To crate or not to crate?

[priscilla]

We are getting an 8-week-old border collie puppy in January, adding a third BC to the mix. Her impending arrival has sparked a lively for/against crate-training discussion in our house. Background: The two we have, both rescues, are 9 and 4 years old. They are not crate trained and, after some really adventurous times immediately following their arrivals, settled in just fine. They come and go at will through a dog door. Though we've done a bit of work with them, neither is a candidate for trialing, which is why we want a third. One of us thinks crate-training is, while not essential, a darned good idea; the other thinks it's unnecessary. What's your take? Why?

[Gideon's girl]

Number 1 reason for crate training in my book is because it is highly likely that at some point in your dogs life it will have to stay at the vet for some period of time. It will be in a crate, it will be stressed. By being already crate trained, it will find the crate to be a safe comfortable spot in a scary situation, instead of it being just one more thing to be frightened about.

 

Number 2 may be just me, but I can not keep my eyes on a pup 24/7. I need that break. A crate is like having a swing, or a walker, or a bouncy seat, or something for a baby so you don't have to be hands on 24/7. You put them in there(not the baby, the puppy) with something fun and give yourself permission to have a nice long hot shower.

 

Number 3 is the glass my husband shattered last week. All three dogs heard the noise and thought they were needed immediately. A quick "Go kennel" had all three out of harms way until the mess was cleaned up, no vet visit for us that day.

[Laurae]

It's not just being comfortable at the vet's office. What if your pup is uncomfortable around little kids and a friend comes to visit with one? What if you have friends over who are allergic to dogs or just don't want them in their face? Or a contractor comes by or anyone else, really? Three is a lot of dogs--would you just lock them up together unsupervised in a back room and hope all is well? Also, if you're hoping to trial, what will you do with your dog when you're not running her? If you ever had to bring her into a hotel? What if she got hurt and needed crate rest to heal properly?

 

 

A friend of mine thinks it's cruel to let a dog spend any amount of time in a crate (even though one of her dogs seeks them out when stressed). When weighing the pros and cons of crate training, I've never understood what is a con. How would teaching a pup to be comfortable in a crate ever come back to bite you in the butt? It's part of responsibly preparing a pup for unforeseen circumstances throughout her life, imo. I didn't crate train my first dog because I didn't know about crates then, and to be honest it's been harder for her throughout her life because she just isn't as comfortable being crated as the others are. She stresses more when she is crated, so I tend not to crate her unless I have to--which sometimes results in her staying at home when I bring the others somewhere. If I could do it over again with her, I'd definitely crate train her as a pup.

[Alchemist]

Gideon's girl and Laura made some EXCELLENT points. I'd never crate-trained a dog until I got Duncan, and my initial reaction to seeing my sister-in-law crate her dog was that it seemed cruel to put a dog in a cage. BOY has my thinking turned around 180 degrees!

 

I've known dogs who weren't crate-trained, who had separation anxiety, who then fractured their pelvis - and had to stay crated for months on end. The only way the dog and the owner survived was if the owner sat Right Next To The Crate the whole time. Even putting the dog in an X-pen was too much exercise (and the dog was still miserable). Duncan LOVES his crate; it's his den. I rarely crate him any more, but when we were in New York over Thanksgiving staying with my SIL, it was nice to know that he was comfortable and safe in his crate (her cats HATE dogs and will launch unprovoked attacks).

 

Here's another reason no one has mentioned yet: it sure speeds up housebreaking! Unless you put a puppy in a crate that's too big, they won't pee or poop in it. Take them outside immediately after releasing them from a crate (or feeding them), and you've got a good chance they'll pee or poop. I think Duncan pooped once in the house as a puppy, and that's because my spouse didn't follow this simple rule.

 

Crate training also helped control typical puppy destructiveness. We gave Duncan his chew toys (Kongs, bully sticks) in his crate, and that seemed to satisfy his chewing urge. I've never had a puppy destroy less...

 

Crated dogs are MUCH safer in a vehicle even than dogs in a harness - the crate can cushion some of the impact.

 

To crate train or not to crate train a puppy - for me it's not an option, it just makes so much sense to do so for so very many reasons. And as Laura says, what's the down side? Heck, you can even get crates with tops that will allow them to double as end tables if you're worried about the "clutter" issue!

[Gideon's girl]

Gideon LOVES his crate too. When the puppy, Micah, is being too wild, Gideon will go lie down in his crate for peace and quiet. The door is always open and it is frequently where he chooses to rest. He's there right now.

