Why has everyone gone crate-tastic?

[Purplecatshopaholic]

I just don’t get it. Never had a dog in a crate when I was a kid - numerous dogs. Would not dream of crating my dog now. Apart from people who sell crates, what on Earth is the attraction??

[Purplecatshopaholic]

My lovely boy is large - for crate, read spare room! He has the run of the house and if the cats and he fall out, they all just sleep in different rooms. Not criticising people who use crates - each to their own - I was just interested as it’s not something I have ever done

[ImogenTubbs]

We got a rescue lab at 6mo old. We thought about it but decided against it and I'm so glad we didn't bother. I can see how they can valuable if you have a small or hectic house with no 'safe space' for the dog that is completely their own, but I think it must be so easy to abuse the use of them and over use it. And of course lots of people persuade themselves they are giving their dog a safe space when actually they're just locking it up for hours at a time!

[MyKingdomForACaramel]

I’ve always had dogs and never used one - for my most recent I did get one - but on night two of howling I just scooped him back up into bed - and remembered that I’ve never bothered before so why try it this time

[QOD]

My doggy was crate trained with her siblings and mum, so we carried it on. She was also so so tiny that our big fat cat thought she was a rodent and went all ‘hunter’
We therefore left her crated for 3 hrs sometimes when I was at work until the cat chilled.
She sleeps in it all night and until about 10:30 am (lazy) but we never shut it now.
It’s her bed time bed - if we have a noisy film on or my mums dog is too annoying (share a garden) she goes to bed.
She always yells at me first and glares, then does the chihuahua equivalent to a hair flick and stomps off upstairs.

[adaline]

Well exactly, I’m pro crates in general but that doesn’t mean everyone wants or needs one.

I'm certainly not anti-crate - I've seen them work really well for anxious and destructive dogs :)

Some house/family set-ups make crates a great choice. Others mean the dogs are happier out of crates - as long as the dog is happy I don't suppose it really matters either way.

[tabulahrasa]

“but we don't need a crate so it's really pretty irrelevant now.”

Well exactly, I’m pro crates in general but that doesn’t mean everyone wants or needs one.

[AtiaoftheJulii]

In my head it’s a cage that the dog gets shut in when the owners are out to stop them roaming about the house.

And I don't see anything wrong with that. My dog doesn't get free range over the whole house, and then gets a further restricted area if we're out or asleep.

As PPs have said, I don't see that there's any moral superiority of a utility room (for those lucky enough to have one) over a crate.

My dog gets crated in the car (only way he will settle) and when the cleaner comes. I don't usually bother otherwise these days, but the crate was invaluable when he was younger and feistier and chewier, especially when lots of visitors were round.

[bebeboeuf]

I used one when puppy was little but hated it and got rid as soon as I knew puppy was safe being left downstairs loose overnight

[adaline]

But if he was howling and upset enough to be sick you’d obviously skipped something or moved too fast though.

Maybe we did, but we don't need a crate so it's really pretty irrelevant now. He has his own bed in the living room with his toys and blankets.

[tabulahrasa]

“We did all the positive associations - the feeding, toys in there, a blanket that smelt of his mum”

But if he was howling and upset enough to be sick you’d obviously skipped something or moved too fast though.

Some dogs don’t take to them ( just because generally dogs like them, it doesn’t mean they all do) and then it’s a case of working out if the benefits would be worth a really long introduction... it might not be and fair enough.

But if a dog’s really upset it’s because you’ve moved on faster than they were ready to.

[DivaDroid]

We use a covered crate (the door has been removed by us) for our rescue ex racing greyhound.
It was recommended by his rehoming charity to be used as his 'safe space' as he's only ever known kennels/crates in his working life.
We've found it great! If he's in his cage - he is to be left alone
He is rarely in there now, unless he has a high value treat (pigs ear etc), fireworks or thunder.
I think it's good that he knows he's got a place that no one will bother him if he needs that. Mostly he lies on the sofa though - he likes to be with his family

[ineedaholidaynow]

Being used to a crate also helped when taking DDog on holiday, as had a familiar place to sleep and stopped him going on the furniture when we weren’t in the room to stop him

[adaline]

To be fair, that wouldn’t have happened if you’d introduced it properly.

We did. We did all the positive associations - the feeding, toys in there, a blanket that smelt of his mum - the lot. He absolutely hated it. Even leaving it around with the door open and nice things inside made no difference - he just barked/howled at it. Sometimes he'd go in - but only to retrieve his things. Nothing would get him to stay in there any longer than necessary!

