crating your dog yes or no

SeaMaiden · ‎03-10-2010

I never quite understood the practice. I have never crated a dog. All my adopted dogs...puppies....and even my recent rescue from Mexico ....never crated. Never had any issues with dogs behaving badly. Occasionally an accident, Or a chewed up shoe over 30 plus years of pets. Nothing that with patience and time was not worked out.

I think a lot of pet anxiety and behavior issues etc are a product of having a pet and not training and working with daily..... Letting you know what is expected of them. This takes time and many pet owners do not want to do this. They want a dog....but are just too busy to work with them.... Thus THE CRATE. Doggy jail....

Like putting a child in a playpen for hours in front of the TV.....rather than interacting with them. Sure they are safe....but that is about it. Children are not pets of course, but the playpen is the same as a crate. Containment.

My Golden Lola (RIP😢)who I adopted at age 11 months was a wild child! Slept with us from day one in the bedroom. Best dog I ever had...never needed a crate.

I think the "crate your dog theory" is just to make our lives easier at the expense of the dogs freedom in the name of "TRAINING".

Now this is just my opinion. Not calling anyone out for crating. So do not take this personally please. ❤️🙂

Sweetbay magnolia · ‎04-14-2013

I agree. Crating was never my belief. And when I heard a story about a house fire it just re-affirmed that.

Cogito ergo sum

KingstonsMom · ‎03-09-2010

@SeaMaiden

I have never believed in crating personally, the closest thing I ever came to crating was my squirrel monkey slept in a cage in my room, but the door was left open.

It was his monkey cave, LOL!

ecuadorian squirrel monkey - squirrel monkey stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

Never crated any of my dogs though.

You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.

SilleeMee · ‎05-22-2016

I have a bolted crate inside the back part of my car. It's there to keep my dog in one place if i get into an accident. It also keeps my dog away from my grocery pick-up items when I go to get them.

The only time I ever use a crate inside my house is when I get a new dog where I put the dog when I leave the house. But it's rarely an occasion where I go anywhere without my pooch beside me. So the crate is seldom used, even in the beginning of a new companionship.

Deb0509 · ‎05-27-2016

Absolutely not!!!!!

alicedee · ‎07-25-2010

My daughter and SIL got a puppy rescued from a kill shelter back in August, after their longtime dog passed away. They crate her at night. She is used to it, and snuggles right in for the night.

If they both need to be gone during the day, they will crate her for a short time.....but that seldom happens....they treat her like their baby ( they have no children). Most of the time one of them is home with her.

She is a lucky little pooch.....they live on a remote, wooded lake and twice a day she gets taken on a beautiful walk around it. When it was still warm in the fall she could swim off their dock.

Citrine1 · ‎03-09-2010

I've always crated my puppies during the training process. When I get a puppy, I watch him/her like a hawk for the first few weeks to get a feel for their behavior. Housebreaking always happens very quickly with, usually, only 2 or 3 accidents. I've been fortunate enough to never have destructive chewers.

I've never used the crate as a punishment or as a tool because I was too lazy to be bothered with my dog. I only crated my puppies at night until I knew they could hold their little bladders until morning. And I slept in the same room as the crate. Often I would take the puppy out and let him/her sleep with me.

During the day, the door to the crate would be open and my dogs would always go in there to sleep or just rest. They thought of it as their private, safe place. In most cases, I would only use the crate for maybe two or three months. And, again, their use was sporadic.

Once I felt confident that my dog was ok when left in the house alone and crating was no longer necessary, the crate would go back in the garage until the next puppy came along.

I often have two dogs at a time. When I get a new puppy and the crate comes back out, the older dog almost always is happy to see the crate again and goes back in there to hang out when it's not occupied by the puppy. Again, the door is mostly left open and the dogs can come and go in the crate as they please.

My last dog was special needs (she was mentally challenged and had severe seizures). It was necessary to crate on and off for almost a year. She didn't mind in the least.

Our crates have always had comfy bedding, a piece of clothing that smelled like me (like an old tee shirt) and a chew toy.

Everybody has their own way to train. Whatever works best for you is the way to go.

SeaMaiden · ‎03-10-2010

@SilleeMee wrote:
I have a bolted crate inside the back part of my car. It's there to keep my dog in one place if i get into an accident. It also keeps my dog away from my grocery pick-up items when I go to get them.

The only time I ever use a crate inside my house is when I get a new dog where I put the dog when I leave the house. But it's rarely an occasion where I go anywhere without my pooch beside me. So the crate is seldom used, even in the beginning of a new companionship.

@SilleeMee @In a car I can see the benefits for both driver and pet

geezerette · ‎03-16-2010

I used to think the same way and was dead set against crating for years. But slowly over the years, and with personal knowledge of someone close who is an expert with dogs, I came to realize that crating is not a punishment, nor are the dogs banished to a doggie prison.

Introduced and used correctly, they become a safe place for the dog. A quiet place. A retreat. A den substitute. They're great for training a new puppy.

My dog loves her crate. She has a very large comfy bed in the middle of my living room, but often she'll choose her smaller crate to sleep. The door is always open for her to come and go now, and if it happens to swing closed, she'll open it herself to get inside.

I originally had a specific reason for getting my first crate. But since that first experience with one, I'd now never not have a crate available for my dogs.

BlueFinch · ‎08-31-2019

Crate training can be a wonderful tool, not only for the puppy, but owner, too. The crate should never be used as punishment, or to jail the pet. It needs to become their den of safety and security. Like dogs in the wild, who like to find dens to hide, and nest. And, it serves multiple purposes e.g., potty training, excessive chewing, etc. It also gets them out of harm's way, during chaotic household times, and much more.

I always crate trained my puppies, never leaving them crated for prolonged periods. When doing it right, the crate becomes their castle. With all of my pups, as they grew into their roles, as soon as possible, I'd leave the door open to their crate.

Without exception, the crate remained available to them and they'd frequently be noted taking naps inside their den, when many other options were available.

A case in point was my 135lb Shiloh Shepherd. His crate was massive, taking up a lot of real estate, but I kept it for him from the time of bringing him home at 12 weeks old.

He was dying of immune mediated hemolytic anemia occurring from immunizations. While waiting for the Vet to make a home visit to send him on his way, he wanted in his crate so badly, when he could barely stand, or breathe, but I had to close it and couldn't let him (I'm sobbing right now remembering, I denied him his last wish). But, it would have been so hard to get him out.

To him it was his safe place, a place he thought would help, or maybe let him die in peace. And, at the best, or worst of times, this is exactly how a crate should be seen by the dog.

Lastly, I'll just say, there's nothing worse that someone who doesn't educate themselves on crate training. It's a process that has to be used correctly.