Having been to my local RSPCA rescue centre I will hopefully soon be bringing home two Westies. They have always lived together and were given in to rescue as the owners housing situation changed. The boy is 9 and the girl is 5. There is no way I could have separated them as it would be cruel so I will be taking both.

They will be left alone for very minimal amounts of time as I own my own businesses and only work 3 days a week for approx 20-60 minutes and actually as I have my own warehouse I will be able to take them with me most days. I will need to leave them at home when doing food shopping etc.

Is it better to get one crate or two? I know the answer is probably two but they are so attached that they are practically glued to each other even when walking and playing.

Do you know if they are already crate trained?  Are they used to being together?  If so I would say get one thats got plenty of room for the two of them that they can lie with plenty of their own space.

Ditto ice queen, I would have them both in the same crate too.

You can get crates that have removable divides & have three doors one  of which is an "up & over"

> and only work 3 days a week for approx 20-60 minutes

Blimey, I hope that's not 20-60 minutes on each of the three days else best you get a dog sitter!!!!!! :-D

Good on you for rehoming this darling pair - work commitments aside   it sounds like they've landed on a bed of roses ;)

> Blimey, I hope that's not 20-60 minutes on each of the three days

Thats the kind of working hours i'd love to have, if i had to work.. Sounds my ideal of bliss!!

My son and I went for our second visit today, they are such a lovely, lively pair although the girl was refusing to walk around the field for a fifth time, I think we exhausted her!

The rescue don't know if they were crated at all in their previous home. I think that one crate with a divider which I will use when we aren't around is probably the best solution as they have to be fed separately as the girl eats the boys food otherwise and I plan to always leave them with kongs!

The rescue are also saying that I will have to leave them for at least a couple of hours every day for behavioural reasons.

This pair seems to have drawn the longest straw! I'm sure you'll give them a perfect home, feistyblue.

"The rescue are also saying that I will have to leave them for at least a couple of hours every day for behavioural reasons"

Why? This is grown up dogs we're talking about. If your routine is they'll be left alone for an hour now and then, why leave them for longer more often?
I'd give them a few days to settle, then pop out for a short time, come back with no fuss,and go on from there. Replaced dogs can react with separation problems, but with patience, and them being together, you should be fine.
Is it necessary to get a crate? Could they not just be left in the kitchen, or some other suitable room to start with? If it's only for an hour or two, my bet is these two grown up dogs will probably be quite happy to spend the time left alone taking  a nap.

Good luck!
Karen

I don't understand why you would want to crate them. I know some people feel the need crate pups to stop them being destructive :-( but at 5 & 9 they will be past that. If they have never been in a crate I would imagine that they will find it quite traumatic.  

I would save yourself some money and see how they go.   

> The rescue are also saying that I will have to leave them for at least a couple of hours every day for behavioural reasons

Even if you are not going to leave them for long very often it is good to train to the maximum time (ie 4 hours) just in case for some reason one day you have to leave them that bit longer than usual.
I dont often do it but i know my dog is quite happy being left for 4 hours and has even gone 6 before when something has cropped up

> Why? This is grown up dogs we're talking about. If your routine is they'll be left alone for an hour now and then, why leave them for longer more often?

just in case they get used to her being there almost 24/7 and something comes up that takes longer than usual

Have owned and bred westies for 45 years without buying a crate! They are a relatively recent idea,unless your two were reared in a crate,which is unlikely for a 9 year old ,.they would find it stressful.I suggest putting their beds in a large puppy pen if you feel you cannot trust them to behave when you are out.Westies are busybodies,and like to be able to see out, so be prepared for them to climb on furniture etc to see out of the windows They are very adaptable little dogs,and quickly adjust to new surroundings etc.rehoming is not usually a problem.Enjoy them!!

At 5and 9 i dont see the need to crate them either,if they are so close,get them a bed they can both get in together.
Good luck with them both.

I agree with the last few posts. Dogs don't need to be kept in cages. I've owned multiple dogs for many, many years without ever buying a cage for them. If you don't want the dogs going all over the house shut them in the livingroom, kitchen or hall - wherever you decide, and as long as they have a comfy bed and a water bowl I'd imagine they will be absolutely fine :-)

Crates are not essential in the average home, but are very useful if your going to travel or stay away from home, also some form of containment in the car is needed, and it is very likely that the laws here in UK over restraint are likely to follow those in many countries in Europe where dogs are not allowed to travel lose in the back of cars.