I have no objection to crates - I've seen them work amazingly but they're not a necessity by any means. Ours has his own "bed" and his own blanket and his own space - which he happily takes himself off to when he's tired, and he did so even as a young pup. He's never really been destructive so we've had no issue leaving him "out" as such.

[ineedaholidaynow]

We use a crate for DDog and he is 5. He seems to feel more secure in there when on his own, rather than roaming the house.

We use it at night and when we go out. He willingly goes in when recognising the signs eg bedtime, school run.

He will also ask to go in after breakfast if he thinks it’s too early in the morning! He gets a few bits of kibble before going in, so will stand by the crate looking at us, and if we ignore him he will keep coming up and nudging us.

[LolaSmiles]

A well fed, well exercised dog who receives plenty of human interaction and who is properly crate trained is not going to be gazing sadly through the bars and bursting out and charging about the second he is "set free".
I agree!
Our dog was crate trained on an evening. During the day they had loads on interaction, dog sitters, family, loads of walks and interaction and stimulation.
They were toilet trained properly and sensibly. They've been well trained on recall and are excellent off lead.

They're a loving dog with secure attachments and are great around new people and new situations.

In fact, out dog sitter has said our dog is one of the easiest to take out and settled really quickly (compared to some dogs who've had a dog walker but were left for 4 hours at a time in the utility room/kitchen for example).

Just because someone does something different, doesn't mean it's wrong.

This thread seeks to be suffering from "I didn't crate train and don't like it so I will invent some whole narrative of people who cage their dogs all day and don't see them as part of the family".

[CarolDanvers]

I think they're the lazy way of dog training and quite often lead to pent up frustration and an overly active dog when they're 'set free'

How can you possibly assert this when you've never crate trained? I've crate trained four dogs and this has never happened. Overly active dogs are ones who don't get enough exercise. Crate training, done properly is very effective and practical. You're making it an emotional thing and assigning feelings to your dog that are not there. A well fed, well exercised dog who receives plenty of human interaction and who is properly crate trained is not going to be gazing sadly through the bars and bursting out and charging about the second he is "set free". They seem to mainly relate it to going to sleep ime . If a dog is stressed by being in a crate and desperate to get out then you've not crate trained properly or are using the crate incorrectly.

[tabulahrasa]

“I did the whole toilet training the old fashioned way.”

Crates don’t make toilet training any different, I am aware there are people who advocate locking a puppy up in a crate to toilet train them... that to me is a misuse of them.


“Both dogs were given plenty of chew toys and as a result they didn't have the desire to chew anything else!”

Rofl, sorry, but seriously? You think other people’s dogs chew things because they don’t have enough toys?... like people are sat there going, he really seems to like chewing stuff but I think I’ll buy a crate rather than things he can chew...

“They are almost certainly heading off to the bed inside. That's the secure element!! “

You’d assume so, but actually when you’ve got a folded up crate because you’re going away or are swapping for a bigger size because the dog grew - they’ll try to get in a folded crate rather than lie on the bed.

It’s also a much easier area to police with small children than a bed.


“Howled the place down and got so worked up he was sick”

To be fair, that wouldn’t have happened if you’d introduced it properly.

[Chipsnchampagne]

People have always found ways to confine dogs and particularly puppies over the years. I remember my mother using an old play pen for this purpose many years ago. If you are lucky enough to have a safe puppy-proof area in the house such as a utility room then great, but if not a crate can be a good option and particularly useful if you have an open-plan house. I've crate-trained both my pups with great success. I was dubious when the breeder first suggested it, but looked into it more and realised it was a good idea. I've always used it like you use a cot for a baby, for sleeping in overnight and for short naps during the day. I've never understood why people think that using a crate means a dog is not with the family? When my pups were very little I used one of the plastic carry travel crates so I could put it in whichever room I was in at the time. They then graduated to the large crate and always opted to go in there for preference when grown up, even though they had the option of a traditional dog bed alongside it. I have a folding crate as well that is great for travelling and when we stay away somewhere. Both pups have grown up to be very well-adjusted, easy-going pets and certainly not over-active or frustrated. They were both totally house-trained within a fortnight - crate-training doesn't get you out of regular toilet trips into the garden with the pup, but it does mean that if they wake up from a nap whilst you are are otherwise distracted (perhaps on the phone or cooking dinner) they can't sneak off for a crafty wee on the floor before you notice they are awake!

