Older Dog, Bigger Crate?
April 15, 2017 7:31 PM Subscribe
My 10-pound dog is getting older (he's now between 10-12, best estimate) and I've noticed that he likes to stretch out to snooze on the couch during the day. He sleeps in a crate at night, so is this an indication that I should get him a bigger create so he can stretch out?
He has a small-sized crate that he sleeps in at night, which he has done since I adopted him eight years ago, but he has to curl up to sleep in it. All of his snoozing up until recently was in dogball form. Now that I'm noticing that he's stretching out to snooze in the daytime, should I get him a bigger crate for overnights?
I've never had a dog before, so I'm not sure if the "buy a crate big enough for your dog to turn around in but no bigger" rule can relax as they age. Would increasing the size of his crate cause him harm in any way? He's never in his life had an accident in his crate, am I inviting trouble by getting him a bigger crate?
He has a small-sized crate that he sleeps in at night, which he has done since I adopted him eight years ago, but he has to curl up to sleep in it. All of his snoozing up until recently was in dogball form. Now that I'm noticing that he's stretching out to snooze in the daytime, should I get him a bigger crate for overnights?
I've never had a dog before, so I'm not sure if the "buy a crate big enough for your dog to turn around in but no bigger" rule can relax as they age. Would increasing the size of his crate cause him harm in any way? He's never in his life had an accident in his crate, am I inviting trouble by getting him a bigger crate?
I think that rule is an opinion and not a rule because I've never heard it. The only time I've heard of limiting the size of a crate is for training puppies not to pee in it or for travel. They should be able to stretch out and the more room the better if the dog spends a lot of time in there, imho. I'm another no-crates past the destructive phase person though.
posted by fshgrl at 8:57 PM on April 15, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by fshgrl at 8:57 PM on April 15, 2017 [6 favorites]
I think he'd love being able to stretch out in a bigger crate. He might be getting stiff staying in a little dog ball since he's getting older. If the whole crate is cozy like a bed, he probably won't have an accident in there unless he's sick or something.
One of my dogs stays gated in an area the size of a very large crate. He's a little dog. I make sure the whole area is filled with pillows like a giant bed and he's never peed in there. In all other places he wants to pee on all of the things.
posted by ilovewinter at 9:12 PM on April 15, 2017 [4 favorites]
One of my dogs stays gated in an area the size of a very large crate. He's a little dog. I make sure the whole area is filled with pillows like a giant bed and he's never peed in there. In all other places he wants to pee on all of the things.
posted by ilovewinter at 9:12 PM on April 15, 2017 [4 favorites]
Absolutely get a bigger crate. After puppy crate training and potty training, most people get a large crate and outfit it comfortably as it's more like a safe cave hangout than a behavior modification training tool.
Having enough room to stretch and move around will be good for your dog's health and well-being.
posted by quince at 10:43 PM on April 15, 2017 [2 favorites]
Having enough room to stretch and move around will be good for your dog's health and well-being.
posted by quince at 10:43 PM on April 15, 2017 [2 favorites]
Best answer: "buy a crate big enough for your dog to turn around in but no bigger"
The "but no bigger" part is only a thing for non potty-trained baby puppies. Dogs don't want to sleep in their own waste, and not giving them enough room to do that is the "training" part of teaching them to hold it till morning. At 10, he was "trained" years ago.
If you are going to keep crating him at night you must get him a bigger crate so he can move into different sleeping positions. You wouldn't like to sleep only on a short loveseat for your entire life, would you?
I happen to need to crate my dogs at night, too, because I'm a light sleeper and they annoyingly wake me up in the middle of the night if they're loose. But most dogs don't do that. Most dogs settle on your bed or in their own bed when it's time for the family to sleep. You should consider what you're actually achieving by crating your dog at night and act accordingly.
But yes, he needed a bigger crate years ago. Go get one right now. He needs more room in there. Even the largest crate would not be too big for a potty-trained 10-pound dog.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 2:02 AM on April 16, 2017 [5 favorites]
The "but no bigger" part is only a thing for non potty-trained baby puppies. Dogs don't want to sleep in their own waste, and not giving them enough room to do that is the "training" part of teaching them to hold it till morning. At 10, he was "trained" years ago.
If you are going to keep crating him at night you must get him a bigger crate so he can move into different sleeping positions. You wouldn't like to sleep only on a short loveseat for your entire life, would you?
I happen to need to crate my dogs at night, too, because I'm a light sleeper and they annoyingly wake me up in the middle of the night if they're loose. But most dogs don't do that. Most dogs settle on your bed or in their own bed when it's time for the family to sleep. You should consider what you're actually achieving by crating your dog at night and act accordingly.
But yes, he needed a bigger crate years ago. Go get one right now. He needs more room in there. Even the largest crate would not be too big for a potty-trained 10-pound dog.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 2:02 AM on April 16, 2017 [5 favorites]
Yeah when we got our dog a crate, they didn't have her size so the pet store gave us the next size up. It was the right way to go, we will do it for any other dog we bring home. If she's not with us, she's in there of her own accord. Here's how big it is for a size comparison. Sorry it's not great quality, but I took it as I was typing. She has never had an accident in there.
posted by Bistyfrass at 8:23 AM on April 16, 2017
posted by Bistyfrass at 8:23 AM on April 16, 2017
Response by poster: Thanks all. Tiny Dictator sleeps in his crate overnight whether the door is closed or not, and prefers it closed, possibly because he used to spend some time staying with a cat who would hassle him while he was sleeping if it wasn't. He can actually close the latch himself if I forget. He used to hang out there during the day to snooze, too, but is now favoring sacking out on the couch, potentially due to stiffness. I just ordered a bigger crate from Amazon and when it arrives, I will spruce it up to be the best old-man cave he's ever seen.
posted by juniperesque at 9:00 AM on April 16, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by juniperesque at 9:00 AM on April 16, 2017 [14 favorites]
Yah this is totally a thing with old doggos. My old dude is very little. But when we got him a bed designed for, like, a Labrador and he could finally stretch out, he was all "awwww yissssss."
posted by functionequalsform at 9:54 AM on April 16, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by functionequalsform at 9:54 AM on April 16, 2017 [3 favorites]
That's adorable that he shuts the door to keep the (imaginary) cats out!
posted by fshgrl at 11:13 AM on April 16, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by fshgrl at 11:13 AM on April 16, 2017 [4 favorites]
I would need to see a photo of Tiny Dictator to be certain of the answer to this question.
posted by jessamyn at 12:20 PM on April 16, 2017 [19 favorites]
posted by jessamyn at 12:20 PM on April 16, 2017 [19 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Kimothy at 8:42 PM on April 15, 2017 [1 favorite]