Ive had 5 or 6 dogs in my 41 years and it wasnt until recently that 'crating' became the "in thing" to do. We never had housebreaking issues. We never had destructive issues. Were dogs just bred better back then? Not so high maintenence?
2011-03-09T10:46:10Z
A lot of good answers. My parents owned a restaurant and worked out of the home so we werent home all day and yeah, puppies chew and have accidents but it wasnt something that went on for years. I was just curious. I stick to the way we used to do it and still dont have problems...and Im a working single mom. so Im glad for all the answers so far. I like to learn,. lol
Cheryl2011-03-09T12:27:58Z
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i don't think dogs were better back then, i think times were different back then ... 30 years ago when i got my first dog when i was 10 years old, my mom was around all the time, did not work outside of the house ... so the dog was trained reasonably easily with some destruction but quickly grew out of and was a good dog for life ... my first dog i got as an adult, there was no one around 24/7 and i tried pee pad training him and then train him to go outdoors ... it took 8 months to housebreak that dog and he was destructive i would say for the first two years of his life but then mellowed and was a good dog for life ... my current dog ... i did research on the breed and actual dog training before she came home ... i crate trained her (even though initially i did kind of think it was cruel but the "professionals" seemed to think it was the way ago so i gave it a try) ... i took a month off when i got her to help with training and bonding and she was crated for four hours a day, four days a week for one solid year ... she was housebroken in four days with one accident at 4 months (when a friend scared her with a halloween mask) and the only damage was some teeth marks on a pen which i removed and tossed a ball for her ... when she was around 8 months i would have her go into her crate, close but not latch the door and when i got back she was always still in her crate when she could have just walked out ... and at a year old the door came off and she still used the crate ... i eventually got rid of the crate but when at a friends place who has two dogs and two crates, my dog would go into one of those crates to sleep all the time ... i bought a dog house for inside my apartment and she often goes in to rest and i never tell her to go in, she goes in because she likes it ... so crate training for me when done right works really well ... but it has to be done right ... the dog has to be introduced to the crate properly and no dog should be crated for more than 6 hours ... it is not a dog cage for working dog owners ... and to make a dog sleep in a crate when it does not want to, i do not agree with ... someone posted they crated their dog for 21 hours a day (and i can only pray that was a troll but sadly i don't think it was) ...
Well I am old school and have always trained my dogs with out putting them in cages and am not buying into the "den crap". As far as having issues guess you should count your blessing. I did have accidents that had to be cleaned up and a few things along the way chewed up. Personally most of the cage and pee pad users (In my opinion) , think their way is the best. I don't know how many times I have read on here where it is animal abuse to leave your dog in a fenced yard with shelter and water, but yet it is perfectly fine to leave them locked up in a cage all day while they work, then when they get home only to find the pup has done his thing in the cage and has it all over him because they can't even turn around in the cage. Also only believe in potty training my dog Once and that is to go outside. Give it a few years and something new will replace the cages, only wish I had stock in the companies.
I think people had more common sense and more time.
Nowadays it's common for both parents in a family to work to make ends meet. Life was used to be lived at a slower pace when people had more time for living. Now every body's looking to do things the fast way rather than taking the time to do it right. It has an impact of everything from family life to training the family companion.
Kids are raised in a society where you're judged for the quantity of what you acquire and not the quality of your character. Which has bred a whole throwaway society. It's sad.
I'm older than you and I crate trained my latest dog for the first time. If was great. It wasn't just about housebreaking and destruction... it was her special safe place. I never used it for punishment and I house broke her the old fashioned way. She did have a tendency to chew "unsafe" things more than some dogs, so it was great to provide her with safety.
I don't know if it's for all dogs, but for my Magnolia, it was great. The crate is still available to her, though I don't put her in there.. If I say "kennel up" she wags her tail and runs to her "safe place"
I don't think that the dogs themselves were "bred better" but i think people had more sense then they do now. Everyone looks to the internet to solve all their problems but the majority of the internet is just typed 'hear-say'. I've been around dogs my whole life and i've always done things the old fashioned way without a problem.