I said that I wouldn't have one, if you think this is acceptable then thats your perogative, personally I don't

I agree. If I had to leave a dog alone for such extended periods I'd wait until my circumstances changed before getting one. My circumstances wouldn't be beneficial to a horse, so I haven't got one, despite rather wanting one. Maybe one day, if the situation improves. If not, then I won't.

Thats your opinion and it differs from millions.The breeder we are getting our pup from is a worldwide known breeder and advised crate training, so really its up to the individual.

but do you not understand that there is a difference between 'crate training' and crating as a long term thing?  I'm sure you do...just summising

Sorry but I also agree with this. If I was in a position of having to leave dogs alone at home for a whole day while I worked (and occasionally I have to do a 9-5 study day) I would have someone come and sit with them for a couple of hours mid way through the day. And my lot have the run of the ground floor, and get an hours free running every morning..even if I have to get up early to do it. They also get their usual run on the mornings when I have worked the night before..then I go to bed for about four hours and wake up feeling guilty as they have been downstairs alone!!!
This is just how I feel, I cannot live with the guilt otherwise, maybe I'm soft but It's me that has to live with my conscience and it gets me every time!!
If you feel your girl is happy and you have a clear conscience then that's all you have to worry about, but I for one could not do it.

Seems even the SBT breed council agree with most of us here Rach, quote:
Dogs are not meant to be kept cooped up in cages for long periods of time, or in cages that are not sufficiently large enough to allow free movement. Therefore if you do use a cage - please don't abuse it.

Wow you lot are like a pack yourselves arent you? See one thing you dont agree with then BAM! All of you get together to rip the prey apart.
Dont tell me I abuse the crate as I dont, you think so much of your opinions no one else could possibly be correct.

We all put the DOGS' welfare first. Simple as that.

No I dont think so, if someone does something you lot dont agree with you will pound them with your knowledge until they agree and say theyre wrong, well not with me im afraid!
Mitz is as happy as larry and i will continue to crate her!

What will you do if your next one hates being crated?

Then I would work round it, come home at lunch and see him and train him to stay in the kitchen rather then a crate, I wouldnt force him into a crate!

Why not do that anyway with Mitz? Because she loves the crate you can just leave the door open. :)

She would be happier in her crate and we have tried it with her and maybe will try again when I have the time but she was raised using her crate and she misses it when shes not in it for the day, maybe I will try and train this pup to stay in the kitchen! :)

You don't have to take it away - just leave the door open. :)

My 3 small dogs have crates -2 of them sleep in theirs at night, the third sleeps on the sofa as she cannot stand being locked in. The doors are always wide open all day, so they have the choice of what they do.(Including if we are not at home.) They go in them occasionally to rest, but not for long periods of time. An hour max. They DO like them as their own space, but MUCH prefer the doors open so they have the choice. I don't think any dog would choose to stay in one for several hours. None of mine ever have.

I agree with crate training and always use crates for pups, but I am very careful not to abuse it
If I went to buy a pup and was told it was ok to crate for long periods of time during the day I wouldn't care who the breeder was and how nice the pups were I would walk away

Just MY opinion :)

IMHO their is a big difference between crating a puppy for it's own safety and crating a dog for the owner's convenience :(

Rach..this is your dog... you know your dog you know your circumstances you must live your own life with confidence and see the joy and happiness your dog and then you know you are doing just fine. Don't worry about opinions other people can do with their dogs what suites them. Maybe you decide against your better judgement to leave your dog loose and come home and fine it died chewing something you don't know was there. Mine died that way and so I use a crate at night and I do it because in the morning I want to see live dogs not dead ones.

The people who think crates are cruel they will do lots I think is cruel too..so each to their own. People all have their own different ways and when we know our dogs are happy and healthy it is not a problem.  Tis is what this thread is about..about undrstanding people here are all different in ther ways but all good responsible  dog owners.  Difference makes the world go round. Each just work with the dog and manage their own circumstances until they find the best more ideal way...but most people have to compromise somewhere. Just do your best. 

Just wanted to point out that on this forum we are all individuals and few of us know each other in real life.  If there is a majority who share an opinion it is simply a majority opinion and not some sort of ganging up.

the people who share an opinion on one topic may be totally at opposites on another issue.

I think I have only ever met three people who are champdogs members apart from two Friends in my won breed.

Yup unless they can have someone to give the dog a break then no they should not leave their dog having to hold it's bladder (apart from the lack of free movement) for such a long time.

Do you not use the loo when at work all day?  As has been said before owning a dog is a privilege not a right.

there are ways of communicating that are constructive and ways that are not. Understanding the predicament, offering positive ideas that may help and offering different ideas a person may not have though of may actually help but the ganging up you are wrong we are right is not helpful ...and people do not need to have met to become a group identity or to act as a pack.  Because this forum is strange in the lay out as in each thread quickly becomes multiple threads a poster can very quickly feel overwhelmed and it helps if we can all be aware of that factor. Most forums run in sequence ad it is easy to notice when a person has already been bombarded more than necessary but on here it is very hard to notice what is going on with a long thread because it can have so many branches of conversation. This is why people get so overwhelmed and why people not following the topic who may have an alternative view may not even notice a discussion that has become too overwhelmingly unweighted.