My son-in-law was exactly the same, he could never see any point in crates. That is until he took on two rescue dogs from the streets of Chokwe in Mozambique. Neither had ever been in a crate, but equally neither were used to living in the UK, and here a latch key dog is not something that we encourage. So he had to find an answer.

I suggested a crate, and to put the crate out of the way somewhere quiet and cover the top and sides and back. The dogs treated this as their own little bed and den out of the way. At first my son-in-law was not convinced, but the as I had suggested he should leave the door open until they got used to it he went along with it. Eventually he rang me to say he could never find the dogs any where except in the crate! They loved it and he would have to try every trick in the book to get them out!

My own dog is now six years old, he has never been in a crate, but he does like small spaces to lie in away from the general activity of the household. A friend saw a canvas crate on special offer and bought it as a present for Arty, who has taken to it. The door has never been zipped closed but he will actually choose to go in there and sleep.

Ofcourse the dogs need a safe retreat to call their own,we always advise new puppy owners to provide a "den" if possible,especially in a busy family household.It is no longer acceptable to see zoo animals confined in small cages,so why is it now fashionable to do it to dogs?What next cages for kids?

> What next cages for kids?

Please.

I think most of us do not like to see cages over used or dogs confied for long periods, but they are inavaluable to keep dogs safe from harm, and where the environment is not your own (visiting relatives or staying in hotels etc), or dog proofed then protects belongings.

> It is no longer acceptable to see zoo animals confined in small cages

I think many zoo animals spend their nights in small cages.

> What next cages for kids?

That is funny as I have just lent our crate to somebody with a pup and the 2 year old boy spends as much time in it as the pup ! :-D

> What next cages for kids?
>
>

There are times I would have loved one for the odd hour...

> and the 2 year old boy spends as much time in it as the pup ! :-D

lol my nephew used to do this, much to the dogs annoyance as they all love the crates

> and the 2 year old boy spends as much time in it as the pup ! :-D

My grandson also liked the crate and was often in it with the two dogs!

>> What next cages for kids?
>>
>>
> There are times I would have loved one for the odd hour...

Hour lol maybe the odd 23! :-D

Whilst Fudge was recovering from parvovirus we found his crate most helpful he'd trot off into it for uninterrupted rest/sleep.

When my daughter was small we used to go to the pet shops and joke about buying one of the large parrot cages to keep her confined. She just didn't fear anything and once escaped from nursery and walked the 15 minute journey back to my mums crossing 5 main roads :-O

As for my dog's I could never confine them to a crate. I've found they are better having the run of the house.

> so why is it now fashionable to do it to dogs?

because it can have practical applications, such as aiding in ensuring the dogs safety or seperating in season bitches from complete dogs. i wouldn't say its fashionable, its a technique thats been used for years.

> What next cages for kids?
>

Used to be very popular I used mine a lot (about 35 yrs ago) but they called them playpens ............. :-)
Chris

Orcourse crates have been around for years,I recall seeing cages of dogs stacked three high at a puppy farm thirty odd years ago,and certainly we used them then for safe transport taking dogs to shows etc.However they were not on general sale in the pet shops as they are today,and I think there is a danger that they are used as an alternative to proper training by people unable or unwilling to put in the time to train their pup.A cage with an open door is a good den,which the pup will often retreat to when it is tired,and should not be invaded by kids,who should be told to leave the dog alone when in its den.My children loved dens too,but had to make do with a blanket tent under a table or grannys clothes horse! Dogs that are scared of storms look for somewhere to hide,one of my old terriers  used to hide under my divan bed to escape the thunder and lightening.A cover over a cage or table is often a help on firework night if you have a dog thats scared,A friend of mine crawls under the tablecloth with the dog!

> I think there is a danger that they are used as an alternative to proper training by people unable or unwilling to put in the time to train their pup

thats a reasonable concern, however such poor owners would probably find another route to do so anyway. good owners use the crate sensibly and infrequently