I can’t decide if this is more GQ or GD, so I’ll put it here and if it becomes a debate they can move it.
I’m getting a small dog next week and I want to housebreak her. Many websites recommend crating them, saying that in addition to the advantages of ease of housebreaking and protection of your biteables it gives the dog a sense of space. I might be anthropomorphizing canine psychology a bit much, but to me it seems cruel to put an animal in a cage for several hours at a time.
If you’ve had experience with crating, please let me know what you think.
Nah, it’s not cruel. My SO of many years was a breeder and handler of show dogs, which meant we usually had 20 or so dogs at home. And puppies were usually in the population.
She had a doggie high-rise made of crates, and the pooches each had their own. They had plenty of out of crate romp and play time, but even when the crates were open, they’d often get a toy and go hang out in their “room.”
And I never knew her to have a dog that seemed anything but happy and well-adjusted.
Yep, that’s anthropomorphization. The dog doesn’t think of it as a cage. The dog thinks of it as a den, which to a dog is a good thing. At first, the dog will be resistant to going inside. That’s not cage-fear, that’s separation anxiety.
Cruel would be to leave the dog in the crate until it has no choice but to relieve itself, though, so you’ll want to watch for that. Dogs abhor having their waste in their den.
I couldn’t have house trained my pooch without a crate. It is a secure place, a safe place, and they start looking at the crate as home.
At first (I still have my first dog) I was thinking the same way as you, that it was mean, but Bandit never hesitated going in, he knew it was bedtime when I said “kennel up”.
Don’t use the crate as a form of punishment - keep the dog thinking positive about going in and spending time in the crate.
I second that. NEVER use the crate as punishment for the dog…ever. As mentioned dogs are den animals and they can come to feel the crate is their safe place…nice and cozy.
Never force the dog into the crate either…when initially crate training you want the crate to be a ‘good’ place. When you first get the crate home set it up and leave the door open. Throw a favorite toy inside (or treats) and encourage the dog to go in but don’t force it. Leave the door open and let the dog go in and out as it pleases. You also might want to feed the dog in it’s crate.
When you come home and the dog is anxious to see you do not play with the dog immediately upon opening its cage. It’ll run around trying to get your attention but ignore it for 30 seconds to a minute and leave the crate area (hard to do for you…you’ll want to play with it). After that go goofy and play with the dog to your heart’s content. If you play with the dog immediately upon opening its cage the dog will view getting out of the crate as a good, fun thing and you don’t want that.
When buying a crate be sure to get one big enough for the maximum size of the dog. The dog should be able to stand on all fours without having to crouch any and the dog should be able to lie down onits side with legs outstretched straight as they go (i.e. the dogs back is against one wall the legs shouldn’t quite reach the other side).
Once the pup is grown and housebroken you can even leave the cage open all the time. You’ll often find the dog going there on its own anyway to sleep or just get away from it all.
Thanks. Something I should have added- the dog I’m getting is a 16 month old rescue who hasn’t been crated before. (She’s a rat terrier.) Do you think that’s too old to learn a new routine? (She hasn’t been abused or anything, but her owner passed away.)
We don’t crate our dogs, but we do make them sleep in the laundry room at night. The border collie mutt will go in there for no apparent reason and lie down. The dalmatian goes in when we declare “Bedtime for doggies!” But my point is that both were rescue dogs and both have adapted nicely. In fact, this is the 3rd house we’ve lived in since having them, and they’ve always adapted to their “room” - one was a small bedroom, one was a closed-in porch, and now the laundry room. So, the age of your dog shouldn’t be an issue at all.
AS I said earlier try and make the crate a ‘fun’ thing. Leave the door open. The dog will be wary of the crate at first. Use toys, treats and feed her there. If she goes in to play with a toy close the door for a few seconds behind her. After maybe a half minute open it again. Don’t encourage her to stay or come out…let her do her own thing. Keep this routine up till the dog is comfortable with the cage.
Realize the dog may always be reticent to enter the cage if it knows you’re leaving (she wants to go with you). Try never to drag your dog to the crate or shove her in but be prepared to have to coax her a bit (a gentle hand on the collar and lead her to the crate is fine). Don’t let her get away with disobeying though…she may not want to come knowing the crate awaits her and you’re leaving but she should realize that she should obey the command to come (a whole other training gig).
Just remember…positive reinforcement wins the day every time over negative reinforcement. Negative reinforcement gets quicker results and is easier for the human (and is thus tempting) but the positive road gets better results in the end. Even if she pushes your buttons (and she very well might) try to keep your cool.
Another advantage to crate training is that when you travel, you can take the crate along so that the dog has a familiar place to sleep. We have a folding crate for each of our springers and have used them for dogsitting at other peoples’ houses, tent camping, and visiting. To a crate-trained dog in a strange place, the crate is a familiar haven.
I just thought of another advantage in favor of crate training for any age of dog - Bandit had a severe back problem a few years ago. After a week at the vet’s, he could come home but we were instructed that he must stay as calm as possible - no jumping, playing, or running. We have 2 other rowdy dogs. The crate once again became a lifesaver - Bandit couldn’t hurt himself worse, he was confined. Oterwise, it would have meant a longer vet stay.
It was easy to put him in the crate when he was hurt because he was already familiar with the process.
My Lab loves his crate as well. I leave the door open and he will hop inside and lay down all the time. I would have thought this cruel at one time but it really works well for us. I have heard that Rat Terriers are great diggers too
Dolly was nearly 2 when I got her a crate, and she’s taken to it just fine. Sometimes she goes in there to nap and get away from us. She has a nice soft pad in there to sleep on, and she usually takes a toy to bed with her to chew on if she wakes up before I do.
This probably belongs in IMHO, but I’m gonna leave it here.
And another vote for crating dogs. My parents and siblings have inside dogs, and all dogs love to have their special dens. The dogs generally have a towel or washable mat inside the crates, plus they receive doggy treats in the crates. The dogs do go in the crates to just hang out, much as a human will retreat to a favorite chair.
I have a very feisty cocker, and tried everything but the crate as she seems to have a really strong phobia about boxes, baskets, or anything even distantly resembling crates. But I finally got a folding “crate” (really a sort of cage) and even at age 3 it works well for training.
Tips:
I fould that if I don’t have the “roof” piece on it, it is easier for her, as she isn’t so visually confined.
Putting her in and only closing but not latching the door (and leting her figure out she can get out by herself when she wants to) helps, too.
My wife’s a vet, and she worked during school at the U Penn hospital’s behavoir department. She’s a big fan of the crate, it helps potty train puppies as well.
I put a sign on my dogs crate - “Casey’s room keep out no humans allowed!”
Another vote for crate training as the best way to housebreak a dog.
I just wanted to point out that if you get a crate that will be big enough for the dog when he’s full grown (a good idea) you should also buy (or build) a partition to make the crate smaller while he’s growing. If you don’t, the dog might be tempted to use one side of the crate as a bathroom, and you’ve defeated the whole purpose.
As far as the “cruelness” goes, as other people have said here my dog loves his crate. I feed him in there, he sleeps in there, and he hangs out in there when no one home. During the day I leave some safe toys in there with him (one of them stuffed with doggy treats and spray cheese) to keep him occupied.
I got a three year old dog from the pound and decided to see if she’d take to a crate. After researching and finding all sorts of “Be careful when you crate-train!” stories I was a little worried.
Took the crate home, set it up, tossed in a doggie treat…and she wouldn’t come out for three days.