[Lewie'sMom]

I'm an advocate of crating for a myriad of reasons. Makes life easier for everyone involved, period.

[Kelleybean]

Definitely crate! My girl LOVES her crate, and spends most of her time during the day snoozing there. When she was a pup, I controlled the door, now I leave the door open so she can come and go as she pleases. She sleeps there at night, (next to the bed) and hangs out there during the day. When we go to trial, or on vacation, she has a place to chill where she feels safe and won't be bothered. I have a gorgeous wooden crate for the bedroom, and a travel crate to take to trials and on vacation.

[OurBoys]

I believe in crating too. Along with all of the other reasons listed, puppies need to learn to rest. Josie was supposed to have been 6 months old when she came into our lives. I could tell when she would be “fighting her sleep” when she would start plucking on the boys last nerve. When she would start doing that, I would crate her with a stuffed Kong. Whenever I would check on her a few minutes later, she would be sound asleep with the Kong between her front paws. I believe it also helped to teach her an “off” switch.

 

Another reason my dogs are crated is in case of a house fire. I’ve never heard of a dog running out of a house when it’s burning but I have heard of firefighters saving dogs and cats nowadays. Back in 1971 when I was 15, our house caught on fire. After my mom, brother and I were out safely (my dad was at work), I was in a next door neighbor’s home getting a shirt on (the one I was wearing had caught on fire, after dropping & rolling I had stood up and tore it off). Before the neighbor could button the shirt up, I realized my dog (a Chihuahua) was still in the house and took off running out the door yelling “OMG, get Princess!!” (Yes, back then I had a dog named Princess.) No one allowed my brother or me to go back into the house and later the firefighters wouldn’t look for her saying she was probably dead (remember, this was back in ’71). When my mom and I were at the emergency room, we got word Princess was found alive downstairs with her head under a couch cushion. Today my dogs have a bath mat and a sheet or blanket in their crate and they are located close to the back door. If this house catches on fire (ETA: At night after we've gone to bed), I’m going to know where my dogs are and get them out asap if we’re at home. If uncrated, JJ would probably run to his crate anyway, Josie would probably be in the same crate as JJ but Jake would run upstairs to find his safe place or behind the wine cooler or in the utility room or.... Writing this post reminds me I need to get one of those “Save my dogs” sign to put in a window.

[Sue R]

Whether or not you choose to *crate*, crate *training* is an absolute plus, for all the many reasons people have mentioned. Vet visits; emergencies; rest and rehab; security; safety; small children and busy get-togethers; potty-training; eating messy foods; and a host of other reasons (many of which we don't even think of on a normal basis).

[tastybeets]

I have to agree with the other posts. Crate training is a MUST! When I close the side door on the crate, Jack runs right in the front door and lies down, and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way.

 

He thinks of it as a safe relaxing place, so I can leave him in it when I need to grocery shop or run errands to places I can't take him. It also gives me a place to stash him when I need a break.

 

He's super friendly, almost overly friendly, so (as I live in an apartment) when the maintenance guy comes over, I can crate him to keep him from licking the guy to death and he won't bark, whine, or yelp.

 

The best part about crate training is curbing separation anxiety. I was SUPER concerned Jack would develop it as I srsly spend pretty much every waking moment with him. Crate training prevents me from overstimulating him before leaving the house. When I get home, I can put all my things down and he has a chance to calm down before coming out to say hello.

 

I have to strongly agree about vet visits and such. I know Jack's groomer crates when I take him there and he'd be unnecessarily stressed if he didn't feel the crate was a safe haven.

 

tl;dr I know rofl :3

[Gloria Atwater]

I am a firm believer in crate training. I wasn't for many, many years, but I sure am, now!

 

How much you actually use a crate is entirely up to you, but training to a crate is SO essential. If a dog is ever injured and requires crate rest, how will you do that, if he freaks out the first time you stuff him in a box? If your dog is ever ill or hurt and must spend time at the vet's, will you want to wait until he's in pain or feeling horrible, before he's caged or crated for the first time?

 

What if you have people over for a gathering or barbeque, and the dog is stressed or upset by someone in the party, a child, perhaps, or another dog? Or what if he's just over-excited by extra people over to visit, maybe at risk of dashing out into the street when people open the front door? A crate would be his Safe Place to go, to get him away from that turmoil. You can just put him in his familiar crate with a treat or chew toy, and all is well. Or what if you discover that things like thunder or the neighbors' fireworks freak him out and send him into a panic? A crate would be his Safe Place, once again.

