Crating dogs

Question
Hi, I have to crate my dogs while I am working or while I go out shopping or visiting family/friends alot. I have never known how long in a crate is O.K and was now wondering... How many hours daily is it O.K to have my dogs crated? I'd leave them out of crates but they get into alot of things when I leave them alone and my biggest knocks over baby gates so must be crated. Thank you for your time.

Answer
I hate to see a dog in a crate more than 4-5 hours.  If you can't make it home over lunch, try to find a neighbor or a professional dog walker to give it a break.  Doggy day care is a great option if available and you can afford it.  Unfortunately, I am afraid many people have little choice except to leave the dog 8 hours or more.  and some dogs just can't be left loose.  

The "shut the puppy in a safe room" is a fallacy.  Very few houses even have a
safe room.  How many of us have a room with a hard surfaced floor and nothing
else?  Most rooms have electrical cords to chew if nothing else.  In addition
to destroying anything a bored puppy finds to chew, it may choke or have
intestinal  blockage from the pieces.  I had a friend that left her dog in a
"safe" room.  It ate a hole in the floor covering.  The safe rooms fail to
give the dog the comfort of the enclosed space their instinct requires.  Nor
do they restrict activity extending the time the dog can go without relieving
itself.