M.L. Posted July 13, 2007 Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 Well, there are now 5 dogs in my little townhouse! The bf moved in. So far they are all doing well. Odin, the husky, sheds like crazy though! We are buying a new home and my question is: How does everyone feel about putting the dog crates in the garage (attached to house) and leaving the dogs in the crates there for about 6 hrs during the day? Not in the summer of course! It would be too hot. We don't want to give them free roam of the house right away, and the huskies have to be crated when we aren't home. Does anybody else keep their dogs crated in the garage? Anybody know whether it is harder to break into a garage than a house? I am a little concerned about this option, that is why I'm asking. My concerns are: not knowing whether it is easy to break into a garage, the fumes from the cars and echoes if they bark. It would be so nice to have the crates in the garage though! Especially because there are five of them! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WoobiesMom Posted July 13, 2007 Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 Well, I would hope you wouldn't run cars in the garage while the dogs are there! I have a friend whose dog has been a barking problem for some time. He barked so much in the back yard while they were at work, Animal Control got involved. She moved him to the garage and there were still complaints. She said it was very easy to hear him from outside. Story continues that she put a bark collar on him in the garage and he burned a hole in his neck with it!!! I wish she'd just buy her dogs crates and be done with it, but now she chains him to a pole in the garage and I think his barking has decreased and the complaining neighbor moved. I think if they're quiet and you don't put them in there right around the time cars have been run in there it would be more convenient than finding space for 5 crates in the house. Hope you get to your house soon for everybody's sake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaisingRiver Posted July 13, 2007 Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 I kept my foster dog crated in my garage this past winter because she was not crate trained and whined/barked like crazy for the first week or so (drove the DH nuts when she was inside doing it - she was crated when I wasn't home, but DH works from home, so...). I also used to live by someone who kept their dog in the garage when they weren't home (not sure if it was in a crate or not). I don't see a problem with car fumes, esp if you keep your garage door open for a bit after you pull in and you don't keep your car running for a while after you pull in either. The barks will echo a bit more in the garage so your neighbors will hear it better should your dog be prone to barking. (my neighbor's dog barked constantly and I was 500 ft away). As far as breaking in, I don't know if it's any easier, but generally people don't break into garages and leave it at that, I wouldn't think. Oh yeah. My friend keeps her GSD & Rottie in the garage when she isn't home. They have the run of the garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coloradogirl Posted July 13, 2007 Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 Our crates are in the garage. We run a fan in the summer and a heater in the winter. They only stay in there at night and during the day they are in the outside kennel if we are not home or out with us if we are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catu Posted July 13, 2007 Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 6 hours sound like a lot to me (I don't know if I would be able to hold my bladder so long myself, unless sleepeing at night) I know it is expensive and not always possible, but, there is a chance to build kennels in your yard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OurBoys Posted July 13, 2007 Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 6 hours sound like a lot to me (I don't know if I would be able to hold my bladder so long myself, unless sleepeing at night) I know it is expensive and not always possible, but, there is a chance to build kennels in your yard? That's a good idea. With maybe a doggie door from the garage to the kennels??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catu Posted July 13, 2007 Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 6 hours sound like a lot to me (I don't know if I would be able to hold my bladder so long myself, unless sleepeing at night) Sorry, I have to laugh of myself, it sounds like I'm sleeping and peeing at the same time. Too late to edit . