Should a Dog Crate be Placed in the Bedroom or Living Room?

You should put the create wherever you spend most of your time at home. As dog owners, we want to be as close to our fur babies as much as possible to let them know that they are loved and well-taken care of. Even when they are just puppies, putting them in crates is one way of training them to be independent whenever we are not around. 

Choosing between the bedroom or living room for the crate can be a challenge, especially when they are still young and enthusiastic about life. Locate them in a place that brings them peace and comfort even without your company. We have rounded up ideas that will help you decide which between the two spaces would serve your dogs best. 

Putting the Dog Crate in the Bedroom

When the dogs are still young, we want them next to us almost every hour of every day. This way, they get to know their owner, their family. But, is letting them sleep in the bedroom make them spoiled and be more dependent on you? 

The bedroom is a sleeping sanctuary for you to get some rest. It is a different consideration when you have a dog. You should also ensure their welfare as they get a good night’s sleep. Allow the dogs to feel like they belong by putting their dog crate inside the bedroom. To help you decide, we have rounded up a list of their advantages and disadvantages. 

Advantages 

A dog is a man’s best friend as they say. Bonding plays a significance in the life of a dog. It makes them feel loved and special forming a deep friendship. Sharing time allows the dogs to know that they are not alone and they belong to a household. A high number of people consider dogs as part of their family. Check out the advantages that come along with putting the dog crate in the bedroom. 

Makes Them Closer to You

When it comes to building a relationship with your dog, it is important to make them well-acquainted with you as early as their puppy years. This makes them easier to train and be followed around. Allowing the dog to know who is the alpha should be established as early as when they are months old. It is your responsibility to understand what your dog is trying to tell you helping in interpreting what they need and making the right decisions when it comes to your dog’s health and welfare. 

Dogs require socializing, training, and nurturing to define the relationship you have with your furbaby. On the other hand, taking a rescue or adopted dog may be more than a challenge. But, they are already knowledgeable with training and even basic house commands. All you need to work on is earning their trust to get to know who is the alpha. Whether it be puppies or dogs, help them get to know you, your interests, and your routines too. They are more understanding than you think. Talking and bonding with them will make them closer to you. 

Getting Acquainted with Daily Routine

When their crate is located inside your bedroom, they will be well-acquainted with your daily routine from the moment you wake up to the time you go to bed. It establishes the waiting time for when they need to be fed, take a bath, and go to the potty. Allowing them to know when is the right time to get on and off the crate will help them nest inside. It will make them feel like the crate is just like their bedroom where they find peace and comfort when they needed a place to rest. Once they are already acquainted with your daily routine, it will be more manageable to get them inside the crate whenever you need them contained. 

Fewer Chances of Unnecessary Noise

Putting the crate in the bedroom will train them not to make unnecessary noise. This works best, especially when you have someone around your dog are not familiar with. On top of that, they have a limited view at night when going to bed. This will not make them bark at every sound or sound they are curious about. Let us face it. It can be a bummer to be in your peaceful sleep and hear the dog barking loudly in the living room because of the wind or some minor inconveniences that make them feel like it is a big deal. 

Disadvantages

As much as we love our dogs being around us at all times, putting the dog crate in the bedroom comes with drawbacks too. This will help you weigh in the factors that can contribute to choosing the living room instead of the bedroom. Considering how dogs require supervision at times, there will come a time when you will feel overwhelmed with the situation. Besides, dogs do not understand the idea of personal space. 

Difficulty in Setting Focus

We all know that the bedroom can sometimes be an activity area for tasks that requires to be accomplished either after work or school hours. Having your dog crate around will make it difficult for you to be focused on the tasks at hand. After a long day of not being home, your dog will crave your attention and will continuously bark until you provide them with attention. This will redirect your focus from tasks to spending time with your furbaby. We understand how bonding is important for you and them. But, it can be a bummer to be in the moment of being productive yet your furbaby can be a little needy and clingy. 

Dog Smell Throughout the Bedroom

Just like human beings, dogs secrete a natural smell that you do not often recognize because you are already immune to the smell. This often happens when you are taking a long time to clean up the tray of waste beneath their crate and when their bathing schedule is not managed. Hygiene is as important to dogs as it is to humans. They need to be maintained, cleaned, and bathed to prevent them from smelling unpleasant. The smell of the dog is common when there is no proper ventilation in the bedroom. We highly recommend opening the windows for you and your dog to have a breath of fresh air. 

Limited Space to Run Around

Compared to the living room, the bedroom has a rather limited space congested with furniture and fixture across the space. This makes the dog have a defined space to run around which makes breakages and chewing more inevitable. It would be more inconvenient to have your personal properties destroyed. Besides, dogs are not recommended to be placed inside the crates at all times. They need time to be free and walk around and the bedroom is not the best place to walk around. Allow the dogs to study and be well-acquainted with the rest of the public spaces. 

Putting the Dog Crate in the Living Room

As much as we love putting the dog crate in the bedroom, locating them in the living room is not such a bad idea too. In fact, it allows the dog to engage in more collaborative activities with the rest of the household giving them more room to enjoy. Considering their enthusiasm and enjoyment to be in the same place as you, a high-traffic space in the house would help a lot. We have rounded up the advantages and disadvantages that come alongside putting the dog crate in the living room. Allow these lists to help you decide and confirm which works best for your furbaby’s welfare. 

Advantages

What we all want is what is best for your dog’s comfort. They often nest in places they feel protected and secured. Having a crate helps but choosing a location to place it in another. Being in the living room will make them feel that they belong, it makes room for their activities, and it is a space with effective air circulation. Check out the list we have for you below and ways how to manage their presence in the living room. 

They Feel Belong

Since the living room is a busy area for entertaining guests, housing activities, and the root of entertainment, it makes the dog feel like they belong to the life of their owner. They would not feel left out because they are a part of the activities that you enjoy. The more that they are involved, the more they will feel safe around you. This is the first step in earning their trust. Allow them to take part in activities and even in conversations. This way, being inside the crate would not make them feel bad. Being there for social phases will make them understand the importance of being inside their own personal space – crate.  

More Room for Activities

Being in the living room will give your dog more room to run around when they want to be outside of their crate. They have room where they can run, play, and even nap at times. Space would not be a problem anymore considering how the living room often comes bigger than the bedroom. If you decide to put the crate in the living room, we highly suggest locating them in a space where they are not often bumped into, preferably in corners or even near the window. 

Disadvantages

As much as we love having our furbabies around our favorite space in the house, they come with disadvantages too. This can cause harm either to your dog or to the household which makes it quite tricky to decide whether or not their crate should be in the living room. 

Within Proximity to Substances

The living room is filled and designed with decorations that may come as harm to dogs. More than their ability to chew and destroy, there are a variety of materials and substances that can be harmful to them when ingested. It would serve your dog’s welfare best to adjust the heights of the decorations that are beyond their reach. In addition, there are certain plants too that can jeopardize the health of your dogs. 

High-Traffic Area

The living room is a high-traffic area. It is a public space interconnected with the other public spaces of the house. This can cause the dog to be too overwhelmed, excited, or frustrated when there are too many people in the living room, especially the ones that they are not familiar with. It mentally affects them and the way they bond with other human beings.