Cage - Is it considered animal cruelty if I keep my dog in a cage as long as I let him out to get some excercise?

Is it considered animal cruelty if I keep my dog in a cage as long as I let him out to get some excercise?

I let my dog Charlie out during the day and at night I shut him up in a cage I always make sure that he has plenty of food and water and i clean his cage every day. I also havr a chiuaha puppie and I do her the same way is that considered as cruel

Public Comments

No. I crate my 11 week old when I am not home and she actually loves her crate.
It sounds a bit like a prisoner
i dont think it is because i do the same dont feel bad you are letting them out and you are doing the right thing
You put him in there at night? As long as the crate is in a safe, climate controlled area that's not cruel at all. Why are you even asking?
would you like it if you were kept in a cage at night and were only let out to do exercise during the day? probaly not. i would say its animal cruelty.
not as long as you take care of them and give them love and attention and talk to them. its crate training you are doing i assume. when you are not there they are in the cage when you are home do you have them out? should you know just for their happinessand well being.g
It depends on how many hours they are in the crate and what kind of exercise and attention they get when they are out.
Well, I would no say it's cruel, since you are taking him out, feeding him well and generally taking good care of him . I know that alot of people like their pets to sleep in a basket or on the bed with them. No, I would not say it's cruel, but I would not do it. It's the bed for my pampered pooch!
no when i got my dog he wasn't potty trained so we kept hem in the crate at night so he wouldnt pee everywhere
if it is only while you're sleeping, and the 'cage' is an appropriate size for said dog, i'd say no... it's called crating and most dogs think of their crate as their den. we crate our dachshund every night before we go to bed and the lil' bugger can't WAIT to get into it. as soon as we get up, the first thing to happen is that we let the dog out so he can "do his bizniss" and get fed. no different to me than putting a baby in a crib at night. the funniest thing is when we're getting ready to go on a trip and are packing our suitcases... johnson will run to his crate, smack at the door with his paw to open it (we leave it unlatched when he's not inside), then zips in and looks out like he's waiting for us to load him into the car.
Yes. Put the dog in a room and let it run around. or let the dog outside to run around.
When I am not home my dogs sometimes are crated. That is 9 hours with a break at lunch if I don't take them to work. When they were younger and I didn't trust them they stayed in when I was not able to watch them. Also potty training goes sooo much faster. And you never have to worry about them getting into something. Just make sure there is enough for them to turn around and lie down comfortable. So you don't feel to bad get a toy like a kong (love them) and stuff them with treats or peanut butter to keep them occupied
Not at all. Some people house break their dogs by keeping them in a crate because a dog will not normally soil where they sleep and it forces them to wait until they are allowed outside in order to do their business. As long as it has plenty of water and snacks and some human attention once in a while it should be alright.
Definity not! I keep my dog in her crate when I am not home. We used to put her in to sleep, but now that she is older she sleeps with me. As long as you don't neglect him, it is not animal cruelty
no, i do not think so. but make sure they r getting enough attention!! good luck, and say hi to charlie and the Chihuahua puppy 4 me!!!!
I crate all my animals when I am away at work (at a humane society) for 8 hours a day. We highly recommend it. What we don't encourage is feeding and watering while in the crate. That can encourage urinating and deficating while in the carrier. Crate training is a very useful technique in potty training as well, so to feed and water can hinder that training. Puppies should be let out frequently during the day because their needs are more so than adults as far as feeding and watering and pottying. To allow them to eat, drink, poop and pee all over whenever in their crate can possibly cause them to grow up to be massively messy and untrained while in the crate. NO! It's not cruel to crate an animal...IN MODERATION!!
First off, why is your dog being crated at night? Does he have house breaking problems? Usually people use the crating method strictly as a house breaking tool, not as an on going life style. Does he like it? Doubtfull, it is restrictive and goes against all of the dog's instincts. It is very helpfull only if you use it in the early house breaking stages for a puppy. You failed to mention age of dog, or reason you are crating. Share if you will. And how many hours do you keep him crated? Do you give him a break during the night to go out?
No, of course not! It's animal cruelty when you don't take care of your dogs and your don't give them any food or water. It sounds like you are doing just fine with your dogs! Don't be worried if you feel bad, you are actually giving your dog discipline by doing that, letting them know that they go there for the night and not anywhere else. Hope this helps!
