Adopting a Crate Trained Dog...

Hi S. ~ Congrats to the new addtion to your family. Our dog was crate trained...our first experience with it. I was hestitant at first, but the crate became our dog's haven, safe place, etc...she loved it. We kept a sealed container of treats near the crate and gave her one everytime we put her in there to go somewhere...so of course she loved to go into it! After she turned 3, we needed more space in the room the crate was in, so we started not closing the door of the crate when we left for work each day. I could tell she still went into the crate during the day to sleep. However, of the course of a month or so, she started not using it so much and used her dog bed (in another room of our house) more often. Then we took the crate down, and she's been fine since. So, now her dog bed is her safe haven.

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My dogs love there crate...they actually sleep in it when the door is open. It is a safe place for them. I never crate trained my older dog but when I got a puppy decided to crate train it. I actully had to buy a bigger crate because my older dog wanted to be in it! As they get older they don't have to be in it much but it is a wonderful tools when they are puppies in traing. Hope it goes well!

ok you should keep him the way he is. its like a child they are so used to doing something but when you change it up the get confused and thats when everyone has a problem. it depends on what his crate is for(i.e. home,punishment,ect.) now if it is his home he needs one ! you don't need to feel bad about having him in there if he is used to it. he needs to feel like thats his space!!you can teach him how to use the cratewith the door open. whenever no one is around he will go home or if you have company or whatever. but you should get a crate its very useful. I'm not sure where your located but i have a nice size cage that im looking to get rid of. if your interested let me know, but it is really nice to have!!

You can rent a crate for the adjustment period. I would for sure have a crate to make him cofortable. You don't have to shut him in it , just have it there if he wants it. If you don't want to rent a crate get him a large cardboard box and cut the top off and sit it on it's side and put him a doggy blanket in it for him. That should work just as well. I think it's great that you are adopting an adult dog. Good Luck!!

I believe if you take the crate away he will have a lot more anxiety with the changes. Unless he came from a family with children it will be an extremely hard adjustment and he may act out in various ways or turn into a recluse. the crate will give him security, make him feel happy and let him adjust at his own speed. I have two dogs, one I have crated always as she is destructive and loves to ruin things, the other is very mellow and never causes any problems but she loves the crate. when she is in there at night she won't get up and also won't have any accidents. Also keeps a location where the kids won't bother her or where she can go when uncomfortable with noises or company. I love the crate, it adds security and rules for the dogs. I would recommend getting the same kind of crate he has now - metal or plastic. The plastic is cheaper but larger and the metal most dogs love as it give the security they need without blocking out the view. You can get a small(try for medium as he will like it more) metal one on Craigslist for under $50.00. I got one at a yard sale for free last weekend. You just have to search. The rescue group will likely loan you one for a few months until you can find a cheap one. Good luck and congratulations on the new addition to the family!

The crate is a comfort zone for the dog. Think of it as his cave. When we crate trained our dog she would actually go in her crate on her own while we were getting ready for work. It made her feel safe. However as she got older we realized she no longer needed it. She was the best dog I ever had and crate training really worked. We never ever had accidents. Good luck

i got a dog that was crate trained. i never believed in crate training either, but i agree with one of the posters that say this is their security. when she gets nervous she will sometimes go over to it. the only time she is put in the crate is when we leave the house. my other dog doesn't do very well with separation and will potty in the house if not in the crate so we put them both in a extra large one. even tho the dog you're getting is potty trained, with the upheavel of moving it might take some time before he actually gets potty trained at your house. so it is probably a good idea to get a small crate and just place it somewhere in the house out of the way so he can get to it if he wants. you can put blankets in it to make it comfy

You could try him without the crate and just put his bed somewhere and see how it works out (if he is destructive, etc) If you already have baby gates up then the dog won't be able to get into places he's not supposed to - with my dogs I only crate trained them when they were puppies up until they were fully potty trained and out of the chewing stage. After they were about 1 year old I got rid of the crate and they adjusted just fine. Unless you have a big house and a spot to put the crate... then it just gets in the way. Of course my house is only about 1200 sq. feet. I was happy to get rid of it :-) good luck with your new doggie.
oh and ps - a trainer once told me to NEVER use the crate as punishment. That should be their safe place. If you punish them and make them go in their crate they may associate bad behavior w going in the crate. Just wanted to pass along what I have been told :-)

I belong to a dog rescue and let me say that the dogs crate becomes their security so if you take that away from him or her that could be a problem as well. Not to mention keeping them in their crate when you are sleeping or not at home keeps them out of harms way as well. You never know what they will get into when you arent home. We leave our crates open all day long and our dogs come and go all day in and out of their crates on their own. that is their bed, their dog house so to speak and most important their security. Good luck to you and please keep that in mind.

