Dog owners-advice needed

[beauty_sarah]

hey all,

needing some advice from you dog lovers out there, my mum and her partner are looking to take on my brothers dog as he can no longer cope with him.
Ralph is a cross with a alsation and boarder collie (hope thats the correct spelling)

my mum is a child minder so during the day Ralph will need to be kept away from the children, and we are wondering if it's ok, not cruel to keep him in a cage/ room for part of the day, they already have a kenal with a run outside so when the weather is nice he will be there.

obviously when the children arent there he will roaming the house.
any advice will be welcome thank you

 

[densiejade]

Hi there! I have a springer spaniel puppy and do very long shifts at work so I put him in the kennel whenever I have work, could he not be out there when the kids are round? My spaniel has got used to it and is quite happy to in there and just sleep!xx

 

[Hazemalone]

Maybe a sheltered kennel out the back is a better solution for when the children are there. I have a shih tzu and he would tear the place apart if left in a room on his own listening to people in the house(he doesn't like to miss out on anything) also it would break my heart to put him in a cage, but that's just me-I always think of animals looking really sad in cages. I think it's important to think of what he would have been used to in your brothers house, so he wouldn't be as stressed HTH

 

[xxAmyxx]

I think it's mean to put a dog in a cage, a room is ok for part of the day though

 

[beauty_sarah]

it breaks my heart too, he is already kept in a cage at my brothers.

he would get plenty of water and walks, lots of love and attention.

i suppose its opinion really, his kenel is covered xxx

 

[Hazemalone]

If the kennel is covered I would defo put him out there while the kids are there, you can put blankets and things inside for when its cold during the day, and remember he already has his very own fur coat in my opinion I think the kennel is best x

 

[Klassy Klaws]

My dog was put in a cage as a puppy to keep her out of trouble or harms way and now at almost 3 she loves her cage and choses to sleep there.
There is nothing cruel about cages they provide security for the dog they feel safe which keeps them calm.

My dog wasn't brought up with young children so feels very nervous around youngsters so she choses to go to her cage if she isn't sure about something or someone.

I would say if the dog isn't used to a cage it might feel very nervous or scared if being kept in one for long periods of time. So maybe a nice kennel with its bed and some toys might be the answer.

 

[CStorrie1989]

I have quite a good sized kitchen which is now known as winstons room, (my little westie). He's been in there ever since we got him, it's got food, water and all of his toys in there and it's where he sleeps. Whenever we're not home we put him in there and there's no trouble at all as long as he's got all his stuff there. I don't think it's cruel at all as he's happy and comfortable there xxx

 

[Steph86]

Where would the cage go? If its around the children they may annoy him n he can't get away. I don't think its cruel if they are already crate trained-if he wasn't then i think it would be a different story.

If the cage is going in a spare room upstairs (out of the way) could your mum just leave him in the room with his bed so he can stretch his legs?

Ive also seen large gates- like baby gates, for dogs in the argos catalogue I think. Xx

 

[nicky666]

Hi.

I would be better to keep him in a cage at your mums when the kids are around. Dogs live the security of cages. Just need to insure he is well walked and comes out regularly.
N x

 

[JemmaB]

You could use a dog playpen? They aren't as enclosed as cages and they have there own space for bed, toy etc it's whether you have the room space with it being a big dog x

Sent from my GT-I9100 using SalonGeek

 

[Tomme]

I absolutely despise cages, nothing wrong with a bed for them and a little teaching.

Could your mum put a large gate on the landing to be able to leave her to have upstairs? Mine has the entire house to his disposal when I'm not in and I felt bad when I had to close the kitchen door while a new kitchen was being fitted. All the workers were told that he has free reign the other side (with a few commenting he should be locked away so they could use the toilet until I quickly shot them down with lock your child away when you have visitors then), I wouldn't know what id have done if the contracts said we didn't need to supply toilets. IMO it's their house just as much as anyone else who lives there and the visitors have to accept and understand that they can't have them shut away. X

 

[Rory Love]

Nothing wrong with cages, my youngest Shih Tzu loves hers, we don't ask her to go in it she chooses to.
I think it depends on the dog - if he's destructive a crate would probably be the best for now, but I would never ever crate an adult dog for longer than 4 hours.
I would never leave my dogs outside unsupervised, too dangerous - they could eat things, they could be stolen etc.

