[Ares2010]

What is the point of having a dog that will protect you if they are in the cage at night? He is over a year now and I don't like him being in the cage all night. Should I take the chance or keep him in the cage? He has not been chewing like he did before but it makes me nervous Any thoughts?

 

[LaRen616]

For a long time my GSD, he is almost 2 years old, was crated while I was at work and at night when I was sleeping. He has been sleeping with the crate door open for 6 months now and he has not chewed a thing but he is in my bedroom with me and the door is shut so he doesn't have access to the whole house.

You can try it and see how it goes but I would keep your bedroom door shut so he cant go around the whole house, incase he ruins something.

 

[kiya]

We started leaving Lakotas crate door open at night when she was about 9 months old and finally took it down a month ago. Not for her to protect us, my bedroom is small I needed the space back. I still don't trust her during the day. Shes been really good at night and if I get up I check and see everyone laying in thier beds they look so cute.

 

[DCluver33]

My GSD sleeps in my room with the door shut, I'm slowly transitioning him from his crate to being loose, right now he can't be trusted loose in the house. I'm hoping eventually I'll be able to let him loose with my other dog (who is loose in the house)

 

[Stosh]

I started leaving Stosh out of his crate at night when he was about 5-6 mos old. He's done really well, never ever any problem at all. He just turned a year old and until last month I crated him when we left home but after an accident he was very sedentary and I used that opportunity to try leaving him out- he's doing great with it. Our house is almost all glass and I like that if anyone walks or drives up to our house sees a big hairy beast!

 

[kidkhmer]

We let karma sleep in the room for 4 months and then my wife insisted she had to sleep outside *sniff* my dogs have always been outside kennel dwellers but I loved having karma right next to me *sniff sniff * anyhow I also did not see the point of her being inside when one of her jobs is going to be guarding our house at night . We have razor wire on our perimeter but karma's job will be to bite them if they get over LOL anyways karma transitioned outside with no dramas at all and slEeps on the front porch all night on the cool cement !

 

[Rerun]

Start with an enclosed area, like your bedroom with the door closed or a gate up (if he respects it). Micah and Audrey usually sleep in the main living part of the house, no carpeting, and Akira sleeps with us. Both puppies are sleeping in crates at night - youngest in our bedroom and Dante in a crate with the other dogs.

Only you know your dog best. At 1 yr some dogs are ready and some won't be ready for some time yet. You won't know until you give him a chance, but dog proof as best as you can, and don't let him be in the room with anything valuable.

 

[kidkhmer]

We let karma sleep in the room for 4 months and then my wife insisted she had to sleep outside *sniff* my dogs have always been outside kennel dwellers but I loved having karma right next to me *sniff sniff * anyhow I also did not see the point of her being inside when one of her jobs is going to be guarding our house at night . We have razor wire on our perimeter but karma's job will be to bite them if they get over LOL anyways karma transitioned outside with no dramas at all and slEeps on the front porch all night on the cool cement ! Dogs are dogs at the end of the day .

 

[Deuce]

Deuce is 6 months old and stays in his crate overnight. If not, he'll use the house as a potty

 

[Pattycakes]

Uschi is almost 19 months old and I have been letting her out of her crate at night for a few months now and she is doing really well. But I do still crate her during the day when I'm at work.

 

[liv]

Ours sleep in their crates in our bedroom at night - our male (1 year old) would likely eat something he shouldn't, and our female (almost 2) sticks her head under the blankets and licks my feet Our female is loose in the house during the day. However, if they ever hear anything that concerns them they make an unholy racket, so I don't worry about their ability to alert us to intruders, or alert the intruders to them!! If we're actually concerned, then we let the dogs out and they go with my DH while he checks things out. If your dog is trustworthy in the house, then I would say go for it, if not he will likely give you some notice.

 

[ZAYDA]

It all depends on the dog but leaving them out of the crate at night would be my starting point and then I start with 15 minutes to an hour working up from there.

I have also allowed my puppies out of the crate and sleeping on their pillows in my bedroom at around 6 months. Leaving alone in the house is a different story.

 

[KZoppa]

Riley is 6 years old, this month actually, and he's allowed to sleep in our room outside of the crate but cant be trusted to stay out of trouble while we're gone so he's crated. Shelby is 1.5 and cant be trusted to not mess in the house, she has no respect for gates at all so we have to use two in our bedroom when she's allowed to sleep in there with us. She has to be crated when we leave because she's a seperation anxiety destructive monster. and Shasta we've only recently begun allowing to sleep in the bedroom outside of her crate a couple times a week. But she has started chewing on the comforter so she's been in the crate since then at night but she is also only 8 months old so i dont expect an angel for a little while yet. It really depends on you and your dog.

 

[Zoeys mom]

Is he a chewer? Zoe only chews when we are gone, but not when we are home at night. During the day she is crated when we are not home and out at night because she behaves

 

[vicky2200]

I started letting my GSD out of her cage at night around 5months. She did fine. Maybe start with the dog in your room with you, and if they do well, expand to the whole home

 

[rvadog]

If you want to let your dog out at night because you want to cuddle with him awesome.

But he's a puppy. And I bet $1,000 that your 1 year old puppy wont protect anything.

Be honest with yourself. Is he ready and why do you want to do it?

 

[Ares2010]

Not anymore. He stopped, then started, and now seems to have stopped. He likes to take things and put them in his bed, but won't chew on them.

 

[Ares2010]

It's not so much for protection as that I feel bad because we are not home a lot during the day. I know he is young, but still acts protective at times. Was told at a year they start to become more aggressive. That is coming from my Fiance's co worker who is a canine officer.

 

[Runswithdogs]

Until we got a 2nd dog, Regen slept in her crate with the door closed but not latched. She stays in there all night, when she is loose she moves around and occasionally will lick a face or decide when to wake us up, and I'm a light sleeper. She's been totally fine uncrated starting at 14 months old (we only got her when she was a year), I just don't sleep as well. No accidents or chewing or anything.

 

[JakodaCD OA]

All of my dogs as puppies, never slept in crates overnite, I was DARN lucky they weren't chewers and kept them blocked in my room at nite.

Masi was crated in my room at nite until she was around 5 months old. If I had let her have free reign she would have been bugging my senior dog all nite long,,she finally was 'ok' with leaving him alone at nite so no more crate at nite