Have you heard the arguments? Some say crates are cruel and should not be used, while other state that you need to crate train every dog. The answer to the question are crates cruel or a useful tool all depends on how a crate is used. Let’s look at why dogs adapt to crates as well as good and bad ways to use a crate.
Why dogs can positively adapt to using a crate goes back to the nature of a dog. Dogs are den animals. That den behavior allows a dog to feel secure and happy in a den type of environment such as a crate. What changes this predestine positive experience to a negative one with dogs is misuse of a crate.
The correct way to use a crate is to introduce the crate gradually. When first teaching the dog to like a crate, it is important to not isolate the dog when in the crate. A good way to do that is to crate the dog in a room where you plan on hanging out for a few hours. After the dog gets used to us being around, you can begin to leave the dog alone. Soon, the dog won’t mind staying in a crate when you aren't’ around.
One common misuse of crates is to use the crate for punishment. Riding on the coat-tails of children being told “go to your room” when they are bad, this technique is not good for dogs. Dogs always need a positive association with the crate. Even if the dog knows he or she just did something you disapprove of, don’t put the dog in a crate for punishment.
I had a foster named Shilo who hated the crate because the dog was put in the crate after being punished. This dog quickly associated the crate with bad things and could never feel secure inside a crate. If you offered a treat for the dog to go into the crate, she’d run off. If you did manage to get her in the crate, she’d fret the entire time. By using systematic desensitization, Shilo not only got over her fear and loathing of the crate, she began to go into the crate and “hang out” on her own accord. Although it does take some work, dogs can learn to change a negative attitude about crates into a positive one.
Crates can be handy when a dog is too young to be trusted alone inside a house. I personally don’t recommend leaving any dog under a year old unattended inside a house. Under a year, some dogs are tenacious chewers. I’ve heard of too many dog owners who had a dog chew through an electric cord and die. Additionally, dogs under a year old are in the most intense part of their adolescence. That can result in destructive behaviors when the dog roams the house without guidance. Using a crate can often keep these unwanted habits from developing.
Although crating a dog inside a house isn’t a bad thing while you are gone. Dog owners need to avoid over-crating a dog. One might ask how much crating becomes over-crating. In all honesty, that can vary from dog to dog. Some dogs will tolerate a lot of hours in a crate while others will not. If you have a more active dog who you need to crate, you are best served to make sure you give that dog a lot of exercise before asking for extra crating time. If weather prevents you from getting outside, you can teach the dog to use a treadmill.
Using crates as house training tools is a common way to productively use this tool. However, you need to mind a few rules. A lot of trainer will caution you to not select too large of a crate, thus inviting a dog to sleep in one end and potty in the other. A common statement is to choose a crate big enough for the dog to turn around in and lay down. That is not good criteria. The best size crate is one which is bigger than the immediate sleeping area, but not too big. A crate over twice the sleeping area size is too large. However, a dog needs room to sleep in a crate away from any accident the dog may have. Even reliably house trained dogs can end up with unexpected distress at times. If the dog has no choice but to lay in a mess too many times, the experience can result in a dog not tying to keep the crate clean. Dogs who chronically mess in a crate take specialized training to again re-establish their natural den tendencies of keeping their sleeping area clean.
No matter if you are a fan of using a crate or not, I personally believe all dogs need crate trained. That is because dogs, at one time or another, may need to stay overnight at a veterinarians. Dogs who are crate trained are going to be less fearful. Dogs who have never been crate trained have two fearful experiences at once. The first is being in an unfamiliar place such as a vet’s office, and the other is being trapped in a confined area when the dog hasn’t learned to feel safe.
In an attempt to sway your opinion on crate training your dog, I’d like have the opinion of a dog to weigh-in. Cookie was a beloved Jack Russell Terrier I owned. One day when out of a walk, a large dog who’d escaped his pen rushed up and grabbed my dog in his mouth. If I didn’t have a leash on the dog, she’d have been lost forever. As it was she spent the night at an emergency vet hospital. Once home, she’d sometimes startle awake from my lap and run to her crate. There she stayed until she again felt safe enough to come out. Psychologically, she did recover from that attack. I have to think that having a crate where safe to hide in for a while had to help.
Peggy Swager is a dog trainer and behaviorist. Her newest book is Rescue Your Dog from Fear. In her class Solving House Training Issues (e-trainingfordogs.com) she gives techniques to help dogs who hate the crate or chronically mess in the crate. Her website is www.peggyswager.com where people who want to teach a dog to use a treadmill will find a Youtube link to a training video.
Crate problems:
Dog pulls at bars or crate and tries to escape when left alone in the crate.
This may be separation anxiety. Dogs need to learn how to feel secure and not abandoned in the crate. The DVD “Separation Anxiety, a Weekend Technique” can help solve this kind of issue. More info at my website www.peggyswager.com.
The dog hates the crate.
I talked in the article about a dog named Shilo. She learned to hate the crate because of a previous owner. Due to misuse of the crate, Shilo associated the crate with punishment. I used systematic desensitization to solve this problem, and Shilo came to love her crate. How to do this is talked about in the book “Rescue Your Dog from Fear” and in the e-trainingfordog.com course: Solving House Training Issues. The course is modestly priced for people who want to audit the class rather than take it for credit.
The dog chronically soils in the crate.
Although crates are great tools for house training a dog, some dogs learn to mess in the crate. This is a solvable problem. I give a few different techniques in the e-trainingfordog.com course: Solving House Training Issues. The course is modestly priced for people who want to audit the class rather than take it for credit.
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