December 27th, 2011
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Many people use crates for housetraining their puppies or keeping younger dogs out of trouble when nobody is home. Often, once a dog is successfully potty trained, the crate ends up on Craigslist or Freecycle, ready for a new home.
Keep in mind that crates are not just for puppies, and that crate training, like all training, is a “use it or lose it” enterprise. Dogs should learn to be crated and practice crating throughout their lives. Even if you don’t need your crate for potty training anymore, you will be glad to have it in case of emergencies. Casey Lomonaco owns Rewarding Behaviors Dog Training in Binghamton, NY. |
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Excellent tip, I am not sure why people would get rid of their crate but you nailed it on the head. We occasionally have young ones over who are terrified of dogs or a serviceman fixing something on the house. While we leave her out if at all possible, we have placed our dog in the crate during a birthday party. Remember that the crate is their safe place, if our dog goes in her crate. We will not pull her out and will leave her be. The crate is to be their a safe zone.
I have 2 dogs and I have crate trained them both. My dogs can go in and out of them anytime now. I was tought too think as the crates are like a wolves den. The dogs are in the same group. I don’t keep the doors closed since they are out of the puppy stage. They know if there is too much going on they can go into them at anytime.
i like to treat dogs as i would treat myself.
i get up in the middle of the night to go potty.
my 2 year old dog wakes me if she has to go outside.
i would not want to hold it or pee in my bed or have the runs in my bed as i am sure my dog would not want to sleep in her potty either. I think this is cruel.
just saying. sorry.
I have 5 Boston Terrieres. I crate them all when I am gone from the house for several hours. I feel the crate is a safe place for them, and it will keep them from finding ways to create havoc when I am gone.
The interesting thing, is that they love to go into their crates. I always make sure they have something to do in there, like chew on a nyla bone. I always give them a treat for going into the crate.
I also leave the crate doors open during the day. Frequently I will miss one of the dogs. I will usually find that dog in his/her crate sound asleep. This is their safe cave. I believe crating for life is a very good thing to do.
If they get sick or injured and have to be crated for any length of time, they are used to the crate and feel comfortable in them. It is very stressful for a dog to be away from home. If they are used to being crated they have an easier time.
I agree with Nancy, crating is cruel. Before locking a dog up in a crate try living in one yourself. I have never crated a dog, I can even leave my 5 month old puppy to run free even if I’m not at home because I’ve only treated him and all other pets with kindness and love. They respond to me in kind. They are not destructive and they always use the doggie door.
I dont agre3e with Nancy or Vickie. I agree with Gina. My big yorkshire terrier hated being OUT of the crate, and barked all night. When I brought back the crate he was a different dog. Its open all day and only closed at night, and I know he is happier, feeling safe. Alfie is the first dog I crate trained and I would use this method again. He has a duvet, changed twice a week, though he never soils it – and he always has treats and crews plus his toys which he takes in and out. If I go out, he is restricted to the kitchen with another bed and two rocking chairs to sit on in the day if he wants but he always uses his open crate. And yes, I agree re stayiung at the Vet’s he is never upset going in to the cage there.
Our Nora sleeps in her crate every night. She knows that when we go to bed it’s time for her to go in the crate. If she is sick or has any problem she will bark to waken us. We take the crate with us when we travel so that she has a familiar place to sleep whether it be in a hotel room or someone else’s home. Crating is a great idea.
Dogs are, in their habitat, den animals. It is natural for them yo like a create. Just make sure it is appropriate for their size. It’s also a safe zone for them.
I agree with Gina too. Creating is not only a tool but could be life saving. If something happens that may require your dog to be created (like recovering from a surgery) and your dog has never been created in it’s life he/she could panic and become stressed and make everything much worse. My dog has been created since he was young. He is free to go in and out as he pleases and most of the time he is rarely actually closed in. In fact he gets excited when he sees his kennel! And since he is so comfortable with the create, when I need him to be created it’s not stressful for him. In fact it’s comforting because it’s something familiar and safe.
However some people abuse creating. I think it is wrong if your dog is created all day and all night. I once worked with a dog at a shelter who was a very high energy dog who loved attention and being with people. She got adopted and a few months she came back because her owners said she would pee when they would let her out of her kennel (before she got outside). Well it turned out the people would create her all day and all night and when she finally got attention she was so excited she would “excitement urinate” which is involuntary. She did not have this problem when she left the shelter.
However, creating isn’t cruel if done right. Sometimes creating can be the difference between life or death.
Excellent tip
My dogs LOVE their crates, sleep in theM upside down doors open often! I like to keep them familiar as casey says use it or lose it. I think its a great skill to maintain. I may unexpectedly have a sick or injured dog one day who needs cage rest to heal. Stress over being in a crate when not familiar would just make it harder on them while they try to get better. It all depends on how you approach teaching them about a crate If you do it correctly it is anything BUT cruel.
We have crates that collapse and we only use them in the car. It’s much safer for them because if we should ever have an accident they won’t go flying. It also keeps the car windows clean because Buster thinks that he’s an artist with his nose.
My two dogs use their crates as their beds at night. I have air mattresses for their crates and that is where they stay at night. When I’m in the bathroom or getting dressed, they are often in their crates waiting for me. They just go and jump in them. Night Night means treats and they race down the hall and jump in their crates waiting for their treats. I use to think that people shouldn’t crate their dog because it was mean but after reading about it, I now agree that it’s not a bad idea. Of course, I don’t agree with them living in the crate all the time on a perminent basis. People who don’t have the time for a dog, shouldn’t have one. When I was working I didn’t have a dog since I didn’t think it was fair to the dog. A crate should be used for training, as a safe place for the dog, as a bed or for emergencies. My dogs crates are next to my bed.
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