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sleeping in the older dog's crate. After some time, I folded up the puppy's crate and decided to let them share the crate I'd purchased for the older dog. In part, this was necessity as the puppy had grown to the size of my black lab. Three years later, and they continue to share it happily. It's a big one, by the way, so they have ample room for each of them to stretch out.

Both dogs know the 'crate' command. If I'm eating and they get underfoot, I'll just say 'crate', and in they go. They'll lie down until I'm done and tell them they can come out. They sleep in there alone, or separately, depending upon their whims, not mine. If someone comes to the door, I can call out 'crate', and both will run to the crate and settle down, so that I don't have to worry about them getting out the front door or whatever.

What I'm trying to say is that while I was originally cautious and concerned about using a crate, I'm now a strong supporter of it. I've seen how my dogs have taken to it. It's just like the more typical beanbags that I've had over the years for prior pets. It's their safe haven, their special place to go. The only difference between the crate and the beanbags is that I can close the door (for their safety). I've recommended crates to friends, who have followed suit. One wasn't a believer and was hesitant. They had some problems with their new dog and finally tried it. What a difference in his home. His dog now loves his crate. A happy convert is he!

Crating isn't cruel when it's done for the protection of your new family member and when it's a haven for your dog and not a punishment. For my girls, their crate is a haven, where they sometimes sleep and sometimes take their bones to chew on. They love it, and so do I.

Learn more about this author, Marcia Studley.
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