 

[PixieBeauty]

Agree nothing wrong with crates/cages. A lot of specialists agree that dogs need a dedicated space that is theirs that no-one invades & often that is a crate/kennel. My dogs are sometimes in their crate in the bedroom, sometimes in the kitchen - once I tried to put them in the kitchen & they went straight to their crate - I can only surmise they prefer it because nobody else uses it?! Either way they are perfectly happy.

It depends on the dog, what they are used to and what will make them calmer Xx

 

[Lauren04]

it's not cruel at all when he's settled in he will probably just sleep that's what mine do they know when they go in their room it's sleep time, I always leave them toys and some chews anyway just to occupy them and they are happy xx

 

[tanfastic]

I don't personally like crates and cages because I have seen them used incorrectly. If properly trained and used then it can be a good thing. How old is the dog? He is a high energy crossbreed so will need a lot of excercise and will get bored quickly which will lead to naughty behaviour, barking and chewing. I agree that the dog should be kept away from the children at all times. Some people are afraid of dogs and will not want their children " in harms way" at a childminder ( I know I think it is a joke but each to their own) I would worry that the children would tease the dog and create behavioral issues with the dog.

My suggestion would be to get a trainer in and teach the new owners and the dog how to use the crate responsibly, Border collies and German Shepherds are both VERY smart dog breeds so I think the humans will need more trainig than the dog. LOL Remember you need a comfortable sized crate, not big enough to be a playpen but comfy enough to lie down and stretch out without spilling his water. I have a German Shepherd Crossbreed and also a Border Collie crossbreed and they both need a lot of walking. Until their 7th birthday they walked 7 miles a day or more every day and still needed playing and entertaining in the evenings now they are eight they get 3 to 5 miles on alternating days and do sleep a lot now so might be happy with even less soon.

When I have to keep my dogs out of the way I pop them in to the living room, draw the curtains and leave them have a nap on the sofa's for a few hours. They are comfy, have their toy box and can hear me nearby so don't feel abandoned. ( Both were rescued from shelters so have a few abandonment issues)


I agree with Rory, never leave your dogs unsupervised in the garden, they can get hurt or get stolen!!!!!! There are major scum bags out there.

Good luck and I hope it works out well, well done your mum for taking Ralph in, bigger dogs struggle to find homes from rescue centers.

 

[Elaine143a]

whilst I agree with all above posts, what it is about the dog that makes your extended familly "unable to cope with him" ?

 

[beauty_sarah]

thank you all for your opinions,

he is already used to a large crate, he will be supervised in or outside,

Ralph will be well looked after, have his own space, away from the children.
he can not be left to roam he chews and destroys things (untill he has been trained)

while i appreciate everyone's opinions and ideas, we are aware of most of the things people are saying. i can assure you he will be loved and taken very good care of.

xxx

 

[beauty_sarah]

whilst I agree with all above posts, what it is about the dog that makes your extended family "unable to cope with him" ?

Not to be rude, but i really don't see how that is relevant to my question, i simply asked what peoples opinions where on keeping dogs in crates during the day x

 

[tanfastic]

thank you all for your opinions,

he is already used to a large crate, he will be supervised in or outside,

Ralph will be well looked after, have his own space, away from the children.
he can not be left to roam he chews and destroys things (untill he has been trained)

while i appreciate everyone's opinions and ideas, we are aware of most of the things people are saying. i can assure you he will be loved and taken very good care of.

xxx

Hi again, I would imagine that his behaviour will greatly improve once he gets enough exercise. Good luck and feel free to PM me if you need any further advice or guidance, I do a lot of work with troubled rescue dogs as well as happy pets in need of a bit of training and understanding. It takes a very special kind of person to welcome a troubled or even just a naughty dog into their lives. I am sure Ralph will be really happy and well loved and an exemplary pet in no time