The crate is usually used for when you will be out for any length of time, and is also their "space". If it is already crate trained, you should get a crate for him and have it avaialble to him. He may be house trained, but crate trained dogs can sometimes have accidents ehen left out. They know not to mess in their bed. that is why crate training works. If you are not home to let the dog out, he will need his crate. Again, that is also like their bedroom, their comfort zone. I had never crated a dog until I married my husband. all of his dogs had been crate trained. The dogs like it. They don't see it as punishment

Dog are very adaptable. However, if he's crate trained that's a good thing and doesn't have to leave a negative taste in your mouth.
It's his/her safe place. Their own dojo so to speak. We got a new dog last year after loosing ours to cancer and we had not used the crate system with past dog, but we were determined to use one with the new one (German Shepherd). They are large and when left unattended could do serious damage to your home. It has been great.
He goes in there at night when it's bedtime and he'll even go in there during the day on his own (we don't go shut him in during the day) and sleeps because he knows that's his bed. He also knows that when he's done something wrong and he knows what that is he goes and gets in his bed.
If he gets anything he's not supposed to have (ie, toy, sock, shoe anything that is not his own toy or food) he has to get in his bed/crate for a time out.
This is how you teach them acceptable behavior.

Ultimately it's up to you if you want him trained or not to be obedient or to do whatever he pleases. I will tell you that he'll do better with knowing his place in the home. Good luck

You might want to take a more wait and see approach as to whether or not you'll want to keep the crate. If he is already trained to use it, then it is his "safe" place... his "den" if you will. If you had no children (or at least much older children) then it might not make as much difference.. but your new family member may want a place he can go that is "off limits" to the KIDS...

We kept the crate for our German Shepherd for several years - even though she has never been a problem in the house... until I finally was tired of having the big thing in the bedroom. She slept in it often (I covered it with an old sheet and it was like a cave for her), but slowly, over about 2 years in the house we live in now, she started sleeping in the various bedrooms during the night... She makes her rounds to check on the kids and sleeps for awhile in one child's floor, then comes to our bedroom when I go to bed, etc... Just because you don't close the pooch inside, doesn't mean the crate isn't useful. If it is providing comfort for the dog, then it is useful. Ours stopped using hers over a long period of time and is just as comfortable on a bed in a corner of the room. She also naps in the bottom of our bedroom closet (very dark and small space under my husband's shirts) and under or son's bed (when it is cleaned out so she can squeeze under there), and even against the back door in the laundry room (when it is quiet and the light is off). Basically, she discovered her own "caves" around the house and gave up the "crate cave".

I'd get the crate (won't the old owner give you the one he has been using?) and let him use it. It is a fantastic way to teach your little ones to leave the dog alone.... "when he is in his crate you must leave him alone". That way the dog has a place to retreat to when the kids get to be too much for him (or other houseguests.... holiday times can be quite stressful for pets). If he eventually stops using it, then you can decide what to do then.

We crate trained our dog as a puppy. That was basically for the purpose of him learning not to make in the house. We would open the door (gate) and let him out first thing in the morning, leave it open during the day, then put him in and close the gate door at night, or when we had to leave the house. Now the door stays open and he has free run of our house, he goes in there sometimes to nap or when he gets frightened. It is his "safety spot" so we would never get rid of it even though we don't need it. He is a good boy and would never ever go in the house.

hi S.
congrats on the new dog...we adopted a crate trained dog several yrs ago to keep our other dog company while we were away. (our dog was not crate trained) my hubby doesn't like the crates for animals...until we tried to phase out the crate for this other dog....keep the crate if he/she likes it & are use to it, it's worth the $. they feel very safe in it. & w a toddler running around...it keeps all living beings safe. we tried both ways & the crate was a life saver for this dog. we leave the door open & he goes in there whenever things get to much for him...or he just wants to be left alone. and we have a "hands off" the crate rule! works well for all of us. (w/o the crate this dog chewed everything out of nerves & nipped my son.)so my advise is enjoy the crate training & let him decide when he wants to be in it while you are home...then put him in it when you leave the house. we learned the hard way...it's their security. good luck...J. j

I am an advocate of crate training. I had a crate-trained dog for several years (had to give him to a friend because we moved). I loved it. We would put him in his crate at night and anytime we were leaving the house. We never had to worry about coming home to (or waking up to) a mess he had created. He considered it his little bedroom, if you will. In fact, many times during the day when the door to the crate stayed open, he would go into the crate and lay down or chew his tennis ball. I think it's a great way to keep dogs safe while you're away from the house or asleep.