Personally I don't think it is "ganging up" - I think a lot of posters hold the view that crating for hours on end is not in the best interests of the dog and feel strongly enough about it to air their views  :) .

As with the majority of posters I will sometimes agree with someone else's opinion but at other times will disagree with the same person's opinion regardless of whom that may be. I don't change my opinion just to agree with one particular poster or another.

Exactly - totally agree :) :) (On this occasion anyway :D)

Daisy

:D :D  And just because it's you Daisy I agree as well :D :D

what I mean is because of the way the one thread splinters into so many sub threads it can feel overwhelming and like ganging up and it is hard to notice so many already made a point already so it is very disjointed. Most forums one thread stays as one line of conversation which is so much easier and clearer and concise and so gets less intense.

Never noticed myself :) There are some very strong personalities on CD and I can't imagine for one moment that they ever agree with someone just because ... Personally I have tried a few other fora, but feel that CD has the most experienced and sensible participants (me excluded :D :D ) and have never had a problem following a topic on the threads :) :)

Daisy

The way the posts land (and the arrows at the top of each post) on this site makes it easy to see which each is in reply to. :) No problem following the various 'conversations' within a thread.

>who can say honestly, they walk theyre dogs for 2 to 3 hours everyday?

Me :D Mine goes out for at least 3, more often 4, hours a day! The majority of the rest of the day he spends out in the garden playing with his toys, in the paddling pool, chewing on a bone, watching birds and squirrels, etc.

I can't say mine gets walked as much as that (but I wish I could!) but they too spend a lot of time outside in the garden, which is 100 feet long so they can run and play, they have toys etc. I also allow them to "garden" the back and dig to their hearts content LOL. (We have a nice front instead, with plants etc.) So they always have something to do. You can tell the difference when the weather is bad -they do get very bored indoors, especially the younger dogs.

Funny how other people avoided this question!!!! Hmmmmmmmm......

Sounds like great fun! :D We want to get Mitz a doggy Pool, how do you find one they wont rip with their nails? Even if they are kept trimmed??!

Not avoiding just catching up

Mine get 20 minutes on lead a day and an hour off lead, dogs are split into two seperate lots so this is done twice a day,  for a toy breed I think this is sufficient. 
During the rest of the time they have a huge garden to run and play in, sofa to lay on, and children to play with :)

Toy breeds dont need much, that much is true! :)

We just use a child's paddling pool - the ones with rigid edges, not the inflatable type. The lining does get holes in eventually (I have a Dobe and he likes digging at his toys in there :D) but it puts up a good fight! We usually go through about 2 each spring/summer, but they're only about £6 from Wilkinsons. You can also get the rigid type on eBay.

Edited to add: I do keep his nails very short and 'square' though, so no sharp pointy tips!

we got ours from Lidl or a similar 'bargain' type shop, very similar to a child's 'sandpit' style.
Made of tough plastic, cost about a fiver... good times :-)

Mine get at least an hour a day, more often two.

Mine get between 1½ hours and 2 hours off-property exercise each day, on-lead and off (whatever the weather) plus all the playing in the garden and following me around the house, 'helping'. :)

Mine get two walks a day, each walk at least 45 mins (if the weather is awful) and the afternoon walk often extends to 2 or 3 hours. The rest of the time, even in winter, the back door is tied open so they have access to the entire house and the back garden.

I do with Skye,Piper gets walked for 11/2 as she is still a baby. They spend most of the day playing in the garden or at the moment trying to get as much mud into the kitchen as possible.
Mary

who can say honestly, they walk theyre dogs for 2 to 3 hours everyday?
yep normally about that.

although one day it was raining so hard and I was feeling so tired I took them for a drive round the block to see if I could trick them into thinking they'd been walked. lol. as if!  

Rach85, I can see why you might choose not to be swayed by the opinion of the handful of SBT owners on here but I don't see how you can argue with the opinion of the Breed Council that the SBT are not suited to being left for long periods or that cages should not be used in this way, that is surely the largest concensus possible within the breed.   You mentioned coming home at lunch time in some other circumstances but could you not do that anyway or pay for a dog walker to break up the day?

I am lucky, my daughter looks after my animals if needed, while we take the odd dogless holiday.  I adore my dogs, normally my home life always takes there needs (companionship, feeding, walking etc.) into consideration, but yes, they are only dogs. I actually prefer the canine company sometimes to human, but you have to have a balance, a bit of a life without them too. I have used reputable kennels in the past where my dogs ARE looked after, but I would never leave my dogs anywhere where they had to spend 23 1/2 hrs per day alone, with only there own company.