Crated during day?

[Gatordave260]

I'm thinking about getting my first gun dog pup, and need some advice. I've read a lot about GSPs and English Setters needing a lot of exercise and I was wondering 2 things in that regard:

1) My wife and I both work during the day, so any dog would be home inside all day (most likely in a crate). Is that okay for these two breeds, or would I be doing a big disservice to the dog?

2) I live in suburbia and have a normal suburban subdivision type yard. It's about 10 yds deep x 25 yds wide. Is this too small to realistically be able to exercise the dog while playing? I'd plan on walking the dog for a mile or so each day, play fetch and train in the backyard. Again, I don't want to get a dog that doesn't fit my situation.

The only dog I ever owned was a lab that we adopted from a rescue when he was 3 and he was fine with the type of situation described above. Although, he was never crate trained because he was so well behaved when we got him. If the GSP or ES don't fit my situation, I'll probably get another lab.

I'm a total novice to this, so any honest advice will be appreciated.

Thanks everybody.

[AZSetter]

You just described my wife and my working conditions as well as our living conditions. You also described my son's conditions to a tee. My son has a GSP and my wife and I an English setter. Both dogs are doing just fine in the conditions you described. Dogs sleep much of the day anyway and their crate is like a den to them. We do however, run them extensively most weekends and there is a track around the back yard.

[birddogger]

Yeah, they do need to run. Taking him for a walk and doing backyard playing/training won't be enough. The crate should be OK if he could get the needed exercise when you are home.

Charlie

[roaniecowpony]

I have an English Pointer out of big running horseback trial bloodlines. My back yard is about the same as yours. The lab and pointer both have been housebroke and have access to two rooms of the house through a dog door while we are at work. They sleep most of the day away. The pointer has settled in nicely to this life. Dogs are very adaptable. But I'm not a fan of crating day in and day out for 10-12 hrs a day where they can't eliminate or get water. I know some guys that do it. I just think it's gotta be tough on the dog's health in the long haul.

[brianb]

We have a similar situation with a 1/4 acre back yard. I've had an English setter for a year now. These are my experiences:

A mile walk around the neighborhood on a leash is not enough exercise for my setter. I make a point to run him off leash at least 20-40 minutes before work. In the city/suburbs you need to be creative. It's illegal in my town to have a dog off leash. I sometimes have to tresspass in open fields or parks or a fenced ball diamond. I take them to the dog park in the dark when nobody else is there.

I run him extra long on the weekends if I'm not hunting.

Like Roanie says 10-12 hours is a long time for a dog to be in a crate. We leave for work at 8:30 but my son is home from school at 3 so the dog is in there 6.5 hours max usually. He's bouncing off the walls when we let him out and needs minimum 15 minutes of fetch or play in the backyard to burn off his pent up energy

With proper morning exercise, he'll sleep in his crate all day. Without I can tell he's trying to escape the crate or destroy it.

[RoostersMom]

A dog can handle this situation as long as he's getting significant off-leash running exercise. A puppy does not do well with this crating scenario. A puppy can't go crated for so long at a time. About an hour per month old, so a three month old pup can go about 3 hours in a crate at a time. You'll just want to figure out a way to get a puppy out of the crate more often during the day - dog sitter, next door neighbor kid, come home at lunch, etc. Just until the pup is old enough to handle being crated so long.

[Sharon]

I'm thinking about getting my first gun dog pup, and need some advice. I've read a lot about GSPs and English Setters needing a lot of exercise and I was wondering 2 things in that regard:

1) My wife and I both work during the day, so any dog would be home inside all day (most likely in a crate). Is that okay for these two breeds, or would I be doing a big disservice to the dog?

2) I live in suburbia and have a normal suburban subdivision type yard. It's about 10 yds deep x 25 yds wide. Is this too small to realistically be able to exercise the dog while playing? I'd plan on walking the dog for a mile or so each day, play fetch and train in the backyard. Again, I don't want to get a dog that doesn't fit my situation.

