Crate Training Your Dog

Lullabelle

Lullabelle

Midlands, England
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For a long time now TVC and I have discussed getting a dog, may not happen but doing research, the 1 thing that keeps popping up from alleged certified trainers and vets is that you 'must must crate train your dog'.

To be honest I am not keen on that idea, as long as they have their own areas to sleep etc..I don't see a crate necessary, for safety whilst travelling in a car, yes, but in the house? No.
 
Lullabelle said:
For a long time now TVC and I have discussed getting a dog, may not happen but doing research, the 1 thing that keeps popping up from alleged certified trainers and vets is that you 'must must crate train your dog'.

To be honest I am not keen on that idea, as long as they have their own areas to sleep etc..I don't see a crate necessary, for safety whilst travelling in a car, yes, but in the house? No.
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Well yes and no. I crate trained mine when they were pups (but almost never shut the crate door) and then when they were older didn’t bother with them at all unless I was going somewhere they were unfamiliar with.

So no you don’t have to but they can benefit from it. First off when they are puppy they will go through teething and that can involve chewing anything that feels good. You can provide them with all the chewy toys in the world but if they like the feel of the chair leg then say goodbye to your chair leg. Unless you’re planning to never be parted so you can supervise this chewing stage then a crate is helpful knowing they're safe while you’re out.

Then there’s the comfort it can offer them. Put a blanket over the top of a crate and you’ve created a hide similar to the burrow their ancestors would be born into. A hole that they can retreat to when it’s all too much, a covered area provides a lot more comfort for a puppy than an open bed.
It’s also useful if you go away with them. Their crate is familiar and safe so it’s easier for them to settle, you can do the same with a dog bed but openness doesn’t provide the same level of feeling secure.

When you’re going away you may realise you can’t bear to leave your pup so you book a hotel that accepts dogs but their restaurant certainly won’t so what you gonna do, leave your dog loose in an unfamiliar place? Go for something to eat wondering if they found the smell of another dog and then find out they thought they’d better leave their canine pal a message 💩 😂

One other consideration is puppies need a lot of human contact, if you work full time and they don’t get it they will likely develop behavioural problems so a lot of working folk will go for an older dog to avoid this issue.
If you’re lucky enough to work somewhere that allows dogs then a crate can also provide the dog with some peace, although obviously that only works with small dogs. Even tolerant places won’t allow a huge crate.

Overall I’d say do it when they’re young so they’re familiar with it (you don’t have to shut the door if you don’t want to) and you can then use a crate as and when its needed without it stressing the dog out!

Hope that helps 😬

Edit: My dog is currently asleep on my bed 😂
 
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I did crate train our Manchester terrier and he absolutely loved his crate. To be honest it doesn't really take much training as they do find it a safe 'home' or den. Obviously you don't want to leave them locked in a crate all day - I used it mainly at night, covered in a blanket and there was never a peep out of him until the blanket was removed in the morning.

But you may want to home a rescue dog rather than a pup, in which case they might not be crate trained. A puppy is hard work and personally, I wouldn't want to go through that again.
 
SandwichShortOfAPicnic said:
Well yes and no. I crate trained mine when they were pups (but almost never shut the crate door) and then when they were older didn’t bother with them at all unless I was going somewhere they were unfamiliar with.

So no you don’t have to but they can benefit from it. First off when they are puppy they will go through teething and that can involve chewing anything that feels good. You can provide them with all the chewy toys in the world but if they like the feel of the chair leg then say goodbye to your chair leg. Unless you’re planning to never be parted so you can supervise this chewing stage then a crate is helpful knowing they're safe while you’re out.

Then there’s the comfort it can offer them. Put a blanket over the top of a crate and you’ve created a hide similar to the burrow their ancestors would be born into. A hole that they can retreat to when it’s all too much, a covered area provides a lot more comfort for a puppy than an open bed.
It’s also useful if you go away with them. Their crate is familiar and safe so it’s easier for them to settle, you can do the same with a dog bed but openness doesn’t provide the same level of feeling secure.