well as long as you play with him and give him the same amount of attention that you do your other dog i guess its not animal cruelty pursae
It depends on how long the dogs are in there. I recomend crateing/kenneling a dog when you are not there to watch them. It keeps them from getting into things that could hurt them...Trash, medicine, electical cords,etc. And don't worry about not being home with your dogs. I work at a no kill shelter and my dogs are left at home while everybody is gone when they are not at work with me.
I think people like you are lazy, my dog sleeps wherever she wants to. I believe in freedom for a dog they are not just animals they are mans best friend. Some people may say its not cruel but I think your cruel man. Dogs live short lives i think as their owners you should ensure that its a good one. My dog has never been locked up in a cage she is currently six years old pit-bull. She is very well trained maybe you should try that training your dog, Pits are some of the hardest dogs to train because there stubborn but it just takes time. I don't understand why you need to lock him up, is he a really bad dog that tears up everything? My girlfriends dog used to tear up everything when she got her(she was a rescue dog that went through 4 homes before she was 2 years) and she would have to lock her up when she was gone. I told how i felt about locking up her dog and that i would help her with her with the dog. All the dog needed was time and some obedience training she does not tear things up anymore so she does not get caged anymore. Thats just my opinion man if you think I'm being mean then so be it, that is just how i feel.
Try calling the Humane Society to get their take on it. Personally, I don't like the idea of caging a pet. I would worry that the house might catch fire and I wouldn't be able to get to the pet to free it. (How would you feel if you were able to make it to the cage, but then the lock mechanism was too hot for you to touch, and the dog was already be suffering from burns caused by the hot metal cage anyway. Would you feel comfortable walking away? Somehow, I don't think so. My advice is get rid of the cage. Give your dog some freedom. America is a free country.) As for pets liking to be caged, it's possible I guess, but I really don't understand how. If the belief that liking to be caged is based on seeing the pet going back to the cage after being allowed out to eat, or being given some freedom for a while, I submit that the pet is conditioned to going back. He's learned that's what he's supposed to do to keep his master happy. He didn't originally decide to go into the cage on his own. He was taught to do that by his master. And he's learned that that's what he's supposed to do. It's possible that the dog is not clostrophobic and can handle being caged without suffering psychological harm, and that's why he conforms. I don't know, but the idea of caging a pet just doesn't sit well with me. Possibly because I'm mildly clostrophobic. To get a better feel for this, you may want to test how you would feel being caged for the periods of time you want to cage your pet. You know, just ask a friend to lock you up in a closet with food and water. Be sure to remember that you can't leave the closet to go to the bathroom. That would be cheating. Your dog, can't leave the cage. So, you know, you'd have to relieve yourself by doing your thing on the closet floor. You might also want to imagine the tables being turned, and your dog was in charge. And, you know, he decided that he wanted to let you exercise for a while during the day, but lock you up in a cage at night. Would you be happy with that kind of treatment? Hmmm. Sounds like a plot for a Horror Show. . . Good dog. You're not being cruel. Those humans like being caged up at night. Here's hoping you make the right choice. But just in case you don't, and just in case there's such a thing as reincarnation, I'm not going to ask to come back as a dog. You might end up being my owner. And have you ever wondered how you'll come back, if there is such a thing as reincarnation. Do you think you might come back as a dog, and you know, be caged by your owner? Yikes. That's scary.
If you only crate him at night it's quite normal. If you do it all the time and only let him out to exercise THAT would be cruel
If you're talking about normal crating at night or when you can't supervise the dog, which is done very often and is normal (at least in the US, in the UK I don't think it's quite as common yet) then it's not cruel. If you're leaving the dogs in a non appropriate cage, and only letting them out to play sometimes then yes, that is cruel.
YES! Why did you even bother to get a dog if you weren't going to love it properly?
Dogs love to socialize with people. I would never consider keeping my dog in a cage. If I had to keep her in a cage, why have a dog in the first place.
Sorry cannot agree with the cage, If its training the dog then there are nice ways to do this. To me its cruel and I would never and have never caged any of my kids, thats what they are, my kids and best friends. If you need training ideas there are good web sites to visit such as awvp travel with pets in vet section.
i'm shore the dog doesn't like
It depends on some factors like Do you keep him in there during the day and the night? Do you give him attention? What kind of dog is it? What do you mean by exercise? (Do you take him on a walk or do you just let him into the backyard?)