Keeping dog in kennel

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Nmhuntr
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Keeping dog in kennel

Post by Nmhuntr » Sat Dec 02, 2017 8:51 pm

I am curious as to how many people keep their dog in a kennel when not at home. I have a Britt pup which is also a house dog but when I am at work she tears everything up she can. I am considering getting a small kennel former to stay in during the hours I am not home and was wondering if any of you do the same and if so does that also creat other issues. I know as a high energy dog that she will need more attention after being let out each day but are there other draw backs?

Thanks
Greg

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gonehuntin'
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Re: Keeping dog in kennel

Post by gonehuntin' » Sun Dec 03, 2017 8:46 am

Only the owner thinks the dog is unhappy living in one. When dog's are with a trainer on the road, they live in kennels 24 hours a day except for training and exercise. It's better than letting the dog destroy the house but a 6x12 outdoor kennel on concrete would be a far better solution.

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Re: Keeping dog in kennel

Post by cjhills » Sun Dec 03, 2017 9:28 am

Somewhat it would depend on the age of the pup and the length of time you are gone. 3 month or older puppies have no trouble with eight or nine hours in a crate. Dogs sleep 3/4 of their life. 18 hours a day.
I never liked extended periods in a outdoor run, especially in town dogs get barrier frustration, bark a lot and learn to stand with their front feet on the fence. Weather changes can be an issue. Also I have seen issues with neighborhood kids teasing dogs through the fence. Nice to have a outdoor run or fenced yard so the dog can be out when you are home............Cj

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Re: Keeping dog in kennel

Post by Timewise65 » Sun Dec 03, 2017 9:35 am

Our 3 Goldens, were kept in Kennels for the first 12 or 18 months if no one was home and at night. I am not a big fan of keeping a gun dog in a kennel, although when training with our pro they were in the kennel most of the day, except when doing training runs. Big difference here is that they were tired most of the day from running while training.

Regardless, I have found that as they mature and settle down a bit we slowly allow them to be free in the house.

Do not try one of those in house enclosures, we bought one for our last pup for night time and when we were not at home....it took her about 3 days, when she was 12weeks old, to clear that fence...they were either 38' or 48" high.. no problem for our pup!

Many boarding kennels have good sized runs and offer day rates....much better option until the dog matures....part of the cost of ownership I think!

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Re: Keeping dog in kennel

Post by RayGubernat » Sun Dec 03, 2017 11:06 am

My dogs have always been in outside kennels. They are, and always have been, horseback field trial bred pointers. Dogs don't get much more high energy that that.

I have never had significant problems with the dogs in kennels. My runs are 5X12 X6' high and the floors are poured concrete. Intact females have tops on their kennels.

My back yard is fenced in and I have always let my dogs run free in the back yard both morning and night when I was cleaning the kennels, or feeding and watering and such. They tear the heck out of the yard, mostly from running, but that is a price I am willing to pay. When I was working, the dogs were in the kennel or yard, pretty much all week until Saturday or Sunday when I was able to get out and run them somewhere. They would typically run only one day per week, because I had other things to do, like yardwork, repairs or family things. I love my dogs and care for them...but family comes first.

The only problem I ever had was the occasional dog chewing on their kennels when they were in between puppy stage and adult. Maybe one in four dogs was a chewer. They got over it, especially when I framed the doghouse opening in sheet metal.

I agree that most dogs do just fine in kennels with a modicum of attention from their owners. I suspect that a dog that is shuttled form inside to outside, might actually have a harder time adjusting than a dog that is outside all the time, but that is just a guess on my part. Depends, I think, on how it is done.

RayG

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Sharon
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Re: Keeping dog in kennel

Post by Sharon » Sun Dec 03, 2017 3:41 pm

The setter has earned her freedom when I'm away , but the Jack Russell has not . Always crate him when I'm out of the house or sleeping. Soon as I put that lipstick on he heads for his crate.

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Re: Keeping dog in kennel

Post by Steve007 » Sun Dec 03, 2017 3:58 pm

Timewise65 wrote:Regardless, I have found that as they mature and settle down a bit we slowly allow them to be free in the house.

