re: Pet owners question: crate training and leaving dog out to roam

We leave our two dogs (female lab and male cur) inside roaming for about 10 hours a day. They do fine but we kind of worked our way up to it. When they were pups we made sure they knew what they were and weren't allowed to mess with. I think the only thing they've destroyed was a horse hair boot brush I left sitting on the coffee table. I think the lab is smart enough to know she will get in trouble and the cur is too dumb to figure out how to get in to trouble.

We have cameras in the house and both of them spend most of the day sleeping in their crates. They only get up to bark at the Fedex guy or to get some water.

The frickers both sleep 20 hours a day even when they are outside.


Crate training is one of the best things you can do. I can bring my dog anywhere and I know she is just going to chill and not make racket in her box if I'm traveling. I bring her hunting with me and she sleeps in her crate in the truck in case she needs to find a deer for me.