<p>There is a very big difference between the dog being OK when you are NOT THERE (my dog is completely OK with that - work, vacations, etc.) vs. when you are THERE but just not allowing them access to you (locking them away in another room, etc.). And no, personally I don’t see any value to making my dog do that. When I am in the house, there is no reason why he shouldn’t be allowed to be with me - I see no reason to train that.</p>
<p>I know this is going to be unpopular, but personally I absolutely DO NOT belive in crating except for travel or extreme emergencies. Crating is a new development (and not even accepted in many other countries), and people have had dogs for decades without crating. I am completely opposed to it on a day to day basis (again, excluding vet trips, emergencies, or training for either of those two).</p>
<p>hmm… one of my dogs actually loves his crate. It’s like a den to him and when he wants a little quiet time, he goes to his crate knowing that is his safe area. The door is always left open. As an adult now, we never lock him in it, but as a puppy and young adult, he was locked in occasionally and had no problem with it. Like I said, it was like his den.</p>
<p>As to who is more important, people are pets?.. that depends on the person.</p>
<p>Dusktodawn, I have no issue with unlocked crates(that’s used as a type of house) at all - I should have specified - I meant being locked in a crate.</p>
<p>Of course you can have your dogs with you as much as you want, but dogs that whine and scratch and make a fuss when they are in a different room from you are poorly trained, poorly behaved dogs. Of course, people are also free to have poorly behaved dogs. </p>
<p>My idea of crate training is that they willingly, and preferably happily, go into their crates and remain there contentedly as long as need be. If done properly, the crate becomes a very safe and relaxing place for the dog. It should not represent punishment or anything negative. It is selfish of owners not to prepare their pets for any contingency.</p>
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<p>You do know that the dog doesn’t know if the crate is locked or not. A dog comfortable in a crate doesn’t care if the door is closed or not.</p>
<p>“Of course you can have your dogs with you as much as you want, but dogs that whine and scratch and make a fuss when they are in a different room from you are poorly trained, poorly behaved dogs. Of course, people are also free to have poorly behaved dogs.”</p>
<p>You are certainly entitled to your opinion. My dog behaves extremely well in the house and doesn’t cause issues - gets off the couch if I need him to, goes to his bed if I ask him to. Also, behaves very well while I am at work, even though he has the run of the apartment always. There is no reason whatsoever to lock him away when I am there, and I am not going to put him through that stress for no purpose. He came to me at 3.5 after being abandoned multiple times and going through all sorts of hardships. Being locked away in a city pound is one of them. I am not putting him though that for NO REASON. If that makes him poorly behaved to you, that’s fine. There are pretty much no situations I can think of, except some weird emergency 1 in a million chance where he would need the skill of being in the same palce as me but separated from me.</p>
<p>There is a difference between training or locking the dog away every day on a daily basis. As I said, I am not opposed to training for emergencies and using the crate for transport, etc. I am completely opposed to locking the dog away to make life easier for the OWNER - rather than dealing with chewing, peeing, and other puppy things (which can and are dealt with other means all the time). As with all in life, there are exception to every rule, of course.</p>
<p>Agree, I see dogs being very happy being crated. The den idea. I used to see dogs loving cars, as it was again, a den. </p>
<p>I love dogs, but due to the restrictiveness of my present city regarding dogs, would not own one here. </p>
<p>Anything that gives a little more peace to the dog human dynamic is a positive in my book, and crating is one of these developments. However was appalled when i first heard of it. </p>
<p>My cat allergic friend comes over on rare occasion. I wipe her chair down with a damp rag, make sure she is away from upholstery, wash the table cloth that day, vacuum hours prior to her arrival, and offer Allegra, the strongest of the OTC anti histamines, though she refuses. She says she is ok in my house, though also insists that the cats be shut away in the basement. </p>
<p>Not easy for my old cat, who loved nothing more than schmoozing at a dinner party. The current cats usually scatter with visitors. </p>
<p>In your case, the allergy seems a little fishy, and I do think it behooves a visitor to take meds prior to arrival, as the restriction seems hard on the dog human dynamic in your house.</p>
<p>I see the wife every four to six months, during which time we usually walk our dogs. We also chat via email and FB from time to time. I never see her husband (if I can avoid it!), and we only entertain each other maybe once every two or three years. So her saying “ages ago” isn’t offensive or laden with meaning at all; it just happens to be true.</p>
<p>Personally, I use crate training to housebreak a puppy, but that’s about it. Partly that’s because I always have large dogs, and I don’t want ginormous crates in the house. I also have the ability to put a baby gate across the entrance to the kitchen, so a dog who is ill or untrustworthy around the house–the chewing age, housebreaking, etc–can be confined to that room. My dogs have their own bed, normally on the floor next to mine. They aren’t allowed up on the furniture. I love dogs, but I want someplace clean to sit and I can’t afford to get the furniture reupholstered every few years. </p>
<p>It would be different if I were living in an apartment, I suppose.</p>
<p>I’ve only skimmed the previous posts so maybe this has been suggested, but the solution is obvious to me - ask the woman to leave her husband in the car (think of it as a “man crate”) and offer to bring out drinks and a plate of food for him. If he needs to use the bathroom he can drive himself to a gas station. </p>
<p>" There is no reason whatsoever to lock him away when I am there, and I am not going to put him through that stress for no purpose. "</p>
<p>No reason? Ever? A repairman comes to your house and you wouldn’t put the dog in another room or use a gate as a barrier so he can do his work in peace? A small child or an unsteady elder person comes over and you couldn’t possibly put the dog in the laundry room for a few hours? Wow. I agree with cartera.</p>