Well I think most people on here no how I feel about cages and not wanting to stir up the debate again as its old hat but this is what happened today.

I had been contacted by a man who was very worried about his friends dog,he was 7 months old lab he had him  from a  tiny puppy
the man didnt want to go into too much on the phone but he was very worried about the dog,anyway he managed to persuade the friend to give the dog up as he was spending all his time either outside or in the cage,because he barked outside the latter was always used,the cage became smaller and smaller as the pup grew bigger and bigger so much so he couldnt stand or turn round in it and there was no water available in the cage.
When he barked or did any normal doggy things he was punished so much so that the freinds wife came home in tears and said she couldnt bear to see the dog treated like that anymore.
He wasnt allowed to be a puppy at all or move around in the house.
The pup arrived here today and at first didnt know what to do with the toys he eventually picked up a bone,then I brought annie out who is the same age and he began to tentatively play with her.
Thank goodness we got this lad who has no muscle to speak of  and we can make him safe for his life ahead.

Poor baby :(

at least he's with you now and stands a chance of some normality
Give him a big huggle from us lot :)

I agree abuse of ANY equipment - lead, collar, cage, etc can have dire consequences; however that does not mean we should demonise the item per se.

If we followed that line of thought to the nth degree we would ban the car because of how many people are killed and maimed by them every day.

Cages, like most things, can be used (correctly) or abused. The choice is with the owner.

I am not demonising them just putting forward how they can be abused I was hoping for sensible discussion.
and if it makes just one person reading this to realise their dog is spending too much time in a cage its worth getting my head bitten off for :(

cages are excellent for travelling and for a place of refuge for a dog for a few hours whilst you have tea or do the housework, but IMO they should not be used to confine dogs for long periods.

cage manufacturors seem to be enjoying a boom in sales at the moment and I think the problem of abuse lies with the fact that many uneducated owners are buying them because they see them as a "quick fix" way of keeping a dog, and mistakenly believe its ok to shut the dog in a cage for long periods :-(

A dog would be better off in a kennel and run than shut in a cage all day.

Poor lad :( at least hes in safe hands now and i'm sure with your help he will find the perfect forever home.  Keep up the good work.

Michelle

I agree with you Mattie. Cages seem to be used more and more at the moment. :( Who was it who sw a dog at Crufts left in their cage for a long length of time with no one checking. And that was in public - how long would the poor dog stay there at home :(

I agree cages for travelling the bigger the better :) but making use of them to train a puppy/dog
instead of putting in the hours and hours of training makes you wonder why people get the dog in the first place. 

Karen

I think in the main, the people on here who use a cage are probably better informed about dogs than most and are likely to take a responsible approach to them. We stress on here how to turn a crate into a den but it is easier still to turn one into a prison. Mattie, and people like her so often have to pick up the pieces when these poor dogs finally get into the sanctuary of the rescue, because, after what these dogs have experienced, sanctuary is what the rescue is!

Best wishes, John

So in other words John, you think we preach to the converted? rather than to the one who need it?

Karen

I made use of a cage to train Fagan but also put in the hours.  In my case it wasnt a quick fix for a lazy owner because if Fagan needed to "go" in the night he would wake me up to go out, quite often twice in a night.  The lazy owners are the ones who stick newspaper down and leave their dogs to pee on that instead of getting up.  I never used newspaper and Fagan was only ever shut in his cage at night not during the day and I can count on one hand the amount of times he soiled in the house and that was my fault for not reading the signs.  He was totally clean and asking to go out by 10 weeks :)

I agree though misuse of cages can be easily done by the ill informed dog owner :(

"The lazy owners are the ones who stick newspaper down and leave their dogs to pee on that instead of getting up.  "

Completely agree.  When Abby was a puppy I had a cage in my bedroom and another one downstairs in my office.  When she woke up at night I heard her and took her outside immediately and then back to the cage for sleep.   It was exhausting, but she learned to stay dry at night very quickly and "graduated" to our bed.  :-)

I work at home most days, so when Abby was tired she went into the cage to sleep and she was near me while I worked.  When she woke up from her nap, I was right there and could take her into the garden immediateley.  

When Abby was alone during the day, no more than two hours maybe twice a week, she stayed in the cage.  She could not destroy anything or hurt herself in the process.

When we ate our dinner at the dining room table I would move the cage in view of us, put Abby in it, and she could watch what was going on without pestering.  She now goes and lays down quietly when dinner is served, no begging or pestering whatsoever.

When Abby broke her leg, the cage was necessary to keep her from moving about .. so it proved more useful than I would have liked!

I've used cages for my last three dogs whilst they were puppies and they are fantastic.  I'm glad to see they are getting more popular.   Like anything, they need to be used correctly. 

Stacey

I have never ever crat4ed my dogs in the house, but have one in the kitchen that they use as a den.  Have shut the door on visiting dogs that are used to crates after finding they were chewing things.

Where they come into their won is at shows, when travelling away in hotel rooms (so that you can go an have your meals).

As for the comment about Crufts.  A crated dog is probably more comfortable than the ones chained to their benches.  At Championship shows dogs are supposed to remain on the bench at all times except for no more than 30 minutes to groom or excersise them, and while being exhibited.  This is quite widely flouted, as we don not as yet have officials standing over empty benches with stop watch in hand.

Not necessarily Karen, so many people read Champdogs forum that I prefer to look at it as spreading the word. If we can discourage the irresponsible use of cages then we have done a useful job.

Best wishes, John

As with any equipment, all can be used for abuse.  I crate my Rottie overnight and yes I close the door. During the day the cage is open and can be used as a den, as they all take turns in going in there for a quiet sleep.  During the day she needs to be crated when I leave the house for shopping as she is a chewer and will destroy the house. So for her safety she is put in her crate, she does not mind in the least