[tammys]

Originally Posted by Mardelin

There's special precautions that you take when you're growing coat and showing a dog, you protect everything about them. Show dogs are raised a bit different. My dogs only sleep on Satin, aren't allowed on furniture, or carpet, and putting them in a crate (whether a pet or show dog is for their benefit,) to keep them safe and from wandering around the house during the night and getting hurt. And I wouldn't want them sleeping in my bed with the possibility of them jumping from the bed and breaking a leg or me rolling over and hurting them.

There are pet owners that crate their dogs at night, the safety of the dog. As well as crating them when no one is around to watch them. Now the crates my yorkies are in are huge, and of wire, they have a satin doggy bed, water bottle and feeding dish. It's their bedroom. Dogs are den animals and their crate is their den.

Don't get me wrong my dogs are pets too. They are allowed to be free and be a dog. And at one time prior to showing, I was a pet owner and felt crating a pet was cruel. Not so anymore.

Aha, the satin makes sense, and sounds comfy!

I totally understand about the bed thing. I can just picture a dog hearing a noise, and jumping of the bed to go check it out...not good! Although I know Cassie would love to cuddle up with me, she is safer on the floor.

I have a neighbor who has a 6 lb. Yorkie. He puts the Yorkie on top of their truck when he is doing yardwork, so the dog won't chase the rake when he's raking. The dog actually jumped off the top of the truck onto the grass! I just about had a heart attack! Some people just don't realize how fragile their little legs and body are. All you have to do so bathe them once and feel those tiny leg bones!

I do not think crating is cruel at all. It is often necessary for the safety of the dog, and the life of our floors and carpeting!


We used to have a springer spaniel, who would just hang out in his crate during the day. It was his den, as you said.

Cassie has to be in the same room with me all the time, and will follow me everywhere - even into the bathroom! She would be heartbroken if I put her in another room at night.

But, she has known this all her life. I'm sure if she had not been brought up that way from the beginning, it would be another story. When we are leaving in the car, she will sneak out ahead of us, jump in the car, and hide under the back seat, so she can go with us.


We crate our dogs until they are completely potty trained, and for their first two years or so when we are not here to watch them - for the same reasons you mentioned.

I think if I had a tiny Yorkie I would be more prone to crating them when we were gone even when they were older, but Cassie is a very large Yorkie at almost 10 lbs. All she does is sleep when we're gone! At least I think that's what she does, b/c she's always in the same position when we get home.