Of course most of use crates for puppies, fosters and new adoptees so that is a form of separation.

Oh sure, but I'm talking about beyond raising puppies and doing individual training and one-on-one time with dogs. I think those are no brainers that you need to do whether your dogs are the best of friends or mortal enemies. I've heard people say (to my face) that I might get better performance from my dogs (like on the SchH field or agility field) if I intentionally confine them and separate them from each other more or only allow an hour a day together. I guess I just don't agree, or don't care...

Oh I understand the kind of extreme separation you were talking about--I was just pointing out that most of us do the normal new dog separation thing. There are lots of people who never separate their dogs, even when first introducing a new dog, etc.

True, especially in Europe it seems crates are more rare when it comes to pets. I think both ways work. I choose to crate train puppies because of the type of training and travel we do. Being comfortable and happy in a crate is basically a requirement. At Schutzhund our rule is that dogs need to be secure in a crate while they are not working and no one likes it when dogs are constantly barking and sounding off at everything from their crate/vehicle. Coke can go months without being in a crate, and even though he was already crate trained when we got him (at 1.5 years), we still use a crate for a while because he needs to be in one when we travel. Also things can be busy and with regard to the dogs I need to pick my battles. I don't spend a lot of time training and proofing perfect house manners, I'd rather just use a crate or pen for safety with a puppy and generally once the dog is 2 years old they are reliable out in the house. But all of this has more to do with the dog being new or being a puppy than intentional separation from other dogs. My friend who takes care of my dogs when I can't take them on a longer trip often keeps 2 of my dogs in the same kennel and they rotate which dog has their own kennel. I just don't have any kennels large enough for two dogs (I have large crates indoors).

My dogs are free to be with each other 24/7. They are all crate trained, but I only use them when we have guests that aren't into dogs or when they need to be contained. They have all proven themselves to be crate free when we aren't home. None of my dogs are destructive or eat inappropriate items, crating them is not necessary w/ our daily routine.

I've also been told to crate for better performance, and I do after training sessions when Karlo is learning a new exercise so he can process it(usually put him up in the crate in the vehicle).
But I don't want a crazy crate spinner either...if he were contained for several hours I don't think his brain could deal with it!

Karlo is the only one I am training with/ settles fine in the crate in the vehicle, no reactive behavior or barking....I think if I crated him on a daily basis he would be much higher energy but that wouldn't necessarily carry over to his drives/training performance.

I definitely agree, i've never kept my dogs separated just for the sake of separating them. I'll work with them both one on one, and the pup gets crated when I can't keep an eye on her because she likes to find things to do if not kept busy.. but they get along beautifully with each other, they'll play for a bit and then both pass out somewhere in the room.. and both seem just as crazy about me as if they were "single" dogs.

I like the venn diagram comparison that was mentioned earlier in the thread.

I know this is about 3 months late, but I completely agree! I am a small dog owner myself, but I walk 3 German Shepherds who are not all from the same household. They seem to bond very well together (whew!) but are still very obedient to my commands. I could see where this issue would be of concern in general terms, or especially if training is lax at home, or even if there are just way too many dogs around. But generally speaking, I think it is great to witness the growing relationships of dogs amongst themselves.

June