Is it bad if you put your dog in a cage at bedtime and when you go out?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with it. Canines are den animals by their nature, and they should be provided with something den-like of their very own--which would be a crate. My dogs get crated at night and one is still being crated during the day while we work on the housebreaking. Often, while we are home, they choose to go lay around on their beds in their crate because it is comfortable to them!

It annoys me when people say that crates are like jail cells, and try to use the argument of "would you put your children in a crate." Obviously I would never put human children in a crate all night, but I also treat humans like humans and dogs like dogs.

Dogs that don't get treated properly as dogs seem to be the wild, unstable, out of control ones with no discipline.

We don't let the dogs in the bedrooms. Anytime we're home, we are pretty much with them in the living room anyway. Some people think we're strange for not letting our dogs sleep in our beds. I think they're crazy when they tell me they sleep in a bed with their spouse and 3 dogs. We have our bed, the dogs have their own.

Is this cage outdoors? Then, yes, it's cruel. Dogs are social animals who want (and deserve) to be part of the family indoors, not relegated to the backyard and kept in a cage. Not to mention, I see you live in the UK, a place where the weather can be quite cold depending on your exact location. I don't think anyone would appreciate having to sleep outside, especially on a bitter, cold night.

If it is indoors, it is called crate/kennel training. As long as you have properly trained your dog to feel comfortable in his crate overnight and do not leave him in there for long hours during the day, a crate can be a good thing. Dogs usually need a cozy, private place to escape every once in a while and a lot of dogs that I personally know love their crates.

My dogs growing up have always slept indoors and when I get my own dog soon, I will treat him or her as part of the family and do the same. Having your dog sleep in your bed is a personal preference and is not necessary, but I do not mind because I know how to keep a dog clean.

ADD: I read your language a bit more carefully and it sounds like an indoor crate. Again, there's nothing wrong with that!

No, that is what the crate is meant for. Dogs should not be crated 24/7 but only when they will not be supervised and at night. It is not cruel, the only time it would be cruel is if they were crated 24/7 without anyone taking them out. It's suggested that adult dogs aren't crated for longer then four hour periods. Puppies for two hours. The longer they will be crated the more exercise they should get before being crated and after coming out-someone should also come over every three-four hours to take the dogs out so they can relieve themselves(that's my personal opinion though).

My dog was crated at night and when I left when she was a puppy-to prevent her from consuming anything or chewing on anything that could cause her harm. She was crated until she was trusted. Then her crate door was left open but always available to her. She will go in it by herself now, whenever she wants her 'alone' time.

She sleeps in my room-she will sleep either on my floor or in her bed. Sometimes she will get on my bed, but not often. It's rare when she does.

I don't think a crate is cruel, at all. If used correctly(not used for punishment, is the correct size, etc)

Well i guess that i am not anti cage as such but i have had dogs for 40 years, 2 or 3 at a time, almost all bought as pups and i have never used a cage, nor would i. Nor have any of our dogs ever given me any reason to consider a cage. none of our current 3 like conventional pet beds so each have a rectangle of 30mm pile 'vet fleece' with a small travel rug on top [which they move around to whatever is the most comfortable position for them] and they sleep in the Living Room. Our dogs have the free run of the ground floor but are not allowed upstairs ~ there are no gates or whatever but they were trained from puppy hood not to go upstairs ~ we would never ever have a dog on our beds. Before they were fully clean over night they were left in the kitchen which has a tiled floor so any mistakes were not a disaster.

I have a Boston Terrier and she sleeps in her crate every night. When I leave my house, she is either left outside or in her crate, depending on how long I'm gone for, but I'm a stay at home mom. I don't let any of my 3 kids sleep in my bed so there is no way I'd let my dog sleep in my bed. Everyone is different, but this is a rule my husband and I have. Some friends of ours do the same and others let their dog(s) sleep with them. To each their own. She has blankets and a pillow and plenty of space. She has free reign during the day and seems very content with our arrangement. I don't think there is anything wrong with your arrangement. Do what works for you.

Provided that the dog has enough room to move around with constant access to a supply of clean drinking water, then this is no problem at all. People only think that putting the dog in a crate is cruel because many a time, they are shut in crates to keep them out of the way, or for punishment, which shouldn't happen because they then associate the crate with punishment. Ignore what people say, you're doing nothing wrong in this case!

My dogs sleep in a crate at night and when I go out, mainly because they used to chew, but it also stops them getting on the sofa.

There is nothing cruel about this in the slightest!! Providing the dog has space to stretch, stand up & turn around. My dogs love their crate, and will choose to relax in there during the day rather than anywhere else.

I think people that let their dogs into their bed are the ones doing the wrong thing! As the owner you should be the pack leader with your dogs right at the bottom, do you think the pack leader would allow the bottom dogs into his bed??

Allowing dogs into your bed, onto furniture, carrying them about etc elivates their position within the pack leading to dominance problems!

When will people learn that dogs are dogs & NOT people!! They are not substitute children and should not be treated like them! A happy dog is a dog who Is treated like a dog!!!

Of course it's perfectly fine - and very accepted practice, so long as your dog gets out enough when he is awake. It's called a crate, not a cage, and will keep a dog safer than anything when they are not being supervised.

People who are against crate training don't know much about dogs, because it is based upon canine denning instincts. Just as many small mammals dig a hole in the ground to protect their young and themselves as they sleep, so too does a crate.

It is not bad at all! At first I felt it was bad but after talking to a few dog trainers, their crates is actually like their little security place. All my dogs are crate trained for when I leave and at night for bed. It helps put my mind at rest knowing they are safe in the crate and not tearing up the house! Just like the trainers I met said, their crate is something they feel safe in and it helps you know your dog is safe. It would be wrong to have your dog in his/ her crate all day everyday. But that is not what you are doing so there is nothing wrong having your dog stay in his/ her crate for when your busy. Just never use it has punishment.

I've never had a crate trained dog, but I'd like to eventually. Previous dog slept in a big bed with pillows and blankets, and my boyfriends dogs sleep on a big blanket on the floor in the bedroom. They are allowed up when called on the bed to sleep if they want during the day as long as they aren't dirty. But yeah, I don't see anything wrong with what you do. As long as a person gives the dog food,water,attention,training,and love and they are allowed their time in the house it's fine.