Why crate if housebroken?

[Mayasmom]

Im a little surprised after reading the previous thread about, being robbed, & reading how many members here keep their dogs crated when away from home. Just curious as to why?

One of the reasons we got a GSD was to protect our home & family. Not much good if she is in a crate. I have woken in the night to find her sleeping in the middle of the living room floor. She has a nice cushy bed beside mine. My neighbors were fighting in the street weeks ago. Woke me up from a sound sleep. I found Maya waiting by the front door. She was sitting staring at the door, listening to the neighbors.

Maybe Im putting too much faith in her as a protector. I cant imagine a burglar breaking in with a protective GSD on the other side of the window or door. There are plenty of warnings, we have Beware of Dog signs posted.

So my question is, if you crate, why?

[Scarlettsmom]

One word comes to mind: DESTRUCTION!

I do not crate Scarlett...NOW. We had to when we first got her because she ate our stuff...expensive, dangerous stuff. For her safety and our sanity, we had to crate her until she gradually became trustworthy.

That was our situation and crating was a godsend for us. Scarlett will still eat anything leather that is left out (UGG boots, wallets, belts, purses, shoes...) so we are tasked with making sure the house is "Scarlett proofed" (knowing that NOTHING is GSD proof, only GSD reistant) before we leave. We close off the bedroom doors and make sure the bathroom doors are shut too. The kitchen trashcan is a favorite and I have YET to find a good way to keep her out of it (she can open cupboard doors, step on pedals and wave her paw/tail to activate the electric ones) so our can lives in the garage.

Crating is a necessity for so many owners. Consider yourself very lucky that you don't need to. It's also a choice for many too. I think the reasons for crating will be as varied as the GSD breed itself. :0)

[gsdraven]

Depends on how you define housebroken. Kaiser has not pottied in the house in a long time but he will eat anything he can find. He'll climb shelves to get to it too. He's crated for his own safety.

Holly is also housebroken but she can be aggressive toward strangers so she is crated for her safety and the safety of anyone who may enter my home wanted (firefighters if they had to) or not (burglar).

Raven has earned the freedom to be loose.

With 3 dogs, leaving them all loose together could be dangerous if they decided to fight for whatever reason.

[Lucy Dog]

It's simple. For a young dog who likes to chew, it keeps them and the house safe from being destroyed. It prevents them from chewing on electrical chords, computers, sofas, or anything else when they're crated.

I live in a pretty safe area. I even leave my keys in my car at night, so it's very safe where i live. Never any break-ins or any crime, so the last thing I need a GSD or a dog in general is for protection or as a deterrent.

Plus a snarling dog is no match for a determined burglar with a gun. I'd rather have them safe in the crate. A tv is replaceable, a dog isn't.

[kiya]

My 2 older dogs have been free to roam the house since they were very young, they were not destructive at all. Lakota is 2 (today) and she still will steal things and chew given the opportunity. So she gets confined to the kitchen. I have no idea when I will be able to fully trust her. I can leave her free for short trips but I wouldn't leave her free in the house all day while I'm at work.

[GSDolch]

Its going to depend on the dog and what ones priorities are. I don't have my dog for protection, I think that is silly. If my dog protects me, great, I would like for that to happen if she is with me, but I do not have her for that reason. She is first and foremost a family member and my friend.

Many people think their dog will protect their home. More times than not, this is not the case, so you run the risk of your dog getting out or getting hurt in the event of a break in. Now, for your general B&E people that don't know you, dogs are good to ward people off. They don't want the hassle.

If someone is willing to go through GSDs that are barking at them, then they don't have good things in mind. My stuff, is not more important than my dog. This doesn't mean I always crate, but it is a good valid reason for those who do.

Not to mention, its not all about going to the bathroom. Some dogs can never be trusted left alone and will get into things that can hurt them. Not to mention if you have more than one animal of different species. When I had cats, dogs were crated...yes they all got along, but really, I wasn't going to risk my dog getting ticked at the cat and all it would have taken is one good bite. I have a terrier mix and a lovebird. The lovebird likes to tease the dog. Ya, thats not something I can "train" out of the bird. So I crate my terrier when I cannot watch them because he will, if given the chance, tip the cage over and have a birdy snack. While I am home, no problems at all. If I am gone, I don't trust him.

Not to mention its good to keep a crate around in the case of emergencies. My terrier is mending from a broken leg, he has had to be in his crate so much lately to keep him from hurting it more. So there is that aspect of it to.

[CarrieJ]

I crate train religiously after owning a dog with destructive separation anxiety. He never really got over it, but did eventually stop being destructive and just "collect" random objects that I own and sleep with them. If I couldn't find my hairbrush, a left shoe, or a wallet...I'd check his crate or sleeping place.

I also live in an area of CA where thank the lord there still is a fairgrounds (barely) and many animal shelters, however I have a feeling that when the next 7.0 earthquake hits again that said shelters will be overwhelmed. God forbid that my dogs get loose cause I have fallen fences or collasped walls and get put in a crate due to lack of shelter space. I want the crate to be a refuge, a save haven, in tramautic times.
See the videos of Hurrican Katrina? They had animals, stacked like cordwood in crates.
During the Loma Prieta earthquake, my boss volunteered with Oakland Animal Services and they were forced (due to space) to put dogs who barely were allowed in the house into crates. Many of these dogs were beyond terrified and were breaking toenails and teeth on crates until they were sedated.
These are not things that I would knowingly put my dogs through. I have no warnings for earthquakes but I can be prepared and be prepared for my dogs' sake.

[Stellae]

I crate my boy when I'm gone because we live in an apartment, so there are occasionally workers who come in (recently, to do things like fix holes in the walls from squirrels living inside them). Yes, technically management is supposed to give me "reasonable notice", but they don't always - and even if they did, there's no guarantee I would remember at 7.15am when I stumble out the door to work if it was a day he needed to be crated or not.

He likes his crate. Every morning after his last potty break before I leave he gets to choose a toy or a chewy to take into his crate, and he's always excited to pick something and then prance off with it.

I can go to work and not worry about what he's getting into while I'm gone, or if he's damaging the apartment. Admittedly, he has yet to show interest in dirty dishes or the kitchen garbage (for example), but that doesn't mean he wouldn't develop an interest if he were bored and free to roam. Also, I know that he behaves well in his crate, in that he feels secure and doesn't bark or be otherwise noisy and bother the neighbours. That's not true if he can "guard" from the sliding glass door.

He's just going to sleep during the day while I'm gone. I'd rather he sleep in his crate than on my pillow.

If/when I own my own place, he might be left free while I'm at work. But probably not, because I'm paranoid These days, while sometimes I let him be free for short (1-hr max) times while I'm gone, usually he just comes with me on those kinds of trips.

[Good_Karma]

I keep my dogs crated when we are not home so I can ensure the safety of my cats. And I did not get my dogs to protect my stuff from a robber.

[fuzzybunny]

Destruction as well. We tried Jazz out of his crate and he was fine for 2 months. Then we noticed a little nibbling but ignored it. Then we came home one day to dvd's strewn all over the floor, some in pieces . Bunny gets free reign, but Jazz will remain crated a little while longer.