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.L. Posted July 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 I definitely wouldn't run the car for lengths of time while the dogs are in the garage. Pull in, shut off, leave door open for a while. As for leaving the dogs outside, whether in a kennel or not, or even with a doggie door - there is no way I'd let my dogs be outside here in Tucson. Too many dog thefts and sick things done to dogs. For a while people where letting their fighting dogs into people's yards to attack the dogs that were there. Then they would leave and people would come home to a ripped apart and dying dog in the yard. Lots of dogs get stolen. Kids do sick things. Someone was shooting people's dogs who were out in the yard down by my friend's house. I'd worry all day! And none of them are puppies. They can all hold their bladder for 6 hours. Mine have free run of the house now except for Willow and if I don't get home for lunch they are fine and dandy. Such good dogs! Thanks for the input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OurBoys Posted July 13, 2007 Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 I definitely wouldn't run the car for lengths of time while the dogs are in the garage. Pull in, shut off, leave door open for a while. As for leaving the dogs outside, whether in a kennel or not, or even with a doggie door - there is no way I'd let my dogs be outside here in Tucson. Too many dog thefts and sick things done to dogs. For a while people where letting their fighting dogs into people's yards to attack the dogs that were there. Then they would leave and people would come home to a ripped apart and dying dog in the yard. Lots of dogs get stolen. Kids do sick things. Someone was shooting people's dogs who were out in the yard down by my friend's house. I'd worry all day! And none of them are puppies. They can all hold their bladder for 6 hours. Mine have free run of the house now except for Willow and if I don't get home for lunch they are fine and dandy. Such good dogs! Thanks for the input! OMG!!!! I must live a sheltered life! Yes, by all means, leave the dogs in the garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marilyn T Posted July 13, 2007 Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 I have a friend that installed kennels in the garage on one side. He put in beds so they would be up off the cement, and put them 6 foot high. Uses the other side to park a restored corvette. Installed huge fans, and pulls air through the garage. It is a great option if you can do it, plus the dogs get more room to stretch. I work 10 hour shifts, and drive a half hour to the job. My 6 dogs can hold it for the 11 hours. I don't like it, but I have to work, so that is what we do. I have large crates in a converted garage room that is air conditioned. Mine are all about 40 pound dogs, and I have 400 size crates for everyone with a water pail, and a bed so they are off the pans. One of my young dogs was able to fit into my routine when she was 6 months old. I fortunately have a neighbor who is willing to come over and let my pups out when they are young. I don't feel I can impose daily so they adjust. Nobody gets bladder infections, or seems unduly distressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berocca Posted July 13, 2007 Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 I can't help with the question as I've never crated dogs. Just wanted to say that I read the title as "Cats in the Cradle" so now I have the song stuck in my head grr. I'm thinking I need more sleep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb Scott Posted July 13, 2007 Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 We have 5 wire crates in our small house; the one in the bedroom doubles as our TV stand, the ones in the living room make great end tables and the one in my "office" holds my laptop. Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheRuffMuttGang Posted July 13, 2007 Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 My own dogs (8) are all inside dogs and their crates are all inside, too. I have a very small house but stacking airline-type crates works nicely. They are rarely even in their crates but I do use them when adopters come over or when non-dog-friendly guests need to make an appearance, etc. Otherwise they are largely collecting dust...and a lot of it. I also have 7 foster dogs at the moment and they ARE in the garage. I've done a small renovation to my garage and laid some of that cheap-o berber carpet underneath the crates and installed a free-standing A/C unit so they stay a tiny bit cooler. It's by no means 65 degrees in the garage, but if nothing else, the unit pulls the humidity out of the air making it much more comfortable to be out there. I, quite simply, hate barking. I have 17 dogs in my tiny house right now (dogsitting 2 additional dogs) and not a single one is making a peep (no anti-barking devices are in use, either). It's not -that- hard to keep a dog quiet if it's properly exercised mentally and physically. If the neighbors want to complain that my dogs bark when they are outside (only when I am home) then they first ought to think about complaining about the damn dogs that are left outside 24 hrs a day in the surrounding houses and bark in the middle of the night, all day long, etc, etc, etc. I, luckily, live in a city with no pet limit so unless my yard has an ungodly stench coming from it (I scoop twice daily) or the dogs make too much noise (they don't at all) there's no reason for my neighbors to complain. I talk to my neighbors routinely and they've always said that I don't bother them at all. I can't imagine having only ONE dog and not being able to control the noise level. Wow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted July 13, 2007 Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 We built four small mini-kennels in our garage for the rescues (well, only two are in there right now). I give them potty breaks and if I do it often enough they stay clean. They have stall mats on the floor, and before winter I want to get them all raised Kuranda beds (and one