Should you crate your dog?

Some people find it heart-wrenching to see a dog in a cage, whimpering pitifully with those big, brown begging eyes.  Please, he seems to say, have mercy on me and let me out of this jail cell!  I don't deserve to be imprisoned!  Oh, what mean, rotten person wouldn't want to rescue that poor little soul from such a fate?

Here's the distinction that some of us with soft hearts may miss; the dog isn't upset because he's in a crate.  He's upset because he's not with a person.  Most dogs don't mind being in small enclosed areas, but they don't like to be separated from us.  When conditioned correctly, a dog can learn to love his crate and see it as his own special place where he can rest and feel safe.

Why use a crate?

If you have an infant or toddler in the house, you know that it's not safe to allow them to run around freely without supervision.  There are too many ways they could get in trouble and hurt themselves.  Imagine the horror of seeing your one-year-old picking up a dead roach from the floor and tasting it, or sticking her tongue into an electrical socket!  So infants are kept in cribs and toddlers in play-pens when there are no adults to watch over them.

Puppies and young dogs are similarly untrustworthy to leave alone.  If you are potty training a puppy, just showing him where you would like him to go isn't enough information to train him where NOT to go.  You also have to prevent him from having accidents in the house, which create a habit of going in the wrong place.  The only way to do that is to confine him to a safe area when you are not directly supervising him.  Most dogs will not eliminate in a crate if it's sized correctly, and so along with preventing mistakes the crate will also help to teach him how to hold it.

Once he's potty trained, he's still more than likely going to want to chew on everything in sight, at least until all his adult teeth come in (and some dogs much longer than that).  Crating your puppy or young dog will not only save your household possessions from destruction, but may save his life if he chews up and swallows the wrong thing.  

Even after your dog knows the house rules enough to allow him the run of the house when he's alone, it's still a good idea to keep his crate available to him.  Many dogs choose to sleep in their crates, or bring their toys in there with them when they want to rest.  Even a dog who loves children may welcome the opportunity to get away from them and unwind undisturbed in his crate for a period of time!  If you have young children, or if children visit, make sure that they do NOT bother your dog when he's in his crate.  If you can't trust them, close the door to protect him - and them.  The nicest dog in the world can lose his temper if he gets a poke in the eye.

Teach your dog to love his crate

Even if you are still reluctant to use a crate at home, there are times when it will be inevitable that your dog will have to be in one.  If you ever travel by airline or train and want to bring her with you, she will be crated in a strange, isolated and noisy environment.  At the very least, being used to and feeling safe in a crate would help her be able to handle that type of experience with the least amount of trauma.  Also if she ever has to spend a day at the groomer, or a night in a vet clinic, if the crate is familiar to her the whole experience can be much less frightening than if she has not been conditioned to enjoy it.

The way to teach your puppy to love her crate is to associate it with good things.  That means, first of all, to keep it in an area where she will not be isolated from her human family.  If the family is in the living room watching TV, then that's a good place for the crate while you are conditioning her to accept it.   At night it should be in a bedroom so that the puppy will not feel abandoned all by herself.

There are several different ways to make the crate appealing to your dog so that he wants to go inside.  One of these ways is demonstrated by Dr. Ian Dunbar at Introduce your dog to their crate.  In this demo, a yummy stuffed kong (see Safe chew toys) is shown to the dog, then put in the back of the crate with the door closed.  The dog isn't allowed into the crate until he shows that he is really keen to enter, and then he's allowed in and the door is closed while he enjoys his treat.   In Training the companion dog, Dr. Dunbar goes on to demonstrate how to continue to associate good things like food with the crate, and to close the door only for short periods of time at first until the dog is relaxed in there.   If you are experienced with shaping behaviors using a clicker, you can play the shaping game to get your dog to voluntarily enter the crate, and then work on getting him to stay in there for progressively longer periods.

However you get your puppy into the crate, it's important that you don't immediately just close the door and leave him alone.  The whole process involves first getting him acclimated to being inside the crate, then to the crate door being closed for progressively longer periods, and then to the door being closed and YOU moving away from the crate.  When you are right beside your dog, you may be able to keep the door closed for minutes at a time without a problem.  The first time you get up to leave, don't ask for that much - maybe walk a few feet away and then come back and open the door again.  In all cases, you want to make sure that your dog does not panic when the door closes and you leave him, so that means taking it step-by-step at his pace. 

