Crating your dog?

tabithakat64

tabithakat64

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Just curious really as I'm a home checker and have noticed that different charities have difference policies on the use of dog crates...

What are your views on 'crating' dogs and what do you feel the benefits of crating are?
 
tabithakat64 said:
Just curious really as I'm a home checker and have noticed that different charities have difference policies on the use of dog crates...

What are your views on 'crating' dogs and what do you feel the benefits of crating are?
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My dog is crated at night as she is still only 7 months old and cannot be trusted loose in the house. I see crates as a training aid or somewhere safe for the dog when young to leave while you pop out briefly
 
I have been a home checker in the past and they all seem to have different ideas on what is best.

personally I think crates are a great idea when used appropriately;

they give a dog a safe haven (ideal for a dog that may be nervous in a new home with new people)

they give the owner a place to secure a dog for brief periods if they are trying to access the dogs response to new situations in the house-i.e someone coming into the house that the dog has not met before, if the dog is taught that when the doorbell goes a treat arrives in the crate the dog can then be confined to the crate until the person is in the house and seated, then the dog can come out when calm, hopefully the dog learns that is ok to allow new people in and that it is not exciting, a great way to reduce unwanted behaviour such as jumping up, barking, herding and others, it is a non confrontational way to show the dog the behaviour you want without intimidating a dog that may not have built a bond and have trust in you.

It can be used when people are eating to prevent confrontation over food

dogs can be confined in crates that are a suitable size for brief periods of time when owners leave the house, they are also good for dealing with separation anxiety as the dog can be confined but time and distance of others can be increased.

if my house becomes noisy or there is disagreement between people (I have teenagers) then my dogs all want to go somewhere safe if they are indoors they all squeeze themselves in one crate, if my lurcher is unwell or in pain she goes in there too.

the down side to crates is they can and are frequently used for prolonged confinement and or punishment.
 
My gsp has mild separation anxiety. As a puppy he was crate trained to aid toilet training to to keep him safe. When he was 1 we phased it out and all seemed fine. A few months in though is became apparent that he was barking for a while when first left. We set up a camera to see him for around 20 mins when first left pacing and barking and howling. We set the crate back up and videoed again and he instantly settles down and is fine. It's his safe place and that is where he is happy. When we go to people's houses or he goes to his home boarder the crate goes with him (which is a bit of a pain as its huge!) but if it makes him happy, then we are happy.
 
My lurcher is crated every night and has been since a puppy. She will crate herself when we have visitors, we used to crate her during the day if we were out for several hours but this is no longer necessary. She always goes in with a biscuit/chew and is never shut in as punishment.
 
Anyone who remembers the great crate debate on here will know not everyone approves, I happen to think they are very useful for all the reasons listed by the other posters.

The secret is in the training, you would never just shut an untrained dog in a crate and expect it to settle, Im sure there are loads of people on here who has Caylas crate guide which covers every aspect of crate training and found it essential reading.

I always think if your dog has to go to doggy hospital and its used to a crate then it is far less a traumatic experience for it

Our Lancashire Heeler sleeps in her crate at night and she goes in there of her own accord and is perfectly happy, she also travels in one.

I don't have one for the Dobes as they would take over my house but have borrowed one for the odd occasion when I needed to so they are both used to a crate.

One of my previous foster dogs was a nightmare to house train, he was 2yrs old, used as a stud dog and had spent his life in kennels,he had 4-5 homes in a few months and was clearly being passed on as he wasn't house trained before he came into rescue. I couldn't have trained him without a crate and then it took about 4months for him to be spot on.

So I am a fan if it is used properly.
 
Never crated mine. but I do love those that say its ok to keep your dog in a crate at night for 8 hours but not when you go out and leave them for 8 hours it really doesnt make sense. My dogs have always had the run of the house. They behave well and respect their environment. I do get amused by the posts on here sometimes the best ones are "I would never crate a puppy for 8 hours" only to find its ok to do that at night.
 
Kaylum said:
Never crated mine. but I do love those that say its ok to keep your dog in a crate at night for 8 hours but not when you go out and leave them for 8 hours it really doesnt make sense. My dogs have always had the run of the house. They behave well and respect their environment. I do get amused by the posts on here sometimes the best ones are "I would never crate a puppy for 8 hours" only to find its ok to do that at night.
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Crating at night which is when a dog sleeps is perfectly acceptable, a puppy yes as long as you get up and give it regular toilet breaks, during the day I would say no as its the awake period and no dog or puppy should be confined for long periods unless there is a medical reason.
 