When you’re going away you may realise you can’t bear to leave your pup so you book a hotel that accepts dogs but their restaurant certainly won’t so what you gonna do, leave your dog loose in an unfamiliar place? Go for something to eat wondering if they found the smell of another dog and then find out they thought they’d better leave their canine pal a message 💩 😂

One other consideration is puppies need a lot of human contact, if you work full time and they don’t get it they will likely develop behavioural problems so a lot of working folk will go for an older dog to avoid this issue.
If you’re lucky enough to work somewhere that allows dogs then a crate can also provide the dog with some peace, although obviously that only works with small dogs. Even tolerant places won’t allow a huge crate.

Overall I’d say do it when they’re young so they’re familiar with it (you don’t have to shut the door if you don’t want to) and you can then use a crate as and when its needed without it stressing the dog out!

Hope that helps 😬

Edit: My dog is currently asleep on my bed 😂
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If we were to get a dog, it would most likely be a rescue not a puppy. Your reasoning makes sense and to be fair I didn't think about it like that, just thought it was bit cruel to put them in a cage.
 
Morning Glory said:
I did crate train our Manchester terrier and he absolutely loved his crate. To be honest it doesn't really take much training as they do find it a safe 'home' or den. Obviously you don't want to leave them locked in a crate all day - I used it mainly at night, covered in a blanket and there was never a peep out of him until the blanket was removed in the morning.

But you may want to home a rescue dog rather than a pup, in which case they might not be crate trained. A puppy is hard work and personally, I wouldn't want to go through that again.
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It would most likely be a rescue not a puppy to be honest.
 
Lullabelle said:
It would most likely be a rescue not a puppy to be honest.
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I think the main thing is that they have a safe place to sleep and unless you want them on your bed, some sort of special place is handy. It doesn't have to be a crate. My son got rapidly disillusioned when he allowed our dog to sleep on his bed and he (the dog) had an attack of 'the runs' in the night.

Some people convert a cubby hole under the stairs. My mum had a guide dog and he had a cubby hole created from what used to be a coal hole.
 
Lullabelle said:
If we were to get a dog, it would most likely be a rescue not a puppy. Your reasoning makes sense and to be fair I didn't think about it like that, just thought it was bit cruel to put them in a cage.
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Yes it does seem cruel because we view it as a cage (which it is) but the dog doesn’t see it that way (so long as it’s not used in an abusive way) they see it as their territory, a safe place.
 
Sandwich pretty much summed it up.
One thing not mentioned, was if your dog will ever need to spend time at the vet. They will surely be crated at the animal hospital. Or also the groomers if they need groomed.
It's always a good idea to get the dog used to a more confined area than just having full run. Otherwise you have created a problem for others and have a dog that most likely will spaz out once they wrestle them into a crate and will try to break out.

I know a guy that fosters/rehabs dogs and he gets them all used to a crate. Even older dogs.
 
karadekoolaid said:
We've never used a crate for our dogs.
We did lose a few chair legs, however.
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😂 My Grandmother's 1920 bookcase we dare not ever bump with the vacuum cleaner... 🤷‍♂️
1000039971.jpg
 
Both our rescue dogs were quasi-crate trained. Initially, it was to keep them contained overnight until we could be sure they could be trusted. We’ve been fortunate to never need to crate a dog during the day (fenced yards at both our houses).

As others have mentioned, having a “safe” place to go to is good for the dog, and a crate can serve that purpose. We sacrificed a bedroom closet for ours, so the crate was backed right up in the corner, covered with blankets, soft bedding inside, and once we were sure each dog was ok, we just left the door to the crate open 24/7, and that was their little den.

Molly dutifully retreated to hers every night, Kate was a different story…used her crate for a month, then slept under a bed for another month, then slept in her living room bed for a month, then back in her crate, then under a different bed, then back under the first bed but on a different side, then in a different closet…she was all over the place.
 
I think I took crate to literally.
I thought of an open crate, like the ones veges are transported in.
Couldn't figure out the real difference between a crate and a dog basket.
My dogs use their baskets, the floor, the coach, my lap, my bed, their wet blankets in the heat and basically every other place available
 
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