Keeping your dog in the garage...?

[snydere02]

We will be getting a German Shepherd puppy in 2 weeks. In preparing for the new puppy, we are discussing where to keep his crate. We might even buy a large kennel. We have a very large garage attached to our home that is heated in the winter. (Large enough to house 6 large vehicles and a 30 foot boat.) There is a theromonitor in the garage and it had never gone over 80 degrees.
my first queston: would you consider keeping a large dog crated in the garage if your home cannot fit such a large crate?
Second question: what can I do to make sure he stays cool all summer long. I can put in fans and give him frozen toys, water bottles etc.

Fyi…I am home all day, the dog will only be crated at night or if I go to the store.

[Casey09]

I would get a large kennel for the garage for when you go to the store or other outings when you aren’t at home. At night, I think you’ll have less sleepless nights if you crate the puppy in your bedroom. Most puppies that I’ve had get frustrated if they know you’re there and they can’t be with you.

[Curb_Appeal]

Our German Shepherd’s crate is in our bedroom and has been from the day we brought her home.

I would think that isolating your pup in the garage, especially when young, would be detrimental to housebreaking. The only time ours ever woke us at night was when she was telling us she needed to go out. I also think it is a bit cruel to isolate a puppy right after he/she has been weaned from their mother and siblings. Pups need to feel like part of a pack, which they can even in a crate if they are near you.

[AKB]

I would not crate a dog in the garage. Are you sure this is a good time for you to get a puppy? Would an older dog, who can be loose in the house, be more suitable for you right now?

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

Can you crate in the bedroom? I always did that until I had two dogs that don’t get along. The elder still gets the bedroom (he has a dog bed on the floor) the other sleeps in a giant crate in the laundry room. The other advantage of crating in the bedroom, besides the fact the dog gets to be with his/her people, is that if you ever travel with the dog it know how to go to sleep in the same room in a crate and that is a wonderful thing.

Puppies can be prone to bladder infections if they can’t let you know they need to go outside. Or they become dogs that get so used to peeing in their kennel they do it all the time. I would really try to keep the dog in an area you can hear and let him out until his bladder is bigger…at least the first six months.

Finally, use a small (i.e. pup sized) crate for crate/potty training. I use three sizes to get a Doberman to adulthood. Mine don’t get the giant wire crate until they are fully potty-trained. Otherwise you are teaching them to just go in the corner.

[Foxtrot_s]

No dogs in my bedroom! But when I got my greyhound and she was lonely for her old pack of hounds, I brought my bedroll downstairs and slept with her for 3-1/2 nights.

But, I think a puppy needs to be with you as much as possible. The bond forms and they get housetrained, and learn manners and confidence. I think the key to a good doggy relationship is being with them all the time and taking them out and about.

They also need to learn that they can and will manage if they are left alone for a short while.

[Marshfield]

Another vote for not separating the puppy from you at night. If you don’t want the crate in the bedroom, then you could put is elsewhere in the home and put a baby monitor with it with the receiver beside you. While I don’t suggest if for everybody, the last puppy we housetrained by my husband’s method. He can’t hear much with his CPAP on, so when I had to be gone overnight for my job he took Torri to bed with him. She would wake him up to take her outside. She does know how to sleep in a crate or in bed.

[Kodidog763]

Our breeder recommends crating nearest the door they will go out of in the AM. For us this is the patio door in our family room, so we kept the crate in our family room near the door. The first few nights of having the puppy home, someone slept in the family room with her. This has worked great for house training our last two puppies.

Keep in mind, in the beginning, your crate shouldn’t be huge for the puppy. As they grow, you will want to get a larger one, but start with a smaller one.

I, personally, wouldn’t crate in the garage. I think for a dog to be part of the family, they need to be kept with the family, and not isolated.

Also - just from my point of view - you may want to keep the puppy in the crate for “business” hours until the puppy is truly crate trained. I work from home, and in beginning she was still in the crate during the day while I worked. A puppy needs to be watched ALL the time when they are loose. I couldn’t do both. Obviously since I was home, I could take her out for short breaks during the day, but she learned how to be crated all day in case we were gone all day.

[goldenrow]

I wouldn’t see a problem with keeping your puppy in the garage. Our fur-children start out in a crate and kennel in the shed (glorified garage) and graduate to the entry way/hard surface floors as they grow, mature, and learn the rules. We have never had a problem house training - if they are under any roof, they are expected to adhere to “indoor rules.”

[kasjordan]

I vote for a smaller kennel in your bedroom at night. My GSD pup started out in his crate downstairs but after two nights, I moved it to my room. He was super once I did that. Only time he woke me up was when he needed to go out. He graduated to being tied on a leash to the end of the bedpost, then to being loose in the bedroom with the door shut- then to loose in the house all the time. By 8 months he was never crated. I don’t know that you will have to keep him in the garage when you’re not there. If you do, a larger kennel when he’s older, in the garage , for those times seems like it would be fine.

[jetsmom]

Why are you wanting to keep in the garage. Dogs need to be part of the family. Maybe it’s not a good time for you to get a puppy.
I wouldn’t have a problem with crating anywhere else in the house. But a garage is too isolating. Usually you want to crate them atnight where you can hear them if they wake up and need to go to the bathroom.
German shepherds are also very people oriented and bond strongly to their owner. I vote a definite no to the garage.