One way to help a dog enjoy being crated is by always giving him something special in there, like a kong stuffed with peanut butter and frozen, and removing it when he is released.  Another way is to make sure that he doesn't associate that going into a closed crate ALWAYS means that you are going to leave him.  Sometimes give him something wonderful to chew in there, close the door, and stay in the room with him.  The crate should not be a predictor of bad things happening (and you leaving your dog is always a bad thing to him).

If you have trouble getting your puppy or dog to acclimate to a crate, consult a trainer.  You can find a force-free trainer here in the Orlando area or anywhere else in the world through the Truly Dog Friendly Trainers Roster.   Some dogs who panic in the crate are exhibiting a condition called Separation Anxiety, which may require the help of a professional and possibly even a referral to a veterinary behaviorist for medication. 

Sizes and types of crates

When you are potty training, the size of the crate is very important.  The dog should be able to stand up straight without ducking, turn around, and lie down without being cramped.  However, there should not be enough room in the crate for her to be able to eliminate and then avoid lying in it.  If there is that much room, she may not learn how to hold it. 

At the same time, you want to take into account the fact that your dog will possibly be in the crate for a much longer period of time than it takes to potty train her, since many young dogs cannot be trusted not to chew up the house when they are left alone.  Once she can be trusted not to eliminate in her crate, she should be given as much room as possible to allow her to stretch, move, maybe even throw her kong around and play.  The best and most economical crate, since it can grow with your dog, is a wire crate with a divider.   You can purchase the size that will fit your dog once fully grown, yet use the divider to decrease the size to be appropriate for a small puppy who is being potty-trained.  Most of these crates easily snap flat for easy storage and transport, and can come with up to 3 doors and/or a removable top.  The wire crates afford the best ventilation and allow your dog to see everything that's going on around her.

If you travel with your dog, it may be a good idea to also purchase a plastic crate.   These are enclosed on three sides so that the dog can only see out the doorway.   They are sturdier for use when transporting the animal in a vehicle and easier to carry.   One drawback of a plastic crate may be that a chewer could gnaw chunks out of it, whereas most dogs will not choose to chew on metal.  And since they don't come with dividers, they are not as useful for home training as a wire crate.

Once your dog is completely at ease in a crate and no longer a chew-monster, there are a variety of cloth portable crates that can be used to give her a "home of her own" when visiting friends, in a hotel room, or at an outdoor activity.  These are basically rectangular tents for dogs, come in many different colors and styles, and are very lightweight.   Some of the smaller soft crates are approved for use on an airline if your pet is small enough to fit under the seat, or may be fashioned as a backpack or sling so you can carry your tinier dogs with you. 

In most cases, for home use when training a puppy or young dog who isn't yet savvy to the house rules, the wire crates are preferred.

Misuse of the crate

The crate can be invaluable in keeping your puppy safe and confined when you are not able to supervise her, but be cautious that it is not misused.  Though it's fine to cheerfully put your puppy in there with a chew toy for a time-out when puppy is wound up and needs a chill-out break (or you do!), you don't want to associate it as a punishment.  

It's also important to consider how much time your puppy is spending in her crate.  Most puppies need to spend the whole night crated; then if you work full-time, you may also be crating her for 8-10 hours during the day.  This is NOT proper use of the crate, any more than it would be appropriate to keep a baby in a crib for that long a period of time without a break.  If you have a crated puppy or dog and must be away from the house for that long, hire a neighbor, friend, or dog-sitter to come by at least once every 4 hours to let her out to eliminate, stretch, and play.   Another option may be asking a friend or relative to take her to their house for at least a few hours during the day, or putting her in doggy day care at least a couple of days a week.  Remember that if she's in the potty-training stage, the crate needs to be small and rather cramped, so in this period of time she will need even more frequent breaks. 

When you are home and you can't supervise your puppy, an alternative to crating would be to leash her and tie the leash to your belt.  That way even if you're busy in the house, you can keep an eye on her and see when she starts to sniff and circle or attempts to chew something. 

For more information on training new puppies and young dogs, see I just got a puppy - now what do I do?