The man I am getting the puppy from is one of the countries top gundog trainers to the whistle and his dogs have won many awards, his dogs are the happiest and well looked after dogs I have ever seen, he says for a springer a cage is a must as the dogs themselves need their own space now and again, a cage is a den to a dog and many owners cover the cage to make it more of a den, my vet says the majority of dogs need their own space in a den even if you think they don't......it's in their genes.

P.s......anyone who lets their dog sleep on a sofa or a bed is wrong IMO.

I think that is probably correct even dogs we have not crated seem to make their own diving under a desk or table or the bed when worried.

I know of many dogs trained at Laines Shooting School in Hampshire. Some are crated, some aren't. All good dogs though. Like I have said already, if it's the dogs safety, then crate away. My main issue with crates is using them as a toilet training aid. Otherwise each to their own. Do you plan to work your dog?

It really just depends on your dog. My dogs have never really taken to them although with my very mischievous pup I did use a playpen for the first few months of her life, mainly to stop her from damaging herself from eating something she shouldn't though.

Some dogs just love them. It's definitely worth a try at least. The cage will always come in useful if you have to travel of if your dog needs surgery at some stage, even if it doesn't grow to love it.

I have a crate for my Staffie pupppy, best thing I ever did.

It works as a trainig aid and is somewhere for her to sleep at night. It is filled with cushions and toys so that it is a nice happy place.

The person I am buying the puppy from will train it for free to the whistle but unfortunately he lives 50 miles away but does say he will help me over the phone, he does say a springer is best trained to voice as well as the whistle as the whistle can be heard at a greater distance than the human voice, the issue of toilet training is that a puppy will not mess it's own sleeping space but you do not close the door on the cage at night so normal toilet training is essential, when the dog is used to the cage you can close the door for very short intervals till she is happy with it being closed for an hour or at a stretch 2 hours...can't wait till the pup arrives

I don't think you can generalise. My dog is of the non smelly variety (there are some) I quite like her sat up there with me watching Crufts. As a special treat, sometimes I remove my socks and let her gently nibble my toes
I use easily washable throws. Same for the bed which she sleeps on (not in).
She doesn't take the 'p' and sits there obediently waiting for the OK to get on the bed. Lately she had trouble jumping up there so I made a dog ramp out of a pasting table, stool and rug
She sleeps pointing down the bed with her rear towards me. Fortunately she doesn't pass wind
I live on my own and it is lovely having her breathing beside me. Plus in the morning she turns round and gives me a hug!
On the occasions when I have had 'company' (coughs) she goes to her dog bed in the hall with no problems and waits till bidden.
To date I haven't caught fleas or worms or any doggy diseases.
What's not to love?

We have been very glad at times for the warmth of a dog in the bed, try sleeping in a car over a winter and you soon realise how much you need them to stop you freezing to death and they need you too.

I share your sentiments Mrs Grumpy, my collie sleeps on the base of my bed too! And mine knows her boundaries and doesn't push either, once I decided she was to sleep in her bed on the floor, less than half an hour passed before I called her back up! She'd have stayed where I told her, it was me who couldn't deal with her not being by me. I think provided the dog isn't starting to push limits and get 'cocky', and you don't mind, then it is completely up to the owner if they allow their dog on the bed or not. As for not being hygienic, well I'd rather share my bed with my dog, than some people - at least I know where my dog has been!

I'd love my ball of gorgeous fluff to sleep on my bed although she's no light weight but hey ho she prefers her crate..in which she refuses to allow a fleece...or to sleep nose to the patio windows. We are just too hot for her..she's loving the winter.

Crate ready and all kitted out, roll on next tuesday.

Exciting !!

Totally agree. My first Lakeland was the puppy from hell. He could climb and jump like a demon and get into places I never dreamt possible. He was also a chewer and showed a keen interest in electric cables. Having a crate to put him in when I needed to pop out or get on with some work was the only thing that kept me out of the loony bin when he was little, and it gave my elderly x-breed some respite from Django's hooligan attentions.

He never got attached to it, so we put it away only to get it out again a couple of years later when he developed a terrible firework phobia. After retrieving him from being wedged between an oak chest and the wall with his little hairy legs dangling, and only just preventing him from toppling a fully-laden 6' bookcase over, we decided it was the safest place to put him when there were fireworks or thunder.

When we got the 2nd lakie, she hated her crate and showed her displeasure by using her little puppy teeth to wrench the bars apart. We never bothered crating her after the first few times, she hated it so much. However, at around 3 or 4 months she decided it was a very good dining room and would go and sit by the crate in the living room when her dinner was in the kitchen. She would only eat in the crate, and does to this day.

They're both perfectly happy in their crates in the car though, and I wouldn't travel with a dog any other way.

They keep you nice and warm at night! Invaluable when camping.