[dkcbr]

[QUOTE=jetsmom;8145848]
Why are you wanting to keep in the garage. Dogs need to be part of the family. Maybe it’s not a good time for you to get a puppy.
I wouldn’t have a problem with crating anywhere else in the house. But a garage is too isolating. Usually you want to crate them atnight where you can hear them if they wake up and need to go to the bathroom.
German shepherds are also very people oriented and bond strongly to their owner. I vote a definite no to the garage.[/QUOTE]

:yes:

[snydere02]

We are literlly in the perfect situation to get a puppy. I’m not working and I’m home all day So the puppy will be watched outside of the crate at all times. The only reason I’m asking about putting him in the garage is because I can’t seem to find enough room in the house to put his crate unless I move my dressers to the garage. He will be part of the family for sure and I want to form a really good bond with him just like I have with my other dog. I think I’ll just move some of my dressers around and find him a cozy spot in our bedroom.
Thanks for all the advice.

Oh and I forgot to add the garage door leads to our bedroom. I can hear everything that goes on in the garage from my room.

[Bicoastal]

[QUOTE=snydere02;8145534]
We will be getting a German Shepherd puppy in 2 weeks. In preparing for the new puppy, we are discussing where to keep his crate. We might even buy a large kennel. We have a very large garage attached to our home that is heated in the winter. (Large enough to house 6 large vehicles and a 30 foot boat.) There is a theromonitor in the garage and it had never gone over 80 degrees.
my first queston: would you consider keeping a large dog crated in the garage if your home cannot fit such a large crate?
Second question: what can I do to make sure he stays cool all summer long. I can put in fans and give him frozen toys, water bottles etc.

Fyi…I am home all day, the dog will only be crated at night or if I go to the store.[/QUOTE]

I think OP defines kennel as one of those 10x6 or whatever chain link pens and crate as cage. Two different things.

Her first question indicates a crate would be too large for her home. You live in one of those adorable tiny houses? :pI’ve managed crates in apts but I’m a certified Crazy Dog Lady :lol:.

For the second question, I know another certified CDL who installed an AC window unit in the summer and space heater in the winter in her garage for foster dogs. I think 80 degrees is tolerable (and for some, like S & R, it is important their dogs acclimate to temps). For peace of mind in July & Aug, I’d get one of those remote temp pagers.

A kurunda bed, fans, frozen kongs, plenty of water, maybe a kiddie pool, and when he’s grown up purpose-made cooling mats can all help keep Fido comfortable for the couple of hours he’ll be kenneled. I don’t see a problem with this for a few hours every now and then. OP is home full time. Sounds like a lucky puppy.

Personally, I’m with others that prefer my dogs in the bedroom overnight. I understand lots of working dog and protection sport handlers kennel their dogs and maybe OP or her breeder is from that world. We don’t know. Just like in the horse world, if you ask two different people and you’ll get three very different opinions.

[kasjordan]

Dressers in the garage, pup in your room. :yes:
My GSD is four years old already, you’re making me have puppy envy.

[WorkingDrive]

If you’re only option is to put a kennel in the garage (not crate,) for when you’re not at home, and it’s insulated (heated AND cooled,) go for it. I’ve met quite a few working dog and personal dog folks who put the nice kennels (not crates) in their insulated/heated/cooled garages or basements for when they’re not at home.

I think the way your original post may have been worded made people think you planned on keeping your dog in a crate/kennel in the garage at all times, not just for when you are not at home, etc.

Our dogs are housetrained via crate training in our bedroom (just so we can hear them when they wake up to potty in the middle of the night until they’ve grasped housetraining/manage to control their bladder and bowels.) I see you said you were moving dressers around to put a crate in your bedroom - keep in mind that there are some cute (and strong) crates that incorporate side table/crate in the design so you won’t even know it’s a crate and can use the top for a clock, etc.

[ParadoxFarm]

I would say it’s fine when you’re not home. Like others, I would not do it overnight, though. And a crate doesn’t need to be permanent, so I would vote to put a crate somewhere in the house, even if it’s unsightly for a while. Then transition to doggy beds, etc., when housebroken. My Malinois was in a crate at night for about six months before he transitioned to dog beds in my bedroom.

Good luck!!! Enjoy your new puppy if you get one.

[Houndhill]

A crate for a GSD puppy is not a huge thing, I can’t imagine it wouldn’t fit in your bedroom.

If you ever confine the puppy in an enclosure in the garage, I would just make sure it is well ventilated, with windows opened, fans, or window a/c unit.

Sounds like an interesting floor plan, so the huge garage leads into the master bedroom? Just curious if there is a mud room or laundry room in between? So you carry your groceries through your bedroom to get to the kitchen?

[ynl063w]

[QUOTE=snydere02;8145534]
We have a very large garage attached to our home that is heated in the winter. (Large enough to house 6 large vehicles and a 30 foot boat.) [/QUOTE]

@snydere02;8145913

The only reason I’m asking about putting him in the garage is because I can’t seem to find enough room in the house to put his crate unless I move my dressers to the garage.

I’m having a hard time picturing a house that has an attached garage that’s big enough to house 6 large vehicles and a thirty foot boat, but there’s not enough space inside for a crate that’s big enough for a German Shepard. And in my experience, anytime someone gets a puppy and plans to isolate it from the living quarters “only when no one is home”, the dog ends up being isolated from the family for the majority of the time. This might not be the case in this situation, but I’m seeing some red flags here. Not major red flags by any means, but potential red flags. Maybe it’s just me though.

[S1969]

I wouldn’t have as much of an issue with a garage “kennel” if it wasn’t an only dog. Certainly I would not want a puppy in a kennel alone if a crate in the house could substitute.

I would define “kennel” as a 10x6 or larger area, but would never use one unless it was ok for the dog to eliminate in it - gravel area or shavings or something for that purpose. A crate is for sleeping only, and has to be small enough to keep the puppy from going to the far end and relieving itself rather than holding it.

Kennels are great and if I had a good spot for one I would probably build one for my 3 dogs (the best spot here is full sun and it would be dangerously hot in summer). But I can’t imagine putting a puppy alone in a kennel for any length of time.

My puppies are crated in my bedroom.