It depends on how long it takes for you to teach him what is appropriate and what is not appropriate for him to chew. He has no concept of this and must be taught.Originally Posted by Kristen
Bill
http://www.skylarzack.com/rawfeeding.htm
Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring-it was peace. - Milan Kundera
Crates are a great tool, even for some older dogs. My Sabie, loves her kennel and in fact if you close the door when she's not inside it you get this look like "Mom, why?" Crating is good for throughout the day when you aren't home and can't watch your dogs (management) Chewing is a self-rewarding behaviour, It's great for if there are just too many people and the dog is overwhelmed (a safe place for them to go), It's great for puppies when you are busy for a little while and just can't keep an eye on them (can save you from accidents and chewing). I think it goes without saying that you should take your puppy out to go pee before placing him/her in the kennel. It's a place for them to sleep at night (I keep Sabie's door open and she goes in there all on her own throughout the whole night until I wake up) If you don't normally use the crate it can be a great tool for a time out. Or if you do I might use two different crates. One for a safe place and the other for a time-out. I use Sabie's for both however, she loves her kennel and so getting a time-out in it is no big deal. If your dog doesn't like crates already I may be reluctant to use one for a time out. Maybe the bathroom? I believe that you can use a crate to bring the dog home. Just take some time before you put the crate in the car to get your pup used to it. Throw some treats or a toy in there and let your pup retrieve them. Do it again and again if necessary until he/she has no problem going in the crate. Then I would get him/her to go in the crate and I would wait for them to settle down and sit or lie down before closing the door. Let them accept it first. Then I would have them in the car and go home. A good idea is to take them for a walk before attempting the crate. Also, you should take them for a walk around the neighbourhood once you get home as well. Get a little bit of that extra energy/anxiety out
Unless it is shut with the latch closed, my dogs know how to open the door to their crate. They go in and out at will all day and night long. It is truly their safe haven. If they get scared, that's one of the first places they go (after running over to me, of course).
I've been thinking about getting 2 crates, one for Rocky & one for Jasper. I know that Jasper's will have to be smaller since he's so tiny right now (size of an adult cat, seriously). Any tips on getting the right size for them & introducing them to the dogs? Rocky is a boxer & nearly full-grown. We measured him today & he stands 21" at the shoulder already so he won't get much taller. I have no clue how big Jasper will get since his parents are such different breeds (mom is a blue heeler/lab mix, dad was a chihuahua).
A crate should be big enough for them to a) stand up without being hunched and b) lay down and spread out easily. That's the size you want. I started just by treat training. I showed her the crate, gave her a treat inside, and told her to stay. We moved on from there. Eventually I would walk out of the room and make sure she stayed and then I started commanding her to go to the crate from another room, etc. It takes some time for all of that, but she knew her crate almost instantly.
A good measure is one and a half times the length of the dog.
How about with a new puppy, one that you have no idea how big he'll get? Just buy one that looks right or what? Because Jasper right now is only 8 weeks & I don't know how big he's gonna be as an adult dog. I don't even know if I want to have a crate so they can go in it whenever they or I want them to or if it'll just mainly be for transporting them to the vet. Gah, I really need to figure this all out before we buy crates.
My dog is one and a half times her height to get her length roughly. So, if a chihuahua is 12-15 inches tall, a blue heeler is 17-20 inches and a lab is 21 to 24 inches. You should maybe look at how big your dog is now and judge which breed Jasper is most likely to take after. Then you would look at the crates at your local pet store and decide. My personal guess for the size of crate would be a medium to a large. My dogs are husky crosses and I have an XL wire crate. They can both fit in it for a little while, but now a whole day. Sabie definitely doesn't need a crate that big but it works for us. Sometimes if the crate is too big they can pee or poop in one corner and lie in the other which doesn't help for housebreaking. If you are scared to take the dive and buy a crate because it might be the wrong size and is expensive, I know our local SPCA sells used crates.
Ugh, after today, I am definitely buy Rocky a crate! The dog decided to tear up a door while we were cleaning the living room! I mean, he literally started chewing on the bottom of the door & ripped strips from it.... Gah, I do not even want to look at him right now, I am so mad.
I am looking at crates at PetSmart but I can't decide between the large or extra large of this one. The large says up to 70lbs and boxers are right at 70lbs when fully grown so I am thinking the extra large, just to be on the safe side. What do y'all think?
There must be something that drawn Lucky's attention to tearing up the door. It is better if you could see what is wrong. Stressful dogs (those who are rarely to walk outside the house) are common to show some attitude like this even for a grown up ones. So, you better review if the problem is coming from yourself. By the way, large crate is enough for a 70lbs dog. I also got my rottie with a large crate too and they are just fine.
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