Crating a Dog

Crate training can be a really good thing, but only when done properly.

That doesn’t mean just shoving a puppy in it though, which is what most people seem to think it is.

There are loads of lovely Kennel type dog beds out there. There's no need for a lockable door if it's for 'comfort'

I am in favour of crate training for puppies but going out and leaving your dog shut in a crate is shocking cruelty to me and that is not what the crate is for, that is just laziness on your part. Your dog needs to be free to leave the crate when he / she wants to, that is, you should be present when they are in the crate.

I’m the soppiest animal lover ever. I hate seeing animals in cages etc.

I think part of the problem is that a) people obviously love their pets and b) they associate crating with some of the awful images you see of dogs kept in actual cages in puppy mills etc.

There is NO WAY I would want a pet of mine caged. To feel like they’re trapped etc. But establishing a crate set-up that makes them feel safe, is their own space they can head to when they want - I would definitely do it again if I had another dog.

There is a HUGE difference between sensible crating and caging. It’s worlds apart if you do it right.

@Bonfire23
A happy contented dog with a good life won't snap at people. The reason why the Husky you dog sit for is chewing and tearing things up is because it's bored to the point of insanity.
Huskies need a pack, they cannot be happily raised alone, they also need atleast 3 hours of off lead running and exploring. They shouldn't ever be locked up in a cage.

Crating CAN be great, but you need to approach it in the right way.

Do t use the crate as a punishment/time-out for bad behaviour.

Don't expect your puppy/dog to take to it straight away. Read up on positive crate training.

If possible, especially to begin with, site the crate within a room that you can also close off if needed (utility, etc).

On recommendation from a dog behaviourist, I enclosed my girl’s crate. I bought a couple of packs of blackout lining from The Range and used them to cover all sides apart from the entry side. This was so that, when in there, she wasn’t distracted/alerted by activity going on outside the window etc. No distractions meant that she didn’t feel the need to bark at passers-by etc - she had a calming safe space.

She had the run of downstairs, but would happily toddle off to her crate when she felt like it. I was “lucky” that it was in a room that I could gate off, but she was ok with that. I never actually shut the door of the crate, but k ew she was still “contained”.

There will be lots of info online re crate training. The most basic is to build it up slowly re time in the crate. Another is to reward your pup/dog for going in. Always make sure they have a high level treat/chew/toy when going in. Do not lavish them with praise/affection when they come out. They need to associate their reward/treat with being in there, not with being let out. Have a look at (age appropriate) antler bones - they don’t rot, last ages and alleviate boredom as something pretty non-destructive to chew.

Also, make sure you get the right size of crate. They need to be able to comfortably standup, turn around etc. my girl was a giant breed, had to ensure that she felt comfortable within it.

If you have a pup and are considering crating in line with toilet training, I’d say don’t - or research very carefully how you do so. You can’t expect to shut a pup in overnight hoping that it won’t soil itself. They have no control over their bodily function until they start to mature a bit. So, for toilet training, you need to research toilet training methods and bear with them - a crate is not the answer for that.

A crate really can be a great, safe space for a dog - one that it takes itself off to willingly when it wants to. But you need to put the time and effort into making it this way - you can’t just pop them in there and expect them to be ok with it.

To make people who use them feel better about them.

I don't like them personally and never used them. Let's be honest now it might be called a crate but in reality it's a cage and dogs don't belong in cages.

Why are you assuming it's locked?

I've never shut a crate door. It's a great little den for dogs, especially anxious ones. I've looked after dogs for decades and rehabilitated hundreds of foster dogs. Some dogs suit having a crate, others don't. Their choice.

Trained to be a great place from being a puppy is a great idea as it's a safe space.

So you're daft to assume a crate is a 'prison'.

With the door open, maybe. With it shut, it is trapped in a cage. Actually potentially terrifying for it and alien to any animal.

I think I have more empathy since experiencing being in a police cell

I absolutely disagree. They are shut in an enclosed space with little room that they cannot get out of. We can choose to leave a bedroom at any time. Cages are prisons.

Not at all, it's like having their own safe and secure bedroom. Not cruel in the slightest.

That sounds so lovely!

I think it’s cruel. It will feel the same as it would be to us being put in a cage

This is the thing, you see a crate as a cage whereas a dog sees it as a comfortable, place of safety. Anthropomorphism is when we attribute human reactions and feelings to animals and I believe that’s what happens when someone talks about “putting dogs in cages”.

At night I dont during the day.

What if you've got a dog that chews though? I dog sit for a husky, she is crated if I go out to the supermarket or something
She will literally chew kitchen doors, shoes, wires, anything if left loose and has had to be taken to the vet before for operations to remove items

She's not always crated at home as she has an outdoor area (garden plus furniture plus heated kennel) but if she's inside...

I don't think they should ever be used as punishment but it's a great safe space if you have children and a rule of don't disturb the dog in their pen/crate. The dog can get away somewhere safe if frustrated or tired and isn't as likely to snap because they can't get away from the thing that's annoying them

No crate here.
My dog never needed one.. chilled from a puppy and never destructive.
I can understand that it's useful for if they ever need surgery but otherwise, no.
It's a cage and I don't like cages.
My girl sleeps in her bed at the foot of ours and has free rein in the house.

We used a crate until our lab was 18 months. It was for his own safety as he chewed inappropriate things like skirting boards overnight that could harm him.

As soon as he passed that phase and then stopped using the open crate himself we tossed it.

Ideally I wouldnt have used one as he liked to move about and pick different places to sleep throughout the night, but felt we had no other option.

We have never used a crate until we got our latest rescue dog. We have had him just over a week, it's the crate that he came to us with. It's his safe space he goes there on his own when he is feeling unsure,, this is getting less and less. He sleeps there overnight. It's his choice

No. I don't cage my dog. He's not a guinea pig. Dogs don't belong in cages.

Mine goes in a crate in the car. I also have a crate in my room and she goes in there when I go out. There are no issues, she knows she is to sleep so no barking and she feels safe. She often takes herself to bed there during the day

Used a crate since day one with my beagle - but we only put her in it when necessary.

She's quite needy and if we leave the living room and go upstairs or leave the house, she will cry until we come back down/get home. If she's crated, she's fine. She will only sleep in her crate overnight, too - she's quite restless anywhere else, it's a place of safety for her and she has often put herself in there for a nap 😂

If we are up and about then she's not in the crate - unless she decides she wants to get in 😂

As a puppy yes to stop them chewing stuff when alone, not anymore though