[rubyrubyruby]

Ruby is now 13months so thinking about taking the crate away but for a number of reasons I m not sure whether right thing at the moment. Hoping you lot might be able to help with your wealth of experience !!!

Reasons for de-crating:-

She is now rarely in it in day as if we go out at the moment we leave her in the outdoor kennel and run but we still put her in it at night.

Even though crate is large she can only lay curled up in it and can't stretch out.

Reasons for not de-crating :-

She likes the security of it.

She willing will go in and part of night routine.

She is barking alot at sounds and movements at the moment but never barks in her crate - I wonder if she has freedom of whole kitchen she might bark at things going on in the garden during the night.

When we go away in caravan she will still need to sleep in a crate in the awning.

I wonder about giving her the option and just leave crate door open.
So what do you reckon ?
What age have other people de-crated their dogs and how have you done it ?

Many thanks

Chloe

 

[Maddie]

If you have the space and it's part of the routine why change?

 

[...]

I like to decrate mine as soon as I can, purely because the crate takes up so much room in my living room. The way I do it is I just leave the door open and see how it goes from there. If they get up to mischief then I close the door again for another month or so and if they don't, then after about a week I take it down and just leave their bed in the same position the crate was in.

As for the right age to decrate... that's a bit like asking how long is a piece of string. Mojo was decrated at 5 months old with no problems at all, others I've decrated at 9, 10 and 12 months, whereas some other dogs are crated right into adult life because they are destructive. So it really is just a case of Suck it and See. :wink:

If you decided to keep her crated, how about getting her a bigger crate so she can stretch out, then you won't feel bad about shutting her in. My 42" one was large enough for Oyster to lay flat in and she was a tall (25") and long girl.

 

[Feebarn]

I'm in my second try of decrating Pasco and its a mixed bag! We tried when he was about 9/10 months and he chewed the door frames mercilessly!

So we are 3 days down now in this attempt at decrating and we have had minimal minor chewing! So fingers crossed. He isn't much better in his crate, shreds vet bed like it is going out of fashion and the stringy poops were annoying both to him and us!!! I hate to see him in a bare crate though so hopefully this decrating attempt will be successful and he can get in to his comfy non chew bed!!!

For Huds we had a false start again about the age of 9-10 months and then we had to take it away when he was about 13-14 months because Pasco was coming home. The first attempt met with a bit of counter surfing and a few funny incidents of moved items, but no real destruction. Second attempt went like a dream!

We could easily keep the crate, its not a big deal, but I do like the space it liberates in my kitchen by being away! I would say if you don't mind it being there and she likes it, then leave it. If you feel she's not botherd by it, then take it away. Good luck!!!

 

[Kendra]

Indy decrated herself back in June (she'll have been 10 months old, she's 1 on Monday) and we've had only one issue since where she chewed a hole in my curtain. Aside from that, she's been as good as gold *touches wood*

It seemed at the time that she had decided it was time to decrate, I was considering it but was unsure so she took the choice out of my hands :lol:

 

[_Melanie_]

We decrated Skylar at about five months. She never really took to her crate anyway. We just decided to de-crate her as soon as she was completely toilet trained. Elphie is another one that doesn't like her crate and hates it even more than Sky did! I can't see us de-crating her for while though, at night times anyways. In the day when we are there she NEVER goes in her crate, and prefers to sleep on my feet!

If I were you I would take your own advice and leave the crate door open in the same room you leave her, and perhaps put another bed outside too and see what she prefers.