It's totally fine. When I was working on house-training my dog, she was in the crate while we were at work 8 hours and again when it was time for bed (another 8 hours). The time she was out we made sure we gave her lots of exercise and attention. She got used to it and was completely fine and happy. We did this for at least six months and then began to let her out at night. She was crated anytime we left the house (work, shopping, etc). After one year of this she was completely house broken and a very happy girl.I'll add that when we got her at 4 months old she had not been trained and it took an unusually long time to teach her good behaviors (like potty outside) due to her lack of attention and care before we got her. That's why she had to be crated for a year total. My other experience with crating only took 3-6 months.Crating is humane and not mistreatment. Your pets are looking to you to define the rules, do this when they're puppies and it is easy and enjoyable for everyone for many years to come. =)