve ever had. We have cratetrained her since she was 7 weeks old. When she first came to live with us, I was not working outside the home and we only crated her when we all went out. I now work full time and am gone for eight hours a day. I feel bad about leaving her in her crate for so long. I walk her and she gets exercise with our 9-year-old son, but I wonder if she would be OK uncrated when we are gone, so she could walk around the house. She hates being closed up in another room, so I don’t want to confine her like that. We don’t crate her at night -- she usually sleeps in our son’s room, on our bedroom floor, or in her open crate. I’m also afraid that if we don’t crate her when we’re gone, if we ever need to crate her if she’s sick or needs surgery, she won’t want to get in it.

A. You’re right to be concerned about crating Zoe for eight to 10 hours every day. That’s not really good for dogs, as they need to move around and change positions more than a crate allows. Crating is mostly to protect the dog and the household furnishings through the potty training and teething stages of puppyhood and adolescence. Zoe is a full adult now, and if she doesn’t tend to chew your belongings or have potty accidents when you’re not watching, there’s really no need to crate her all day. If she doesn’t behave irresponsibly while you’re asleep at night, she should be ready to graduate from her crate in the daytime, too.

Try it out on a weekend, when you’re not gone all day. Leave Zoe alone, loose in the house, for an hour. If she doesn’t cause any damage or become overly anxious during that time, try it again for two hours later that day. If she can be left alone that long without misbehaving, she can probably handle your workday schedule without being crated. Leave the crate where it is for a few months, and if she continues to bed down in it for naps or nighttime, you could keep it available permanently, with the door open. That way, if there’s ever a reason to temporarily confine her, the crate will be convenient and she’s already comfortable in it.

Since Zoe has had her whole life to get used to being crated, and even goes into it on her own sometimes, she shouldn’t have any problem being crated for medical reasons.

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Give us your opinion on How Long Is Too Long to Crate a Dog?

Rob Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

4/15/2013 11:45:30 AM

It sounds like your boyfriend just doesn't care to have your dogs around, if I might be so frank. Anyone with a heart or conscience doesn't try and confine dogs to single room. The fact that he insisted on crating them immediately, instead of working to train them to be a part of your family, might indicate a lack of interest in having dogs on his part. Ask him to help you train them so they're able to be around the family more. Training is essential. Leaving them in a room with their crate is not training, it's more like punishment. Dogs are "people" lovers and will always want to be around and please their owners. Shutting them off on a room is doing more damage than good. If I were you, I'd have a talk with that boyfriend of yours! :) Working together, you should be able to integrate them into your family without too many hiccups.

bobbie youngstown, Ohio

12/12/2012 8:59:11 AM

I have two older dogs, They are indoor paper trained, I recently moved in with my boyfriend who insisted upon crating them. They suffer seperation anxitys and I want to crate them at night and when we aren't home allowing them the freedom to be in the room with the crate and the living room when we are home,. I think this is the proper way to not stress them out and for them to adjust. My boyfriend however seems to think they need to be in the room with their crate more then out with the family (Which is not the family room or living room but a guest room with their food and water and crates). My dogs are 8 and 10, since we have crated them they have tried breaking out of the crate and dug up carpet, as well as scratched the door when they are in their room with the crate, it's a constant fight in the house and I believe my dogs deserve to be out and free not only allowed out for an hr at a time then back in their room the rest of the time. Any suggestions for a happy medium would be much appreciated.

Ryan Houston, Texas

12/5/2012 12:49:18 PM

The key to having any dog is proper training. Everyone works for a living and not everyone has the luxury of working from home. And yet, others still manage to have dogs without living in a barn. The key is crate training through the puppy stages then, as your dog matures give them some freedom and house train them. My first thought was the same. Am i being cruel for crating my dog? No, as long as they have some freedom throughout the day once you get home and that you allow them to have there freedom once the understand your house is not a chew toy.

Jessval Ottawa, ON

11/5/2012 8:59:23 AM

I am going to have to disagree, I have three boston terrier's, age 1, 2, and 4. I believe larger dogs calm a lot faster and can be left freely in the house earlier but certain breeds tend to have more stress when left alone and need to be crated until about 2 years of age. My oldest does not need to be crated and doesn't do much when left alone in the house. My 2 year old has vision issues and prefers to be in his crate, I think he just feels more secure with his son (3rd puppy is his son), they are crated in a very large crate while I am at work, I get home at 3 pm and then they have free range of the house until morning. All three of them have great personalities and are very well balanced dogs. To me I feel comfortable knowing they cannot get into anything that could be dangerous to them while I am not home, another advantage is if god forbid something happened and the house caught fire, i would feel better knowing they are in their crates then hiding under something and not being able to locate them to get them out. I think crating is a personal choice depending on the breed and personality of your dog, as long as you aren't crating day and night and also not a super long day. Crating them together seems to be a good thing for them too. The great thing is my fiance and I work different shifts and a few days a week he only starts at 1, so dogs only go in from 1 until 3 pm.