Putting a dog in a van or a kennel is not putting a dog in solitary confinement in a cell. If the owner wanted to, they can make it a negative thing that is akin to solitary confinement, but that is how the owner makes it. The kennel or a van, inanimate objects, aren't automatically doggie jail. It can be a good thing. I use kennels as one tool of many to promote good behavior and to manage their safety.
Leaving a dog alone for 16 hours isn't good. I'd be surprised if any here would think 16 hours alone is anything but unhealthy. A dog can go 8 hours without peeing- they are vikings at that; however, that should not be the norm. 8 hours every day is too much imo. Lots of people do that with their dogs, though. I used to, but not anymore. A long time ago I had a job that ended being a major time commitment. It meant leaving my dog in my apartment for 13 hours or more sometimes. Not cool. So I taught that dog to poo and pee in a boot tray. It would still hold the pee and poo as long as possible and would go only when it couldn't hold it anymore. I ended up sneaking the dog to work for a while before I quit and sued my boss. (I won, too!) After that I never took a job that would compromise my dog like that.
Dogs left alone tend to sleep. Not all dogs, but many. When the owner gets home, then it's game on. I see nothing harmful in that. Learning how to be alone, to be comfortable with one's self without anything to do, is a healthy thing. It isn't about being stimulated from dusk till dawn. (Which is a good movie btw.) Is two hours alone OK? I think so. Is 20 hours alone OK? I don't think so. Somewhere in the middle is a sweet spot.
When I hear, "Dogs need room to run," I often think, "That is a lazy way for a dog to get exercise." Not necessarily healthy, either. I know of several people who let their dog(s) run loose and chase game. I hate that. Hazing wildlife or livestock is not a healthy activity that promotes good behavior in dogs and it doesn't promote good relations with others. But I don't get onto them about it. I've met only one person whose dog got shot by the game warden for chasing deer. He didn't get mad about it because he knew that he was being lazy and allowing the dog to run around like a hoodlum. My dog occasionally runs around with dogs that chase game. She doesn't chase the game, but just runs around. The other dogs run out of sight being allowed all the room to run they want. Those guys think I'm too hard on my dog and not giving her what she needs. Yes, I'm in the minority there, but we all have our ideas of how to take care of a dog. I do what I think is best. And what I think is best results in no gunshots. No porcupine quills in the face. No smelly skunks. No snares. And my dog is much better behaved, which indicates to me that my dog is mentally healthier from limiting her room to run.
Some people's dogs come up missing for unknown reasons. Sometimes a rancher will shoot a dog hazing his cattle and leave the dead dog out in the field without telling the owner. Letting a dog run loose is good and healthy, but not without boundaries like in the example above. Not giving the dog mental exercise can be just as harmful as not giving physical exercise. Mental and physical exercise can be had even for dogs living in an apartment or a van.
If apartment living were so bad, New York City wouldn't have the dogs they do. As long as the owner does his/her part with exercise, then the dog does well. I don't have a fenced yard (well, currently I do, but usually don't) and my dog gets more than the exercise she needs most of the time. She is a Border Collie/pit bull mix. While she has mellowed out considerably the last few years, she wasn't always this way. She is a high-energy, high-drive dog. She works hard. I expect A LOT out of her, but she also gets to run and play a lot. Waaaaay more than most dogs.
Few things in life are absolute; we need to take things in context. Saying apartment/van living with a dog is not good doesn't make sense to me. It can be done, and is done all the time. Most dogs that are confined to smaller spaces aren't healthy, but that doesn't mean a small space is inherently, or even usually, harmful. That is all my opinion, though. Most would probably disagree with me on at least some of it. What I do in situations like that to justify my training methods is to compare my dog to that person's dog (if they have one). That strongly demonstrates to me that the choices I'm making result in positive behaviors in my dog and the choices the other owner is making is resulting in negative behaviors in their dog.
Heck, maybe I am truly wrong, but at least my dog is better for it.