[stucknoue]

Never had one, but we have a secure utility room

[LolaSmiles]

Also crate training doesn't mean not doing decent toilet training either.
DH and I slept downstairs on rotation next to try crate, set our alarm to take them out in the middle of the night, generally just being there, then moved us upstairs but still got up to let them out. Toilet training was done like namaste said.

If someone misuses a crate, choses one that's too small for dog, leaves them alone for ages and so on then that's an owner issue, not a crate issue.

[Booboostwo]

Crates recreate the den bitches would generally chose to give birth and raise the puppies in. As such crates are much more natural environments for dogs than dog beds or utility rooms.

They are indeed a cage, what is the problem with that? Puppies like enclosed areas, don’t judge by your personal standards on how you would feel in a cage. If you had a pet mole would you be disturbed by his underground house because he must feel claustrophobic?!

Like any tool, they can be misused. A bad owner can use a collar/harness and lead to drag a dog and even hang them in the air with their feet off the ground - this doesn’t make collars/harnesses and leads inappropriate for dogs. It takes time to crate train a dog, usually a few weeks. Some dogs will never take to a crate, because all dogs are individuals. If an owner just shuts a puppy in a crate for six hours, that’s a bad owner, not a problem with crates - he could do the sameness with a utility room.


Once crate trained it is easier to toilet train a puppy as they tend to have fewer accidents in the crate and less likely that they will chew around the house. A crate trained dog is safer when left alone, when visitors come, when he is eating. He is also more settled during scary times, when traveling, on holiday and when moving house. You can get some of these advantages from a utility room, but a crate is portable, you can take it to a friend’s house, the kennels, your new house, an agility competition, a holiday cottage, the boot of your car, etc.

[Namaste6]

Completely agree @DramaAlpaca. 🙏

[Namaste6]

Apologies for the multiple posts. Kept getting a failed to post msg.

[Namaste6]

No, I don't agree with 'crates'. At all. Firstly lets call them what they are; cages. Dogs are pack animals. They need to be with their litter or their human family. Without a cage. I have two dogs, one of whom I got at 14 weeks the other at 9 weeks. Neither were ever caged. Both arrived into our home to a comfortable and secure bed with high sides, a blanket and a few soft toys stuffed around the edges. Putting soft toys into their bed really helps them settle in quickly if they came from a relatively large litter. Makes them feel secure. I did the whole toilet training the old fashioned way. Very regular trips to the garden with newspapers near the back door to help throughout the process. I would set my alarm to take them outside in the middle of the night in the early days. Kept it very consistent and rewarded with lots of praise. As a result both dogs toilet trained very quickly. Literally in no time they were at the back door either giving a gentle bark or tapping the cat flap to get our attention. Both dogs were given plenty of chew toys and as a result they didn't have the desire to chew anything else! It's not complicated as long as you invest the time and effort. I have a passionate dislike of cages. I think they're the lazy way of dog training and quite often lead to pent up frustration and an overly active dog when they're 'set free'. I find it interesting the posters who have said their dogs took themselves off to feel safe and secure. They are almost certainly heading off to the bed inside. That's the secure element!! The owner has decided that the bed should be in a cage. 🙏

[Namaste6]

No, I don't agree with 'crates'. At all. Firstly lets call them what they are; cages. Dogs are pack animals. They need to be with their litter or their human family. Without a cage. I have two dogs, one of whom I got at 14 weeks the other at 9 weeks. Neither were ever caged. Both arrived into our home to a comfortable and secure bed with high sides, a blanket and a few soft toys stuffed around the edges. Putting soft toys into their bed really helps them settle in quickly if they came from a relatively large litter. Makes them feel secure. I did the whole toilet training the old fashioned way. Very regular trips to the garden with newspapers near the back door to help throughout the process. I would set my alarm to take them outside in the middle of the night in the early days. Kept it very consistent and rewarded with lots of praise. As a result both dogs toilet trained very quickly. Literally in no time they were at the back door either giving a gentle bark or tapping the cat flap to get our attention. Both dogs were given plenty of chew toys and as a result they didn't have the desire to chew anything else! It's not complicated as long as you invest the time and effort. I have a passionate dislike of cages. I think they're the lazy way of dog training and quite often lead to pent up frustration and an overly active dog when they're 'set free'. I find it interesting the posters who have said their dogs took themselves off to feel safe and secure. They are almost certainly heading off to the bed inside. That's the secure element!! The owner has decided that the bed should be in a cage. 🙏