Were dogs just better back then?

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) ...

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo349/hoolagal/...

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.

I'm 10 years older then you and I grew up on a farm. Our dogs were always "Out door" dogs.

I just wonder who's bright idea it was to bring all dogs indoors now? And lets face it, some dogs just cannot be indoors . And crates are a wonderful idea. And have been around a lot longer then you think.

@ "myra"....you state " 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."

Your theory is extremely jaded there. I agree that it certainly isn't "abuse" to leave your dogs outside in a fenced in yard per say, but nowadays, WHO CAN YOU TRUST!? And by that I mean, it seems today that there are so many messed up people out there who can poison your dog if it is outside unattended by YOU. People can throw trash over your fence, people can feed your dog something toxic with or without knowing it, people/punky kids can shoot your dog with paint ball guns, bb guns, etc (I see this happen often and it's on the news at least once a month where a situation of someone harming another person's dog that was left unattended to in the backyard). Coyotes, bears, big fierce dogs can easily come by attacking/killing your dog left unattended in your backyard. And your crate theory is even worse where you say it's cruel to lock a dog up where it can't even turn. If you knew how to buy a crate, you buy something that the dog can easily stand and turn around fully with no trouble (aka you buy a crate that's a suitable size). It's wrong to keep a dog in a crate that's too cramped, but unless you're a complete retard, you shouldn't buy one that's too small. My dog LOVES his crate thank you very much. He sleeps in all day even when I am at home with him watching TV in the living room. He's allowed on the sofa and everything, but you know where he prefers to go? HIS CRATE. And frankly, I would NEVER leave my dogs outside if I couldn't watch them or wasn't home, so yes, I would far rather protect my dog by keeping him in his secure crate in my locked house when I'm not there, than in a fenced in yard where people and animals can get to him and potentially steal, harm, or even kill him.

Onto the question - this is a great question, and I'd have to agree with many others' answerers on how society has changed, and instead of stay at home mother's who could monitor the dogs all day, both parents work all day. There are more things to do, people to see, jobs to have, etc. Back then, I think people had far more time to spend at home with their dogs, whereas nowadays, it seems everyone works! It's the same with children - many mothers were sty at home moms, but now, daycares are filled with children - bet it wasn't like that decades ago. Also, like others have said, many people are too dependent on the internet in looking for help, rather than going to get a book to read, and learn themselves.

41 yr ago a great many more households had someone home during day. these day dual income is the norm and advice has been adapted to this.

People weren't so clueless about dog behavior back then and TRAINED them right. Now they expect the dogs to train themselves. Back then you also had stay at home mothers, who could let the dog out regularly.

I think people had a little more common sense. 41 yrs ago there was no internet to go crying to.. People had to figure it out themselves.