the benefits of crate training

[Wirewehear]

I think alot of people more and more are understanding the "good thing" in doing this but I still hear the "I dont believe in putting my dogs in a cage," way more than I should.
All my dogs are crate trained. It doesnt mean that they are kept in one. I do keep an **open** crate in my bedroom but because Deena likes it in there and its "her" place. I think the door was closed once about 2yrs ago. She is the only one that prefers the crate to our bed but all my dogs are comfortable in a crate.
Why they need this? Vet's use them when a pet is being treated for something and they are left with them. A crate trained dog is likely to settle and relax while a pet not accustomed to a crate will be stressed out in its confinement in an already stressing environment. Then there are emergencies such as disasters. What if there has to be a type of evacuation and family has to go to a public place as a safe haven. I know I'd feel more at ease getting all my dogs in crates and getting them transported to a safe place without them freaking out while its all going on. While something like an emergency evacuation may only happen once in a lifetime, usually never .... its still a possibility and I want my animals safe during such chaos. Another is if they get loose and picked up, or taken to the animal shelter. They get put in "cages" or a kennel. Its just overall common sense to have them crate trained so that they are comfortable in situations where they may have to be confined.
Maybe some of you think I'm weird for bringing this up but I've read a few times recently (different forums) people post they think its cruel to put a dog in a cage so thought I would just try to remind people of the positive side of it. And its properly termed crating.

 

[Tom]

Preaching to the choir Yvie. I wholeheartedly second everything you said and then some.

 

[Laura]

I LOVE the fact that my current two dogs are crate trained.. they are comfortable in them, you can lock them up if needed and they arent stressed or 'punished'.
now if i could only have my cats that way too....

 

[Tom]

Frequently for my job I have to travel all over the place and stay in hotels with my dogs. Most of the time I get a room with two beds. One for me and one for them. I also leave the crate doors open and most of the time when I wake up in the morning they are all sleeping in their crates with the doors open. I actually had one dog who liked to bump the door closed on herself. It wasn't latched, and she could open it, but she liked to be in it with the door shut.

 

[Scooter]

I used to be against crating, now I am all for it. Both of our dogs are crate trained. For our oldest dog we had his crate in the laundry room, now even though the crate is not in there, we say go to your room and he goes right in and lays down. Recently he had an ear injury we had to keep bandage, we could tell him go to your room and he went right in an sit down so we could bandage it. My parents dogs are not crate trained and they stress out anytime they are crated or even just confined to a small area. I wholeheartedly agree with crate training now.

 

[Wirewehear]

Preaching to the choir Yvie. I wholeheartedly second everything you said and then some.

lol ... youre excluded from my preaching. Considering what you do with dogs I'm sure you have more crates laying around than I.

 

[terryo]

I totally agree with everything said. I have a little three lb. Yorkie that was rescued...long story...to her a crate means punishment...no food, no water. When I have her groomed I have to wait there and make sure they don't put her in a crate. To my two Chihuahua's it means security, a place to get away from noisy kids, company, a place where they can feel safe. I tried taking the front off the crate for the lil' Yorkie, but she won't have it, and I won't force her. Sad, but a crate can mean security or punishment. Now I have to have her spaded and I'm so worried that she'll get stressed out in the Vet's when she has to stay over night.

 

[Wirewehear]

Ah, thank you Charlotte. Injuries are another for the list of why crate training really is something all dog owners should do. My Am Bull had his crate time after a couple of knee surgeries.
Traveling is a good one too, Tom. Many pet friendly motels require it actually.
Deena's crate is pretty big so I really didnt want it up in the room but she was bummed when I took it out. So I made a cut out in one of the sliding closet doors and slid that thing right back into the closet. The Princess has a room all of her own.
Also crates are great for puppies while being potty trained, as well as when they are learning to not chew up the house.

 

[Tom]

I totally agree with everything said. I have a little three lb. Yorkie that was rescued...long story...to her a crate means punishment...no food, no water. When I have her groomed I have to wait there and make sure they don't put her in a crate. To my two Chihuahua's it means security, a place to get away from noisy kids, company, a place where they can feel safe. I tried taking the front off the crate for the lil' Yorkie, but she won't have it, and I won't force her. Sad, but a crate can mean security or punishment. Now I have to have her spaded and I'm so worried that she'll get stressed out in the Vet's when she has to stay over night.

Terry, If you WANT her crate trained, PM me and I'll happily try to help you out. I've seen and dealt with some crazy stuff and I'm sure your yorkie won't be the worst I've seen. There are ways to do it with inducement instead of force.

 

[dmmj]

so to train them in crating do they get locked in their at night during learning? I have never crated my dog and he handles overnight vet visits fine, are some dogs easier to crate then others?

 

[wildponey21]

I don't crate train any of my dogs. It does not work for me i have tried it but it does not work. My dog eat when ever they want they sleep in my bed right next to me and i mean right next to me. They have full run of my house. My puppy at 10 weeks old was ok to leave alone in my house. I don't belive it feeding a pet a set number of times nor do limit how much they can have. People eat as much and when ever we want so my dogs do the same. And they are all with normal.

 

[B K]

My dogs are crate trained we also make our own dog food.