The only dog I ever owned was a lab that we adopted from a rescue when he was 3 and he was fine with the type of situation described above. Although, he was never crate trained because he was so well behaved when we got him. If the GSP or ES don't fit my situation, I'll probably get another lab.

I'm a total novice to this, so any honest advice will be appreciated.

Thanks everybody.

1/ Shouldn't be left crated all day when a PUP. Someone would need to come in at lunch and play /exercise it. It would still likely pee in its bed, when young as they need to pee often.

2/ Gundogs are meant to run off leash for miles/hunt if possible.I wouldn't recommend a gundog for your plans. I have setters ; that plan wouldn't make them happy. Just being honest.

[Tia]

We got our first GSP Dec. 21st. First 2 weeks, because of the holidays, some one was home to let her out. Fast forward to today 12 weeks old. Crate when we leave for work. 3 days a week we have someone come walk her during lunch. The other 2 days I go home and let her out then back in she goes. We walk her every night, bought 1/2 to 1 mile, play fetch every morning, take her for runs on Friday afternoon, sat and sun. She is doing just fine. No accidents in the crate. She sleeps all night, in the crate, and does not go crazy. Only problem we have is the fact she will be too big someday to sit in our laps.

[markj]

Why not block off a small room, placepuppy pads on teh floor with a few toys? Food and water too. It is how I do my pups. Teach them house training and fun too. I think keeping them locked up in a crate isnt the best thing for any living creature. Back in the day, wasnt crates. Only people that could teach pup right from wrong and let pup have the run of the house.

[Gatordave260]

Thanks, everybody. That's some really good feedback. I've got to think about this a bit. If we do anything, we're going to plan on getting the pup around the time school lets out for summer. My wife works at the school and will be home for summer, and she'll be able to handle the pup for a few months before we'd both be gone all day.

[aulrich]

It can be done, you will end up getting religious about after supper walks. tired dog = good dog

Friends without kids usually get up early to walk theirs and also walk after work.

It does pay to really work them on the weekend.

If you live in town you can't be afraid of the dog park, but I am luck my city has off-leash areas in most every neighborhood along with a couple of huge(100+ acres) fenced ones

[CDN_Cocker]

Most folks have to work for a living so don't let people try to tell you that you aren't fit to own a dog. My own dogs are crated during the day when both myself and the girlfriend are working. I work shift work so its not every day but they have to be crated at least 2 days a week usually for 7-8 hours. Not ideal but you do what you can. I just make sure they get exercise before and after I work and lots of training and exercise on my days off. I would suggest getting a pup when you have some time off to help adjust and get past the housebreaking stage.

[Sharon]

TRue . I used to crate my dogs all day when I worked but NOT a pup.

[CDN_Cocker]

TRue . I used to crate my dogs all day when I worked but NOT a pup.

When mine were pups I worked straight nights so I was home during the day every day. I was lucky I could do that. I don't think many folks could pull that off though with their place of employment. Now that they are both over a year I have changed jobs and work rotating shifts - days and nights. I just make sure that even when I don't feel like doing anything on my days off that I force myself to get out. Can't really train much with this snow but they can get out and run at least. Or build snow forts...

[rinker]

Do you have a garage? I have an above ground kennel in my garage, similar to a Scott's kennel. I fixed it so I could slide trays underneath it to catch any waste. I don't use this kennel long term. I just use it when I have a small puppy, or if a dog needs medication or something like that. The most interesting sub division set up that I have ever seen was similar to mine. The guy had an above ground kennel similar to mine that ran all the way across the back wall of his garage, then there was a hole in the garage wall big enough for the dog to go through and there was an above ground kennel running all the way across the back of his garage outside. He had a door on the opening in the wall fixed in such a way that he could lock it closed, so the dog was locked inside. He did this at night when the dog might bark and upset neighbors.