for Ben inside, too). I think they are much more comfy than having to stay in crates. But if crates are your only option, get really big ones so there's plenty of space for them to move around. That's the big concern with confining a dog for a while. Six hours is actually not a long time for a dog though it's getting close. Dogs aren't like us - they tend to get big drinks spaced further apart where humans are "sippers" and end up taking more frequent trips to the potty. Even when we are putzing around the farm and they are free to stop anytime, they don't do more than do peemail unless they are working or swim and suck in a bunch of water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelpiegirl Posted July 13, 2007 Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 On stacking crates- how do you do this? Do you have some sort of tie that prevents them from slipping. I have thought about doing this, but haven't as I want to make sure it is safe and secure. Thanks Julie My own dogs (8) are all inside dogs and their crates are all inside, too. I have a very small house but stacking airline-type crates works nicely. They are rarely even in their crates but I do use them when adopters come over or when non-dog-friendly guests need to make an appearance, etc. Otherwise they are largely collecting dust...and a lot of it. I also have 7 foster dogs at the moment and they ARE in the garage. I've done a small renovation to my garage and laid some of that cheap-o berber carpet underneath the crates and installed a free-standing A/C unit so they stay a tiny bit cooler. It's by no means 65 degrees in the garage, but if nothing else, the unit pulls the humidity out of the air making it much more comfortable to be out there. I, quite simply, hate barking. I have 17 dogs in my tiny house right now (dogsitting 2 additional dogs) and not a single one is making a peep (no anti-barking devices are in use, either). It's not -that- hard to keep a dog quiet if it's properly exercised mentally and physically. If the neighbors want to complain that my dogs bark when they are outside (only when I am home) then they first ought to think about complaining about the damn dogs that are left outside 24 hrs a day in the surrounding houses and bark in the middle of the night, all day long, etc, etc, etc. I, luckily, live in a city with no pet limit so unless my yard has an ungodly stench coming from it (I scoop twice daily) or the dogs make too much noise (they don't at all) there's no reason for my neighbors to complain. I talk to my neighbors routinely and they've always said that I don't bother them at all. I can't imagine having only ONE dog and not being able to control the noise level. Wow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheRuffMuttGang Posted July 13, 2007 Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.L. Posted July 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 Thanks for the advice everyone! Each of the dogs has their own big crate. Right now there are four upstairs in the bedrooms and one downstairs. Not much humidity out here, so that isn't a problem. Our new house will be plenty big to keep the crates inside, I just thought it would be nice to have them in the garage instead when the weather permits. Easier to clean, nice to have them all in one spot instead of all over the house. Less dog hair that ends up outside of the crates on the carpet! I will probably end up bringing my dogs to work with me most of the time, which will be nice. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eileen Stein Posted July 13, 2007 Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 A lurker asked me to post the following: The gas water heater/furnace in a garage usually emits a fair amount of carbon monoxide, which is fatal to dogs. Some residual exhaust from cars - even if the car is not kept running in a garage - is always emitted, which is an added source of carbon monoxide. But if you have a furnace/gas water heater in your garage, then the carbon monoxide is extremely unhealthy to dogs, and sometimes fatal too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheRuffMuttGang Posted July 13, 2007 Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 Thanks for the warning, Eileen! My water heater is actually inside my house and the garage is only big enough for one car...hence, no car in the garage since it's filled with dog crates! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M.L. Posted July 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2007 It will be a solar water heater, so no gas involved at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaisingRiver Posted July 14, 2007 Report Share Posted July 14, 2007 A lurker asked me to post the following: The gas water heater/furnace in a garage usually emits a fair amount of carbon monoxide, which is fatal to dogs. Some residual exhaust from cars - even if the car is not kept running in a garage - is always emitted, which is an added source of carbon monoxide. But if you have a furnace/gas water heater in your garage, then the carbon monoxide is extremely unhealthy to dogs, and sometimes fatal too. Good to know... we don't use gas here. The DH often works in the closed garage at night on his motorcycles. Usually the cars are parked outside during that time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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