Can I crate my dog for 12 hours or even longer? You want to know can your dog spend some time in a crate unsupervised. The answer is yes. This is a great method while traveling when you cannot supervise your pet and in some other cases. Can I crate my dog for 12 hours? If you know all that we have said until now, the answer should be positive, right? Not exactly and now you will see why.
Can I crate my dog for 12 hours or even longer?
Your dog must not spend 12 hours in a crate
Here is the most obvious question. Can I crate my dog for 12 hours? The answer is no! You must not do this. First of all, it is too much and your dog is a social animal. He wants to run, play and interact with people. In a crate, he cannot do any of these things hence, crating him for half a day is a big no-no.
This refers to all dogs and puppies. You can crate a dog a few hours during a day and it will be fine. But, this depends on the age and the breed. Your dog must pee and this isn’t something you will want him to do inside a carte. If your pet has spent a lot of time in a crate in the past, he will be more comfortable there. If this is the first time, he will get upset. Start with 5 minutes only and gradually increase the time he spends inside.
You need to remember that all of what we have said here refers to daytime! It is irrelevant how old your dog is and which breed he is. You will see why this is a case in a minute.
Can I crate my dog at night for 12 hours?
The answer is once again no. But, you can caret for him for 8-10 hours. This refers to adult and senior dogs. Puppies cannot be crated so long because they must pee multiple times per night so they need this opportunity more times in a 10-hour period.
Adult and older dogs can control their bladder much longer. They can even control it for 12 hours but it is not a good idea to wait this long. It can cause severe health-related issues. Once again, we can see that this applies to the nighttime. Dogs have hormones that are almost identical to humans. These hormones prevent the need to pee when sleeping so they don’t have to go to the bathroom at night. Think of you. You can withstand 10 hours at night without peeing, but you cannot do this during the day. The situation is the same with dogs.
In general, your dog can spend up to 10 hours in a crate at night. This applies to all breeds. Senior dogs can spend this amount of time easier. They will sleep the entire night and they won’t have a need to get up. Of course, all of what we have said applies when and if a dog sleeps. He cannot spend 10 hours inside a crate awake. Luckily, most dogs will sleep inside a crate without a problem. They feel secure inside and comfortable. This is possible only for dogs who are used to crate and were trained.
Puppies cannot spend the entire night inside a crate. They must pee a few times during the night so it is not a good idea to leave them inside a thought the night. They can spend 2-3 hours tops. This is possible for puppies 3+ months of age. Younger ones usually pee every single hour.
You can’t crate your pet while at work
Most of us work 8 hours per day or even longer. Add the commute to the equation and we can get up to 10 or even 11 hours. As such, can I crate my dog for 12 hours question is ideal. Well, you cannot crate your dog while you are at work. Yes, you can do it if you work 2-3 hours per day. In general, a dog can be crated up to 4 hours per day without a big deal. Of course, this depends on the breed. Some can be crated in the afternoon, others in the morning, and so on. For example, a Husky won’t tolerate being crated in the middle of a day.
Regardless of the breed, a dog must not spend the entire day in a cage. If you are at work, you have other options which will be mentioned below. At the moment, all we can remember is that dogs need time with humans and other animals. They need to go outside and they don’t like crates which can look like prisons in some cases.
Options you should use
If you work or have a need to go out without your pet for 12 hours, there are two options. The first one of doggy daycare and is the ultimate choice. Your pet will play with other dogs, be outside and have the best time. Of course, you won’t be there so not all dogs will be perfectly happy. But, this is still the best method and the only one that we will actually recommend. Keep in mind that your dog must be social and he must behave well when close to other dogs and unknown people.
If he isn’t friendly with other dogs and animals in general, you will have to use the second option. You can hire a dog walker. A person will come, pick up your dog, and take him for a long walk. You can use this method even when traveling for a weekend or at any given moment.
Conclusion
Can I crate my dog for 12 hours? The answer is no and this applies to all breeds and all dogs. You can crate a dog for up to 8-10 hours but only at night. If you must leave your dog alone for half a day, use the doggy daycare or a dog walker. These are the only alternatives that actually work well.
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