GSD sleeping in Kenel in Garage

[nicholastime]

Hi,

I just got our GSD and she is 4 months. She will not go to the bathroom in her kenel but has in our house. My kids are 9 and 3 so we go to bed early. Is it ok if I leave Cory in her kenel in our garage? We live in Memphis, TN so the weather doesn't get too cold but will get into the teens at night in January and February. Right now the weather is into the 20's at night.

Thanks for all your help.

[wolfstraum]

is she in a crate or in a kennel??? Many people put up a small kennel (5 x 5 or 5x 10) in their basements or garages to avoid keeping pups in crates....

Personally, I don't like leaving pups in a cold place....if you must leave her in an unheated place like a garage, make sure she has warm bedding to snuggle in.

Lee

[shepherdmom]

Bring the crate into the house. When I have a puppy, the crate is always in our bedroom. As the puppy gets older and is better potty trained you can start leaving the door open at night. When he/she is absolutely 100% not getting into trouble, then you can move the crate back out and replace with a doggie bed or blanket and your dog will have learned to sleep inside near you.

[MaggieRoseLee]

The first year is when its so important for our pups to be with us and learn their house manners, not be isolated and away from the family.

Keep the crate in the house in the bedroom and use it to help housebreak. Use baby gates and close doors to keep the puppy in the room you are in so house manner learning continues. Having a puppy IS work and can be hard, the same as having kids. But we don't keep the kids in the garage (right ) instead patiently teach and it is the same with a puppy. They learn WITH us, not off on their own.

You able to take the puppy to puppy classes? Just the time these weekly classes take and learning/bonding that occurs is worth it

[Jag]

I couldn't imagine leaving a pup in the garage at night, no matter the weather. This breed especially. Please bring the crate in the house. You need to form a good bond with it, and as said.. you can't teach manners if the pup is outside. If the pup is crated, it can't go on the floor or get into things so I fail to see the point in putting the crate in the garage.

[jae]

I used to do this. I realized soon after I didn't want my dog separated, I couldn't keep an eye on him in there, and he would want to keep his eyes on me anyway

it is better to keep them as close as possible it helps with housebreaking and bonding in every way you could imagine. good luck.

[Rerun]

OP, can you clarify whether you mean kennel (as in a large enclosed space, such as a small dog pen) or crate (big enough for pup to lay down in, but not move around much otherwise)?

If it's an actual kennel (a pen) that you have in the garage, I can understand why you would be keeping pup in the kennel at night vs loose in the house. However, you could simply get a crate for inside the house if this is the only issue.

You won't find many people here who will approve of keeping a dog in the garage at night, or outside. Most of the members here are housepet kind of dog owners. That said, german shepherds certainly will be fine in those temps with some warm bedding as another poster suggested. Unless you plan to put the puppy beside your bed in a crate, there is no difference IMHO whether the pup sleeps in a crate in the house or sleeps in a crate/kennel in the garage. Your garage, if attached to the house, probably stays much warmer than 20 degrees (ours never goes below about 45 degrees at the coldest even in the dead of winter, and I'm in central Indiana). Also, the garage is out of the wind and other elements, so even if it truely is 20, it's not as cold of a 20 as 20 degrees outside will feel. In order to stay outside in those temps, the pup would have to be acclimated to outdoor temps already by then which would mean living outside 24/7.

In short, yes, sleeping in the garage is fine. It will not hurt the puppy any, will not hurt bonding, or anything else. Plently of people are bonded to their dogs. Most working dogs (I mean actual working dogs, not sport dogs) live outside and are VERY bonded to their handlers. Where the dog sleeps has nothing to do with bonding. What you do during the awake hours is what promotes bonding.

[nicholastime]

Thanks for all your help. Our dog is in a crate which is in our attached garage. The main reason why we have put her in the garage is because she cries at night in the house. We started off with her crate in the house. Then she would cry and our kids would not go to sleep. I agree 100% with the bonding which is needed. I'm not sure what to do though about her crying if we bring her crate back in the house. Why does it matter if her crate is in our bedroom or in our dining room?

Thanks again

[sparra]

Originally Posted by Rerun

OP, can you clarify whether you mean kennel (as in a large enclosed space, such as a small dog pen) or crate (big enough for pup to lay down in, but not move around much otherwise)?

If it's an actual kennel (a pen) that you have in the garage, I can understand why you would be keeping pup in the kennel at night vs loose in the house. However, you could simply get a crate for inside the house if this is the only issue.

You won't find many people here who will approve of keeping a dog in the garage at night, or outside. Most of the members here are housepet kind of dog owners. That said, german shepherds certainly will be fine in those temps with some warm bedding as another poster suggested. Unless you plan to put the puppy beside your bed in a crate, there is no difference IMHO whether the pup sleeps in a crate in the house or sleeps in a crate/kennel in the garage. Your garage, if attached to the house, probably stays much warmer than 20 degrees (ours never goes below about 45 degrees at the coldest even in the dead of winter, and I'm in central Indiana). Also, the garage is out of the wind and other elements, so even if it truely is 20, it's not as cold of a 20 as 20 degrees outside will feel. In order to stay outside in those temps, the pup would have to be acclimated to outdoor temps already by then which would mean living outside 24/7.

In short, yes, sleeping in the garage is fine. It will not hurt the puppy any, will not hurt bonding, or anything else. Plently of people are bonded to their dogs. Most working dogs (I mean actual working dogs, not sport dogs) live outside and are VERY bonded to their handlers. Where the dog sleeps has nothing to do with bonding. What you do during the awake hours is what promotes bonding.

I agree.....my kids don't get to sleep on the floor in my bedroom so why should my dogs?? They all have their own space to sleep and providing it is warm and cosy the dog will be just fine.

[AngieW]

We put Kylie's crate in the laundry for the first several nights. We started off with the crate in the living room, but when we realized that she was going to be crying at the top of her lungs for several hours (and managed to wake up both of the kids, one of whom already has a sleep disorder she is on medication for), we gave up on the living room idea. I tried the crate in the garage, but I could hear her across the street. The laundry room was the most sound-proofed room in the house.

By the 3rd night, she was quiet within 20 minutes. We moved the crate to the living room the 5th night and that is where it has stayed.

Hopefully, your puppy will transition to the crate quickly so you can move the kennel back to the main part of the house soon.