| Eliza:
Please think a bit more deeply about crate training.
Our girls are very well trained and at home, we rarely crate them. However, when we take them to my in-laws--who are old and frail and live in a "just so house"--they spend alot of time in their crates. (To compensate, we take them for lots of walks outside, even if it's only a walk around the block.)
We set up the crates in the living room where they can see us and be part of the party w/o any of us having to worry about one of the girls bumping into someone.
At night, the girls are free in our bedroom.
Much better to do this, I think, than to board them or even worse, lock them in the basement of the in-laws house when we all visit!
As our dogs get older, we leave the crate door open. I've lost count of the many times the young dog has gone voluntariy into the crate for a snooze. I hardly think the dog would willingly go into the crate to sleep there of his own accord if the crate had negative associations.
When the dog is reliable enough to leave him or her unsupervised in the house, the crate goes into storage til the next time it's needed.
Finally, crates are very useful when you foster.  |