For those of you with dogs...

[sham]

For puppies I can understand lots of crating if you can't watch them during the day (they still need to be taken out frequently by someone) but as they grow up I phase out the crate eventually completely. Instead I confine them to 1 room that's as dog/puppy proofed as possible. I don't really think any dog needs to be confined more than a couple hours a day. At night fine because they are mostly sleeping anyway but to confine all night and then for several hours during the day seems excessive. Granted I'm used to dealing with large high energy breeds that would be absolutely nuts if crated more than a couple hours but I think any dog does much better when confined to 1 room instead of a tiny crate. Most people should be able to accomplish finding a room that they can be safe in even if it's a really small room like the bathroom it's still bigger than a crate. Unless it's extremely hot or cold outside I'll put mine in a 12'x24' horse stall in the stable while I'm gone for a few hours.

 

[mom2raven]

I love the pug in your siggy, they are one of my favorite breeds.

 

[r/t rick]

I don't crate my 4 year old lab any longer. I used to crate her when I was at work only. My 4 month old boxer/bulldog I just got gets crated when I'm not able to watch her (at work and when I sleep), she'll be crated until I get her 100% house broken. It is understandable if you and your "DH" can't make it home on time and they are left in there too long and it's a rare occation. Sometimes stuff happens I wouldn't feel bad about it in this case.