Fizz is crated over night and whenever we are not in the house as she is destructive (she's destructive when we're in given the chance it's just we're there to redirect to toys), she goes into her crate during the day if she fancies a snooze and Jack is in the other bed or if she has a bone she wants to keep away from Jack.

Jack wasn't crated until he was about 5yo as it was easier when we stayed away and he used to be crated overnight and when were were not in the house purely so the cat had run of the downstairs as Jack used to try and herd her up (silly Corgi got beaten up every single time!!). With Fizz being that bit bigger and me having moved back in with my parents he is never crated as there isn't room for two. He's now in the kitchen with a big bed overnight and when we're out so the cat can have run on the living room/dining room. He goes in Fizz's crate when she is out and I don't doubt that if we got another he would happily use it to hide from Fizz/ eat a bone in peace etc.
 
I use as a training aid when they are puppies, more so they have a "home" of their own. Most recent pup was shut in her crate at night/when little people come over/briefly during the day, but I would get up three/four times in the night for toilet breaks.

She is no longer shut in her crate ever, she sleeps in there at night with the door open, has access to her water and the kitchen and she is alone from 11.30ish pm-6am with *touches wood* no accidents in the last few weeks.

I wouldn't like to shut her in there any more, yes the crate is large but she's growing and I don't like the thought of her being too confined - she has a kennel and run outside for times in the daytime where she has to be left alone, which is never more than a couple of hours.
 
bonny said:
Why not be more honest and call them cages rather than crates?
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Cages to me implies where wild animals are kept and confined for long periods, visions of lions,tigers,bears etc in circuses and zoos. Puppy farmed dogs are kept in cages because the poor s**s spend their life in there so all negative images.

If you read the previous posts you will see that no one uses them for long periods of time so its not a case of not being honest just how we all see them to be used.
 
Dobiegirl said:
Cages to me implies where wild animals are kept and confined for long periods, visions of lions,tigers,bears etc in circuses and zoos. Puppy farmed dogs are kept in cages because the poor s**s spend their life in there so all negative images.

If you read the previous posts you will see that no one uses them for long periods of time so its not a case of not being honest just how we all see them to be used.
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They are cages though andI am with Kaylum above who would never use one. I can see it makes for an easier life for us when they are puppies but to me there is something wrong with getting an animal that is intended to be part of the family and putting it in a cage,
 
I used Caylas Crate Training leaflet and it was brilliant. Now my two labs have a choice of their crates or their lovely comfy beds in the kitchen. More often than not I find them in their crates. They're obviously not to stressed by them.
 
Dogs are by nature Den dwelling creatures. They seek out and feel safe in an enclosed area. Cages/Crates can emulate this. My own dogs actively seek out the cages as a preference, which i might add, they are never asked to go in any more, its all their own free will.
 
I used one when my GSP was a puppy and I screwed it up. Hands up I got it wrong and ended up with him perceiving it as a bad thing as I put him in there whenever I was going out. I couldn't bear seeing him so sad and crate got sent to the garage.
Fast forward several years and I had a foster lurcher who could become over excited in certain situations which could ramp up to biting so I brought crate back in to use as a 'time out' option. I covered it with a huge duvet and bedded down inside.
First dog in and the one who loves it the most is my GSP! Completely different now that he uses it as his choice and I wish I knew then what I do now as all of mine happily take themselves to the crates now.
I now actually have two huge crates in the kitchen that are both covered with duvets and usually there is a dog in each crate and at least one lurcher sleeping on the top.
Doors are never closed but interestingly if I'm getting ready to go out now the dogs will take themselves off to a crate of choice before I've even left.
 
bonny said:
They are cages though andI am with Kaylum above who would never use one. I can see it makes for an easier life for us when they are puppies but to me there is something wrong with getting an animal that is intended to be part of the family and putting it in a cage,
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Read all the posts, dogs putting themselves in their crates, its their choice, thats why they have to be trained to it, they all sound like happy dogs to me so what is wrong with that.
 
bonny said:
They are cages though andI am with Kaylum above who would never use one. I can see it makes for an easier life for us when they are puppies but to me there is something wrong with getting an animal that is intended to be part of the family and putting it in a cage,
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Perhaps we could call cots cages too, as they usually have bars, babies are confined to them and are put in them overnight, yet babies are members of the family too! I think of crates for puppies as being like cots for babies, somewhere you can put them down to sleep without them getting into danger or mischief if they wake up early or unexpectedly!
 
Mine are able to stretch their legs when they want to and move to different places in the house when they might feel hot or cold. They feel safe and look happy.
 
