If you go to work every day and need to leave your dog at home in their crate, how long should a dog be in a crate for exactly? How long is too long? Are you worried about your dog being cooped up for hours on end? Knowing how long you can crate a dog for is essential to maintaining their health and happiness.

If you are like me, and like most dog owners for that matter, you worry about your furry friend a lot. And I mean a lot. Keeping them in a cage may be essential for helping them with his anxiety, but you don’t want to deprive them of their freedom.

In this guide, I took the time to list some facts and options about crating your dog so you can tell when enough is enough.

The main reason you would want to put your four-pawed friend is a crate is so that you can keep them safe and secure while you’re at work, right? And, in some cases, you need to keep them in there so that they don’t tear up your home. While coming home to a totally destroyed house may make for a funny Youtube video, it is not so funny when it happens to you.

So there are definitely valid reasons for keeping your furry loved one in a crate. But at what point does it turn from comfort to cruelty?

According to The Pampered Pup, it depends on your work schedule and how often you can come home to let the dog out to play. But a good rule of thumb is to never leave your dog in their crate for more than 8 hours. Even 8 hours is stretching it, since they may need to go to the bathroom during that time. But, if you truly have no other choice, then 8 hours or less is okay.

Leaving dog in crate while at work may be your only option if you work long hours and have nobody else at home to take care of your precious pooch. Just be sure to give them lots of love when you return home at the end of the day!

Dog crates are essential tools that you can use to help your dog curb some bad behaviors, or to relieve them of their anxiety. But before you know how long can you leave a dog in a crate, you should understand some of the limitations of crating your dog as highlighted by the Humane Society.

It is very important that you don’t leave your little cutie in the crate for too long. It should be a place to keep them safe and relaxed, and not as a place of punishment. You don’t want your furry friend associating the crate with getting in trouble, or else the poor pooch will think they are in trouble every time you leave for work!

If your dog is less than six months old, they should not be in the crate for more than a couple of hours. The goal of the crate is to train them to use it when they need to. And over time, they will get to a point where they can freely roam the house without destroying everything.

How long can you crate a dog if you are currently going through a crate training session with him? How long should a dog be in a crate if he is still learning how to remain calm and resist the urge to destroy your home?

Crate training can sometimes be difficult, although it largely depends on your dog’s age, breed, and temperament. Anxiety issues can cause canines to panic in a variety of different ways. Some will cry and try to escape the home, others will chew their own tails, and many will rip up the furniture. Leaving your dog in a crate while at work isn’t always the best idea if you are currently training him.

Maximize the effectiveness of the crate by putting it somewhere your dog really loves to be. If your dog loves hanging out near the kitchen, then that’s where the crate should go! Or perhaps they feel the most calm when they are in your bedroom.

It’s important that the crate is associated with comfort and positive energy, rather than as a tool for punishment.

If your dog is having trouble acclimating to the crate, you can leave the cage door open for a while. That will let him know that it’s safe to go in and out. Eventually, he will look to it as a place of relaxation.

If you do plan on leaving your dog in a crate while at work, make sure it’s the proper type of crate. For example, you can invest in a plastic kennel or a collapsible metal cage. Each type of crate provides its own set of advantages and disadvantages, so it may take a little bit of trial and error as your dog figures out which one she likes the best.

The crate should be big enough for your furry friend to turn around, lay on their side, and eat from their bowls. You can start feeding them in the crate to get them accustomed to the idea of being in there for several hours at a time.

Overall, leaving your dog in a crate during the day should be a last-resort move. While keeping them in there may initially be good for their anxiety. In the long run, they should not be cooped up all the time. Work on your crate training and your calming techniques so your dog can eventually walk freely throughout the house while you are away.

If you have a demanding job that requires you to work long hours away from home, you might get stressed thinking about what to do with your doggies during that time. You can certainly crate them for up to 8 hours per day, and you should also be thinking about other long-term solutions that will allow them to stretch their legs and walk around even when you aren’t at home.

The next time you wonder how long should a dog be in a crate, remember to consider what would make your furry friend feel as happy and safe as possible.