Originally Posted by JulieR
Originally Posted by denise d
I would suggest getting a dog crate. I know people dislike them and think that they are being cruel.
I have a German Shepherd and a Shepherd mix.... and for me they work great. My dogs put themselves in their crate when my boys get to be too much for them. :) It is nice safe place that is their 'den'
It also helps in the house training stage, as dogs often do not prefer to dirty their 'den'
Good luck with your puppy!!! :)
I'm an advocate for crate training as well. Some dogs outgrow their crates but others never do, for one reason or another. Of my four beagles, two of them don't use crates and two of them do, one because he can be aggressive and the other because she can be destructive. But ALL dogs -- puppies or not -- start off in crates here until they get the hang of things, and I think it makes a huge, positive difference!
Another reason to use a crate--if you have to board the dog or it needs to spend overnight at the vet, it will be crated. My shih tzu (who had never been crated 'cause I thought they were cruel) had back surgery and was crated at the vet's. Originally Mickey was to be there a couple of nights. The day after surgery, he was sent home because he was fighting the crate & trying to get out. The vet felt he would be better at home just being kept quiet. It was waaay earlier than I was comfortable with him being home. I lived alone so didn't have to worry about kids getting him all excited.
I have crate-trained every dog since then. Casper goes into his when he gets bored or tired. He also heads in there when he sees me getting for work. :D