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Can I crate my dog day?

My dog is a 10 month old lab mix. I take him on a 30-45 min walk every evening and sometimes in the morning, his crate is x-large where he can stand but I work 8 hours and feel bad. I want to leave him outside, but am worried about people stealing him or him getting out. When ever he is older and I can trust him I will let him roam the house, but for now he chews on everything! Should I feel bad or is this ok for him?

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Hm, I think I would have a dog walker come by mid day to break up the 8 hour crating. 8 hours is on the long end. I'd consider hiring a dog walker until you can trust him to roam free in your home.

Hi, My dog Oscar is getting out of the house four times a day, at least 30 minutes, every time. I do it myself, I can do that, working as a freelancer at home. If I couldn't, I wouldn't let him stay indoors for more than 4, 5 hours. I would hire people for walks. No crates ever for ever for Oscar.

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One - don't leave your dog outside under any circumstances

Two- hire a dog walker to come in mid-day and take them out

Three - I would crate the dog until you can trust him, and as a Lab owner it may take until he is two years old

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Edited my comment to an answer.

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I think as contractors for rover.com our level of care should be above and beyond what they'd get at a kennel or at a vet's kennel. So kenneled all day except for the midday walk doesn't cut it. Don't leave him outside and don't leave him in a crate for more than 4 hours during the day. Daycare or drop-ins.

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Yes, Yes, Yes. Enthusiastic Agreement. I'm surprised no comments addressed the dogs gets to walk "sometimes in the morning". Does that mean the puppy is only given opportunity to relieve itself in the evenings, Once per day?

No no. He is just in the crate while I am gone. When I get home he is out and we go running ,camping, kayaking in the weekends and dog parks a lot and he sleeps with me. He just chews on everything. I couldn’t afford a dog walker when I posted this, now I can lol. And do if I’m going to be gone long

Hey, you all have heard about GetYourPet.com right?, the service that connects people who need to re-home their dog or cat with people who want to adopt. (Rover.com is a partner).

I’m not rehoming him.

Ana Maria & Diana: That link to Getyourpet.com deserved space as its own thread, since often dog&cat owners will contact sitters & walkers about re-homing. So thank you for posting that. It's been added to rover's other community board.

Claire, so happy to hear you fixed the situation for your pup since you first posted! Ana

Since this thread started October last year, good to hear the situation changed and you are no longer needing input.

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Adult dogs shouldn't be left in crates for more than 6-8 hours. Puppies of 17 weeks and older can handle up to 4 or 5 hours in a crate at a time. Leaving a dog home alone in a crate longer than this can hurt their mental and physical health.

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Or get him a bigger crate so he can at least stretch out if you cant afford a dog walker everyday.

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sounds like your on the right website to get your dog the attention while your gone.... You ever think about hiring someone on rover???

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Not to be rude but why did you get a dog or 10 month old pup if you planned to crate it for 8 hours a day.. no that is not okay to do.

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I rescued him, he was dropped off at my work. It was me or the pound. I work then come home and he is out we go running and everything we go camping on the weekends... it’s just for while I am at work, he is still chewing on everything, he ate my house siding. I

Claire, but there are other options besides you or the pound. Just saying.

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I personally dislike people crating their dogs all day. If you don't have time for the dog, use some day care services. Leaving dogs caged up all day is awful.

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I think crating during the day is fine as long as you can take him on a long walk in the morning and when you return. It's great if you can have someone come midday also.

I wouldn't crate my own dog all day. Never. But some dogs may be ok, if they are lazy or couch potatoes. Active dogs would suffer.

Not ok -- even for a dog that's old and sick and sits on the couch all day.

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First of all, your dog has to be crate trained. This means he needs to be in there for short periods of time, gradually increasing the time little by little so that he gets comfortable being alone in the crate. (ie: 10 min alone, 20 min, 30 min, 1 hour, etc) then rewarded extensively for not barking/whining and for relaxing in the crate. Be sure he has a chew toy in there to keep him busy.

If you choose to crate train your dog, then by all means have him in the crate during the day, it should not be a problem because he is crate trained and finds his crate to be his "den", his place of comfort. If he has a smaller bladder (which most puppies do) it's best to have someone to come in the middle of the day to take him outside, but this will not be necessary once he grows up and is able to hold his pee for the whole day.

Don't leave anything in there that you don't want a dog to be able to chew on, including blankets, until he is trustworthy enough NOT to chew on them. It's best to prevent a habit BEFORE it happens, rather than to try to change a habit after it is formed.

If you did not crate train your dog, my solution would be to buy a doggy gate or playpen that you can secure very firmly to the wall. Test it to make sure it will not fall if pushed/jumped on. Make sure it is tall enough so your dog cannot easily jump over it. Attach it to the walls around his crate and leave some chew toys to keep your dog occupied. Put in a dog bed and a water bowl and lots of toys! This way he will not feel trapped inside the box that he was not trained to love yet. Same rule applies about taking him out in the middle of the day if he is still young!