 

Understanding that crating is not a bad thing is SO very useful.

 

Also - he's a puppy. How are you going to keep a puppy that small from chewing electrical wires, eating shoes, gnawing carpets, teething on the furniture or peeing and pooping wherever he wants? I don't know about you, but when I've had a puppy, I needed a place to sometimes put him so I can do stuff like cook dinner, clean house - and sleep! You really don't want to get up in the morning to discover Puppy woke up at first light and has eaten all the wiring off your lamps, computers and telephones. And what about when you leave the house? You can't put an 8 week old puppy out with the grown dogs, and you can't leave him loose in the house. Where will you put him?

 

There are countless, countless things a puppy can get into, around the house, that may cause him injury or illness, if he gets into them. Electrical stuff, household chemicals - and what if he chews up and ingests something that causes an obstruction and a midnight vet visit?

 

Last but not least ... If you are going to be trialing and training this pup, this means you will be driving a lot. If you are driving, there is the chance that some day you'll be in some sort of accident. It may be something as simple as sliding off the road. But a dog that is LOOSE in a car is at far, far greater risk of death, injury or being lost, than a dog that is secured in a crate. If you are injured or rendered unconscious, your dog may well be in a state of panic and could try to bite the very emergency personnel who want to help you. What will those personnel do, if faced with a terrified, biting dog? And if the dog is unhurt by the accident but is ejected from the car, or jumps out a broken window ... he may be killed or maimed by traffic, or lost who knows where.

 

I've heard more stories this year of people who suffered accidents and, though not dangerously injured themselves, their dogs escaped and were lost for days - if not forever.

 

It's not just a convenience for the people. It's a convenience for the dog, a safe haven when he can't be safely or comfortably loose around the house, and it could some day save his life.

 

Crate train him. My dogs, ages 4-1/2 and 3, both sleep in their crates every night - by choice. The crate doors are always open.

 

Best wishes on your new puppy!

Respectfully submitted,

 

Gloria

 

P.S.

The crate will also give your older dogs a break from that busy little devil you're going to be bringing home, and will save them from having to "discipline" it, perhaps unfairly.

[dsmbc]

with a new puppy, a crate will become both you and your puppy's best friend. Seriously. Want a good night sleep? Use a crate. Want a break to relax? use a crate, Want to go to trials with your dog and have them relax? Use a crate. need a break from puppy teeth or puppy insanity? Use a crate. my dogs love their crates and so do I. trust me you will be glad you crate trained.

[juliepoudrier]

I think the most important point that has been made here is that crate training doesn't mean you HAVE to crate the dog. It means that if you MUST crate the dog for any reason, doing so won't create added stress for either of you. Like others have mentioned I have dogs who are pretty much never crated (except in the van when traveling), some that need to be crated when I leave home (for their safety, mainly), and a few who choose to routinely sleep in wide-open crates for no reason other than that they can and they feel like it's a safe den.

 

For me, the main advantage of having crate-trained dogs has been when they have been injured (and if you have a working dog, it is likely to suffer an injury sooner or later) and require crate rest. I can't imagine trying to achieve that with an injured dog who has never been crated in its life. I also have an epileptic dog, and being able to crate her when I leave home means that I know she is safe (from herself and the other dogs) should she seize while I'm gone. Life with dogs can be unpredictable, and I'm glad to know that should the need arise, all of my dogs are comfortable, and even happy, being confined in a crate or cage.

 

I see no down side to crate training.

 

J.

[Cynthia P]

Ditto, all of mine have crates and are comfortable.

 

For trialling, it is great to be able to crate your dog, so he/she isn't watching the action from the windscreen of your car. You can have the dog contained in a crate, with windows open or have him outside under shade in a crate. Easier to manage at a trial for sure!

 

Cynthia

[juliepoudrier]

For trialling, it is great to be able to crate your dog, so he/she isn't watching the action from the windscreen of your car.

 

I have seen the damage one frustrated working dog did to the interior of a car while his owner was working another dog. Not pretty.

 

J.

[priscilla]

You guys are the best. Thank you so much.

[alligande]

I would agree with all of the above, the other thing to consider is that if you use the crate for house training and other puppy behavior you do need to crate for life. I used a crate with my 3 year old when he was young, by the time he was 18 months we had no more crates in the house. He is crated when we go to agility trials as is my older dog.

 

Both dogs are comfortable in crates but I feel no need to use them at home and to be honest just do not want to have them in my small house, but as a puppy training aid it was invaluable.