Many boarding kennels have good sized runs and offer day rates....much better option until the dog matures....part of the cost of ownership I think!
Putting aside the last statement. NMhunter ,(possibly a good idea, but couldn't tell you personally), just be aware that the first statement is definitely true (with the exception of terriers :wink: )if you go slowly. Toys and safe chew-bones help. My dogs have the run of the house, but neither is terribly young. As young dogs (not pups, I left them in a single room as a transitionary step.

If your dog has not been in a crate much before, you'll have to make sure she's adjusted to it. Try feeding her there for starters,and get it over a weekend so you can put her in for shorter times than all day.

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Re: Keeping dog in kennel

Post by gonehuntin' » Sun Dec 03, 2017 4:20 pm

Sharon wrote:The setter has earned her freedom when I'm away , but the Jack Russell has not . Always crate him when I'm out of the house or sleeping. Soon as I put that lipstick on he heads for his crate.
Ya puttin' the lipstick on you or the dog? No wonder he hides in his crate!

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DougB
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Re: Keeping dog in kennel

Post by DougB » Sun Dec 03, 2017 5:04 pm

A tired dog is a good dog. A bored dog will pull your house down one piece at a time.

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Re: Keeping dog in kennel

Post by jpowell44 » Mon Dec 04, 2017 8:03 am

Mine stays in a kennel when I’m not home or sleeping. We try to never leave him in there for longer than 8 hours without getting him out for at least a half hour. When we are home and awake he is in the fenced in back yard.

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Re: Keeping dog in kennel

Post by JONOV » Mon Dec 04, 2017 3:02 pm

RayGubernat wrote:My dogs have always been in outside kennels. They are, and always have been, horseback field trial bred pointers. Dogs don't get much more high energy that that.

I have never had significant problems with the dogs in kennels. My runs are 5X12 X6' high and the floors are poured concrete. Intact females have tops on their kennels.

My back yard is fenced in and I have always let my dogs run free in the back yard both morning and night when I was cleaning the kennels, or feeding and watering and such. They tear the heck out of the yard, mostly from running, but that is a price I am willing to pay. When I was working, the dogs were in the kennel or yard, pretty much all week until Saturday or Sunday when I was able to get out and run them somewhere. They would typically run only one day per week, because I had other things to do, like yardwork, repairs or family things. I love my dogs and care for them...but family comes first.

The only problem I ever had was the occasional dog chewing on their kennels when they were in between puppy stage and adult. Maybe one in four dogs was a chewer. They got over it, especially when I framed the doghouse opening in sheet metal.

I agree that most dogs do just fine in kennels with a modicum of attention from their owners. I suspect that a dog that is shuttled form inside to outside, might actually have a harder time adjusting than a dog that is outside all the time, but that is just a guess on my part. Depends, I think, on how it is done.

RayG
I think the problems come when the dog get ignored...whether they stay in a kennel run or the couch you will develop problems of one sort or another. The problem is that a kennel run can lead to more of an out of sight, out of mind scenario. I can tell when I haven't worked with my dog or exercised him enough. He doesn't get destructive or even overly rambunctious, but his restlessness reminds me that if nothing else, I need to take him for a long off leash nature walk to turn him into a "good" dog again.

Dogs need physical work at the least and many of them need mental stimulation as well.

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Re: Keeping dog in kennel

Post by Dakotazeb » Mon Dec 04, 2017 3:07 pm

I've had Brittanys for over 20 years. All were and are house dogs. But when we are not home they are put in a wire crate. I have both a 36" and a 30" wire crate, either will work well for a Brittany. Right now they are in my den/home office. When home I leave the doors open and frequently find them sleeping in them during the day. I think over time the crate/kennel becomes the dog's little security blanket.

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Nmhuntr
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Re: Keeping dog in kennel

Post by Nmhuntr » Mon Dec 04, 2017 5:00 pm

Thanks a lot. I have a Brittany as well and as a pup she would have the be in the run(4x8) for about 9 hours while we are at work. I have 2 other dogs that can help her run off energy once we get home as well as taking her out for runs.

