Why do pet owners use dog cages?

[Charity]

I've lived with dogs for 40+ years (all rescued dogs over 12 months when I got them) and have never used a cage. Am I missing something?

[ladybirder]

Our neighbour has a rescue dog who eats everything (including door frames) - he has to go in a cage when they are not at home.
boxy it sounds like that dog has serious separation anxiety and is being left for too long if it has time to eat everything including the door frames. In my opinion they should be training it instead of locking the poor thing in a cage. But then that takes effort.
Charity I too have had rescue dogs all my long life and haven't had to resort to a cage, nor would I. In too many cases they are used for the benefit of the owner, not the dog. I can see that they might be useful in a car to stop the animal jumping on the driver and causing an accident. I'm sure my opinion won't be popular but there you go ...

[Gizmonster]

We have 2 Yorkie Terriers and have had them for approx 4 years now. They are fully house trained - we have a cat-flap in the back door and they come and go as they please, to go outside and do their business whenever they need.
This is fine when we're at home. However, when we're out (we both work full time), one, or poss both of them, pee on the kitchen floor and conservatory floor. This is VERY annoying, as the cat-flap is only a few feet away.
It seems that when we're out, they protest and pee in the house, so now when we go out, they go into a cage - a decent size one with plenty of room for both of them. My missus always comes home at dinner time, so they're never left for more than a few hours at a time.
We've tried several imes of leaving them and letting them have the run of the house downstairs. They might go a few days, then one of them pees on the floor, so back in the cage they go. They NEVER pee in the house when we're home, so we reckon it's a protest at being left alone.
They seem quite happy going into the cage - when the last person is leaving the house they automatically go into the cage, waiting for us to shut the door on them. It might seem a bit cruel, but we got fed up of them peeing on my floor......

[ladybirder]

If you are leaving two dogs at home all day on their own and all they do is pee on the floor then I think you are very lucky.

Locking them in a cage all day while you're at work is cruel IMO no matter how big the cage or your wife popping home at lunch time. Sorry if my comment upsets you.

[Charity]

I was chatting with some dog walkers this morning and was surprised to discover that the other four had cages for their dogs. I don't know their circumstances and didn't like to ask why.
One of them speaks in a falsetto voice to her dog which I find a bit odd and I try to avoid her.
Thanks for all the replies.

[ladybirder]

Best thing to use it for Toes. Good Idea.

[woofgang]

I use a cage in the car. The first time we had a dog we had a guard. It was the right guard for the car and fitted carefully but it collapsed on the dog and the poor soul vented his anal glands in fear. I prefer a cage in the car because it is protective in case of accident and means that paws and tails cannot get shut in a car door, also I can open doors and windows while picnicking and the dogs can smell the sea and get a breeze.
I really really hate to see a dog behind a guard in the bit of a small hatch behind the back seat. Quite a small rear end shunt is going to hurt the dog.Dogs that are allowed to be loose in a car will turn into a UFO if the car is in an accident and will sustain many of the same injuries as an unseatbelted human.

[cathfromsaron]

my sister uses one so that when she comes home her house is standing!

[cathfromsaron]

*for very short periods of time!

[ladybirder]

woofgang I can open doors and windows while picnicking and the dogs can smell the sea and get a breeze
But they do get to do more than just smell it don't they Woofgang?

[woofgang]

Toes i go and watch the sea. The beach is small and gets very busy so I sit in the car and picnic and pass bit back to the dogs who are sat behind me. I never sit on the ground in the forest to picnic on account of the ticks.

[woofgang]

no they don't get to run on the beaches here. the beaches are about 10 ft deep and packed with people and other dogs so they wouldn't enjoy it at all.

[nungate]

I used to keep a pet travel carrier in the living room to keep kittens safe from the older cats whenever I had to leave the room for any length of time. After the kitten grew up and was able to "hold their own" the box was used as a quiet place by the cats just as an escape for a bit of peace and a nap, now they've all found their own quiet spots it's not needed anymore we would only reintroduce it if we were to get another kitten

[woofgang]

My dogs charge miles through the new forest just about every day. If I didn't take precautions it wouldn't be the odd tick it would be 6 to 8 each dog (I have two) every day from spring to autumn. We are also at high risk of Lyme disease. During the summer we get crab flies too which are the devils own invention (google) They wear tick collars and I take them out very early while its still empty and cool so that they can run as far and fast as they want. Unfortunately humans can't wear tick collars so i just don't sit on the ground in the forest.
I guess these posts just show how easy it is to misunderstand on the net because folk don't know the whole story. I used to have a jeep but it got too expensive and unreliable so i have a Rav4 now. When i first had the boys I had a Jimney which I loved but they grew out of it.

[Charity]

I don't drive, a friend acts as taxi and my dog goes in the cage in her car (happily).
I was intrigued because one of the dog walkers had stopped me to ask why my dog wears a muzzle. The conversation turned to dog cages and, thinking about it afterwards, I wondered whether they were using them as a time out/naughty step idea - which seemed wrong.

[woofgang]

very very wrong Charity.

[ladybirder]

Woof I'm not trying to be argumentative but couldn't you take them down on the beach out of the holiday season once in a while when it's quieter. I'm sure they'd love it and it would be stimulating for them, plus a change of scenery. It's mine's favourite place in the world.