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Clearly distressed now....... ;-)
 
My boy is crated at night and when we are out... It is his choice as he was so unhappy when left to roam the house, yet so settled when in his crate. At night he comes up to bed with us for a cuddle (hardly not part of the family!) and then if we fall asleep and forget to put him in his crate he goes and stands next to the door!! He loves it and is totally part of the family, he is never shut away in there as a convenience to us.
 
bonny said:
They are cages though andI am with Kaylum above who would never use one. I can see it makes for an easier life for us when they are puppies but to me there is something wrong with getting an animal that is intended to be part of the family and putting it in a cage,
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Mine doesn't get shut in her crate anymore now she is trained, and she was never locked in it for hours on end. It's her house, it's covered with a big blanket so it feels even safer. She always goes to sit in there whenever we are downstairs, so it clearly isn't a damaging experience for her.
 
I think that you are doing your dog a favour if you train it at an early age to be accepting of a crate/cage - call it what you will. What happens otherwise if your dog needs a period of enforced rest - eg after a cruciate ligament injury or after an op of some sort? If you haven't taught your dog that the crate/cage is a good place by then, all you are doing is adding to its stress.

When I get a puppy, it comes in the house and is crate trained; it then moves into the kennels where it spends most of its working life, coming back into the house as a full-time house dog when it retires. I currently have a 37kg retired house dog that has seen two puppies join the clan in the last four years; each time a puppy crate appears (about half the size or less of the one in the pictures above) and every time said dog limbo dances his way into the crate - literally with his nose up his tail as that is the only way he will fit in. He literally has to be pulled out by his scruff in order to let the new pup in and he is not the first of my dogs to behave like this.

My crates have rugs/duvets attached to the INSIDE as opposed to the outside so that the dogs don't feel/see the bars so much and it adds to the warmth/cosiness of the den.
 
I am glad that I went out and got a crate for my new puppy. She loves it and goes in by choice. I don't put her in while I am at work but she has the run of the kitchen which is big. I think they are certainly worth having for a puppy.
 
Would someone be able to send me the dog crating leaflet?

I think dog crates are a good idea, especially from a veterinary view. If your dog needs strict rest in the future an extensive operation, broken leg etc then having your dog already comfortable in a crate will prevent so much stress for both the owner and the dog, and potentially causing further injury.

I do however think a lot of people have no idea what they are doing when training their dog and crate training, and do essentially use them as cages, rather than somewhere that the dog actually does want to go.

I have never used a crate myself, as my dog was exceptionally easy to train from a pup, however I would consider one in the future.
 
Umbongo said:
Would someone be able to send me the dog crating leaflet?

I think dog crates are a good idea, especially from a veterinary view. If your dog needs strict rest in the future an extensive operation, broken leg etc then having your dog already comfortable in a crate will prevent so much stress for both the owner and the dog, and potentially causing further injury.

I do however think a lot of people have no idea what they are doing when training their dog and crate training, and do essentially use them as cages, rather than somewhere that the dog actually does want to go.

I have never used a crate myself, as my dog was exceptionally easy to train from a pup, however I would consider one in the future.
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You need to pm Cayla with your email address, she wrote it so it wouldn't be my place or anyone else's to send you one and if you could send her rescue a donation as a thank you she will undoubtedly appreciate it.
 
Umbongo said:
I do however think a lot of people have no idea what they are doing when training their dog and crate training, and do essentially use them as cages, rather than somewhere that the dog actually does want to go.
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This.

If you put the correct work in to train the dog to use a crate, then all should be well. However, there are enough numpties about who will use the crate for all the wrong reasons, so that it ends up as a prison. I can see why some rescues are concerned about their use.
 
I've always used crates/cages/whatever you want to call them - for keeping newly acquainted rescues apart if I cannot supervise constantly, to contain destructive dogs, to assist in the house training of puppies (although thankfully not had to do that for years now!). as somewhere a muddy/dirty dog can stay in an out of the way place to dry off...... their uses are endless!

I have never crate trained any of my dogs, they have always just settled down in the crate without any problems whatsoever - maybe that is because they are rescue greyhounds, who are used to being kennelled, but it is very handy :)
 
I only started using one when I got my lurcher puppy so I could leave all the car windows and doors open while I rode my horse. I will add this was in the shade, in the yard in full sight of the yard staff and only until she was horse savvy then she was left loose with the back of the car open. most of the time she was put herself in when she wanted a sleep...she now has a crate upstairs which has a blanket over it and she uses it as her safe place...I also used one when I got my new puppy to make sure she was safe if I had to go out, just in case my lurcher wanted to eat her!!!!! I think they are very useful if used properly but worry that some people just shut the dog in without training so the dog thinks of it as punishment..
 
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