Why is she locked up by herself in the garage at nite? Wouldn't she rather be part of the family and maybe sleep in the house? Just curious.

You could establish a new routine: when DH is gone, Ruby sleeps inside.

Ruby actually likes to sleep in her crate at night, I know that sounds weird but this is the first dog we have ever crate trained and it is amazing! The only reason she is in the garage is because there really isn't a good spot for her huge crate in the house! I know a "garage" sounds cold and yucky but our garage is very nice. It is insulated, painted and is big enough to accommodate her crate.
I will try having her in the house on her dog bed and see if she likes it; she might want to go in her crate!!

if she's dependably house trained, i'd stop the crating in the garage all together and let her sleep in the house. if you think she needs a crate at night, at least bring it inside so she can be with you.

I understand about your dog loving her crate. My soon to be 3 yr old lab loves his crate too. We have not shot the door on the crate for well over 2 years, but we kept it anyway because he loves it so. It is huge ( he is 96 lbs),ugly and takes up quite a bit of space in my bedroom but I don't have the heart to take it away. He brings his favorite stuffed duck in it with him at night, and goes there to nap during the day! He also finds comfort there from thunder storms.
Maybe you can move the crate into your bedroom so she can be with you, but you can still close the door if necessary?

Leave the garage door open. That will let her come in if she wishes. If not, denying the crate may cause anxiety.

I have two dogs presently that were crate trained. The older dog out grew his crate. Except during storms. He uses my desk as his 'storm' crate.

The female still uses hers---we also leave the door open all the time.

Leaving the garage door open and crate open sounds like a good plan -- then he can decide if he really likes that crate so much. I expect he would much rather sleep on the floor next to your bed, but I could be wrong.

Just an update; dh left so when I was ready to go to bed last night I just left Ruby sleeping on her dog bed in the living room; she was sound asleep! I got ready for bed and just turned back the covers and I heard her coming down the hall. I met her in the hallway and she sat down at the door to the garage and looked at me and then the door,lol. So I opened it and she went right into her crate!! Good enough for me :)

My uncle's dog is very attached to her crate. She is small enough (22 pounds) that her crate goes with her when she stays with someone else my father takes her sometimes). No matter where the crate is, that is where she wants to sleep. When he is home the crate it in his quiet family room, if he is leaving for more than a few hours he puts it in his heated garage (in case she has an accident). No problems. The crate is "home" to her. (she's an awesome dog). Too many noisy kids? Into the crate she goes, by choice.

I never had crates before with my first two big dogs. My rescued dog came with his own crate two years and loves it. It's in the keeping room, but it helps he's a 24 pound Boston mix so it's hidden in back of the sofa. My new rescue, a Dachshund obviously never was crated but I decided he would be now. Bought the same crate and placed it beside the other one. I leave the doors open all day, and sometimes they go in, sometimes a cat does but at night I say CRATE and they both trot off and go in. I love crates now. Keeps them and my cats safe when I'm not with them.

sue36,
That's what we do when we travel with Ruby too, take her crate along and no matter where we are she is confident to go in her crate!

I'm sorry but I don't think any dog should sleep in a garage.

The dog clearly doesn't mind - it's her territory, it's a routine, and she feels secure.

My housemate's two dogs (Akita and Spitz) were with him on a ski trip ... the dogs were put into the insulated garage and they pitched a fit. They were used to sleeping outside, together. So they made a couple of dog beds in a sheltered part of the back porch.

He said the next morning all he could see were the chains, leading to a deep drift by the house. They were curled up in the cozy little snow caves they had made (way better than dog beds) sound asleep. From then on, they slept outside in the snow on ski trips. You would walk out, call the dogs and see them erupt out of the snow like polar bears.

When I turn out the light Roxie gets in her crate, Bo is on the bed. Usually when I wake up she's on the bed too. I can sleep through all that jumping up and down.

two- if you want your pup to have access to you during the night, leave the crate door and the garage door open. That way if there is an intruder your dog can be at your side not stuck in the garage...hope you both have a good nights sleep while you are alone.

It sounds like the solution presented itself, but I agree with mazer about allowing access to the house if it makes you feel more comfortable.

Our big dog always slept in the house, but was not allowed on the furniture. When DH traveled, I never slept very well. One night the dog invited herself up on the bed and I slept so soundly- I knew she would be alert to everything, so I didn't feel like I had to be. After that, she got in the habit of sleeping on the bed with me when DH was gone, but never tried when DH was around. I think dogs are a lot like kids in that they just know that certain things will fly with certain people, and not with others. Years after she is gone, I still cherish those little pacts that she and I had together; they still make me smile.

Our very large dog was crate trained too. We stuff a huge soft bed into the huge crate (sans door) and that is where she sleeps and naps - it's in our bedroom. Completely ruins the look of the beautiful and detailed decor I arranged so carefully but I don't care, if she is happy, then I'm happy. She's part of the decor, enhances any room she enters.

Crate training is great, I swear by it. It provides security and dependability. As long as the crate isn't used as punishment, I figure that the dog will see the crate as their secure place to be.

"I think dogs are a lot like kids in that they just know that certain things will fly with certain people, and not with others."

Oh yeah. Cats are the same way (well, mine are). DH is a much more of a softie than me. They never wake me up early because they know I won't get up. They pester DH because they know he will get up. My previous cat would sleep near the top of the bed, and as soon as I walked into the room he'd move to the foot.