Sleeping out of the crate

[Meeko]

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~

[KZoppa]

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.

[BRITTani]

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.

[Pattycakes]

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.

[stacey_eight]

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.

[Elaine]

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.

[kiya]

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.

[ayoitzrimz]

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)

[Bristol]

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.

[Gretchen]

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.