The crate

althought many dog lovers may cringe at the mere mention of the word crate, thinking of it as a cage or a cruel confinement, this handy piece of equipment can be put to good use for pups and grown dogs alike. even though you may love your dog to an extraordinary degree, you may not want him or her to have free rein of the house, particulary when youre not home to supervise them. if used properly , a crate can restrict your dog when it is not convenienient to have him under foot. e.g. when guests are visiting or during your mealtimes. A surprising number of dog owners that i have been talking to, who originally had negitive feelings about crating their dogs, have had great success using crates. the crate itself serves as a bed, provided it is furnished with bedding material, or it can be used as an indoor dog house. Not all dogs readily accept crates or being confined in them for short intervals, so for these dogs, another means of restriction must be found. but for those dogs that do adjust to spending time in their crates. it can be very useful in many ways. the dog can be confined for a few hours while youre away from the home or at work, or you can bring your crated dog along with you in the car when you travel or go on holidays, they can always be used if your dog becomes sick and needs to be transported to the vets.

Yes, they're a god send, don't know where I'd be without them! Even if my two crates (Bernese & Mastiff size) take up more than half my kitchen

Totally agree I think the crate is great if used correctly for pups.