Most of our dogs sleep in their crates. We call our dining room the gated community. Various ones are out at a time except when we all go outside.
Our 2 lb male Chihuahua is what we call our "house dog". He uses a puppy pad almost all the time so he gets more freedom. He still has a crate that he knows is his, though. The primary reason is that we have trouble keeping his weight up so being out of the crate gives him constant access to food and water.
Last night, I noticed him eating out of the food bowl. Then he picked up a piece of kibble, took it to Jasmine's cage and pushed it through the bars for her. She ate it. We couldn't believe he was feeding one of the dogs! It was sooo cute.