 

[Chifte]

+1 on the crate training, I made my dogs crate into a happy place since day 1, I never used it for scolding but I did use it to limit her roaming while potty training.

These days she uses that crate for everything that involves comfort, she takes all her treats there, she chews all her bones there, she chooses the crate over any other comfy location in the house.

 

[CtTortoiseMom]

We have alway's crate trained. Our old dog was deathly afraid of thunderstorms and I don't know what he would have done with out the comfort of his crate. Years ago we rescued a Siberian Husky and let him sleep in bed with us in the beginning and it turned out to be a big mistake! Our husky would lay his whole body on top of me (which i thought was so sweet) but it was actually a sign of dominance which started presenting in his actions during the day. So we crated him and fixed that problem pretty fast.

Crating is not caging! Every being deserves a space of their own.

 

[Tom]

I don't crate train any of my dogs. It does not work for me i have tried it but it does not work. My dog eat when ever they want they sleep in my bed right next to me and i mean right next to me. They have full run of my house. My puppy at 10 weeks old was ok to leave alone in my house. I don't belive it feeding a pet a set number of times nor do limit how much they can have. People eat as much and when ever we want so my dogs do the same. And they are all with normal.

That is great for you. I'm glad it has worked out for you. What you must understand is that YOUR situation is NOT the norm. What you have done will work for a certain percentage of dogs a certain percentage of the time, but most of the time it leads to problems. I know this because I am the guy who gets called in to solve all of these problems after the owner CREATES them by giving a young or new dog too many choices and too much freedom too early on.

 

[terryo]

All my dogs sleep with me every night, but I'm not in bed all day, and dog's like to sleep during the day. My dogs have that option to go on my bed and sleep or in their crate. Also when company comes, because they are so little and cute, everyone wants to hold them or play with them.....you should see them run in the crate then.

 

[methos75]

My Shiba is Crate Trained, she has an habit of stealing the food from the Cats so she has too be crated when they are fed, I also crate her at night, I just don't like the dog in bed with us.

 

[Wirewehear]

so to train them in crating do they get locked in their at night during learning? I have never crated my dog and he handles overnight vet visits fine, are some dogs easier to crate then others?

If your goal is to contain them at night then you would work up to it. But if its your goal to just have them comfortable with it then, no, you dont have to leave them in there. Just teach them its not a place to be afraid of.
You start off slowly .... get a crate and leave it out. Let your dog sniff and check it out. Just leave it there and take your time. Make the interior cozy with a nice crate pad/blankets. Put a favorite chewy toy in there at some point and leave the door open. Your dog may go get it and take it out or may go to the chewy and decide to stay right there and chew on it. Leave the door open while the adjustment period is going on. When the dog is comfortable with being inside, close the door but dont leave. Close it for just a few minutes and open it back up. Dont close it long enough for the dog to stress out if ones dog is inclined to do so. The reason being is if the dog fusses and you let it out *right at that time* the dog will associate that all it has to do is get fussy and its human will open the door. Thats the dog training the human, not the other way around. One only wants to reward a dog (reward in this case is opening the door) when its providing the correct behavior which being calm and relaxed. Know what I mean?
Anyhow, so as the dog gets used to being contained ... leave the dog contained for longer periods of time. Then start to leave and come back .... do this for longer and longer intervals until eventually ones dog has no issue with it.
*side note* - this is what has worked for ME. I am in no way a professional trainer or even an amatuer one for that matter, lol. I know what has worked for my dogs. I've never hire a trainer to teach me and anything I suggest is from reading training tips from the internet and trying them myself. All dogs are different and all dogs react differently to different types of training.
Plus I'm sure if I'm wrong about anything Tom will step right in and correct me. (and thats okay with me )

 

[pugsandkids]

Another one for the crate!
I used to believe that crates were cruel. Who wants to hang out in a cage? With our lab, he destroyed so much. We were always frustrated, and it wasn't a fun puppyhood. The first pug came and with the knowledge of a smaller bladder, along with the danger of leaving her with a large, playful lab. I bought a crate. Still have the same one, all three of my pugs love it! At the beginning "bedtime" also meant treat time. Now they often go in by themselves, just to have some peace. I do lock it at night, and when we are gone for any amount of time. (Keeps them off the furniture when we are gone, and therefore my allergies in check!) I bring the crate to grandmas when we leave town without them. They sit on the pieces when I'm putting it together. That's how I know they love it, they cannot wait for it to be built so they can go lie down!

Today, I was cleaning the cockatoo cage. The dogs were being WAY too helpful. After several commands to "leave it" all three went to bed. As if saying, "Oh well, we tried!"

 

[ChiKat]

I crate trained my Chihuahua mix when he was a puppy. It made potty training easier too.
He loves his crate and sees it as a safe place. I only crate him overnight but he frequently sleeps in there during the day. It keeps him out of trouble too- he's a busy little man (that's a nice way of saying I didn't train him properly as a puppy)

My Chihuahua is not crate trained, but is content with being gated in the kitchen if I need to confine her. I crated her as a puppy but she was never a big fan of it. Maybe because it's the perfect size for a guinea pig
She sleeps with my mom every night...which will make things interesting when I move out and take her with me, eek!