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Re: Keeping dog in kennel

Post by isonychia » Mon Dec 04, 2017 5:14 pm

My brittany was in the crate when I was gone until he was about 4 years old. My wife pretty much made the call at that point and though I was hesitant, I was also amazed when I came back in 30 minutes and he was still alive and the house was still standing... then an hr, then two, then a full day. That being said, he would have died before the age of 1 had it not been for crates.

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Re: Keeping dog in kennel

Post by Sharon » Mon Dec 04, 2017 5:24 pm

gonehuntin' wrote:
Sharon wrote:The setter has earned her freedom when I'm away , but the Jack Russell has not . Always crate him when I'm out of the house or sleeping. Soon as I put that lipstick on he heads for his crate.
Ya puttin' the lipstick on you or the dog? No wonder he hides in his crate!
LOL I guess I have to be more careful about sentence structure. :)

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Re: Keeping dog in kennel

Post by Warrior372 » Mon Dec 04, 2017 7:08 pm

I have a 1.5 year old French Brit male. We crate him in an Intermediate size Ruff Tough kennel everyday when we are at work. We hike or run him every night and it has never been a problem. Occasionally we have toyed with leaving him out and he always gets into something, so that ended quickly.

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Re: Keeping dog in kennel

Post by Featherfinder » Tue Dec 05, 2017 7:33 am

The world our dogs know is the one we expose them to. I have an almost 14 year old setter on my leather couch right now. I have a 5 year old setter in one of my outside kennels now. I like my dogs to be able to deal with both and a modicum of variations there-in so that they can handle the change with minimal stress. Add to this that we travel a fair amount when we hunt. My dogs have experienced air travel, truck (crated) travel, kennels/runs, homes/cottages - a large variety of housing.
The best application for you is based on your dog's lifestyle and may vary from owner to owner, where you live, etc. I do see dogs that come here to stay for a stint in one of my runs that get really stressed out but only for a short while. Further-more, many have NEVER been crated ("....OMG!!!").
All that stress dissipates VERY quickly when they're waiting to go hunting! At the end of their stay here, they are well-rounded dogs that can better accommodate travel, as well as changes in environment/housing. I then have to teach them that they cannot jump into a crate in the back of my truck until released to do so. They LAUNCH into that crate!
I'm not sure how keeping a dog crated up for 4-9 hours is better than letting him out in a well-constructed run for that same time period (weather-depending) but......like I said, it can vary from home-to-home.

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Re: Keeping dog in kennel

Post by gonehuntin' » Tue Dec 05, 2017 11:01 am

You're eventually want to board your dog in a kennel. Doesn't hurt to have them get used to it now.

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Re: Keeping dog in kennel

Post by Nmhuntr » Wed Dec 06, 2017 9:42 pm

All good points especially about wanting to have her in a kennel at some point.

Thanks to everyone. I ask a lot of questions on the forum because owning a bird dog is new to me. I am getting solid advice that is making my experience with my new pup a great one and I am looking forward to hunting her next season.

Thanks again
Greg

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Re: Keeping dog in kennel

Post by Steve Lee » Wed Jan 03, 2018 7:44 pm

While I am not an expert, I have had great success with my best buddy in a kennel. I have an abosultely irreverent Boykin Spaniel that I raised exclusively in the the house for the first 6 months (perfectly house broken), and then, by necessity had to move him to a kennel (please don't even ask why).

Here is what worked for me...I had the kennel set up the day I brought him home, and from day one one I fed him only in the kennel.

Now, this kennel is his "special place" even though he is 5 years old. Understand, this is not in the city and he gets to see and bark at squirrels, deer, and howl at other dogs.

I don't know it this will work for you, but it did for me.

Steve

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Re: Keeping dog in kennel

Post by CWT » Thu Jan 04, 2018 12:20 pm

Sharon wrote:The setter has earned her freedom when I'm away , but the Jack Russell has not . Always crate him when I'm out of the house or sleeping. Soon as I put that lipstick on he heads for his crate.
Haha. I have never had a terrier earn its freedom. Neither Fox nor Welsh.

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