the benefits of crate training

[exoticsdr]

Crate Training = +++++

 

[wildponey21]

I'm not saying that crate training is bad it just is not something that i do because of how i feed my dogs and that fact that sleep in my bed on top of me or right next to me. My have dogs or as i call them my kids sleep in my from a weeks til the the day they die. No matter what size dog i have or will have i don't use a crate. I know most people do and that is fine i think is a good thing i just don't use it.

 

[Edna]

Another reason for crating is food-related problems. My beagle, if allowed to eat at will, would double her weight and then keep on gaining. She will eat everything in sight, and try to take the other dog's food, too. To accomodate her and her personality, I have always fed my adult dogs two meals a day, in their crates. They know this routine and it eliminates any food aggression.
I crate my dogs at other times, too. Have them all happy to be in their crates has been a blessing these last few months when my kitchen has been undergoing a remodel. Many different men and crews of men have been coming and going, in and out of the house, and the dogs are content and contained. The contractor and his son have a key and check in sometimes when we're not at home and again, it's no problem because the dogs are crated.
I crate train with treats. Dog goes in, gets a treat. Repeat. Dog gets to come right back out at first. Dog goes in, gets a treat, door closes, dog stays in for a while. Repeat. Extend time. My dogs still get a tiny treat almost every time they go in their crates.

 

[zoogrl]

I've had mulitple dogs & all of which have been crated, with the exception of a boxer rescue who had such horrible anxiety she would physically harm herself if put in a crate or any kind of confined space. She turned out to later have brain cancer so I'm not sure that didn't have a part in her crazy behavior. I will always be for crate training your dog. Not saying that they can't have run of the house or sleep in bed with you, just that they need a space of their own & if you don't provide one they will take one of yours. (ie your bed) It's a great training tool for any kind of traveling, dog boarding, grooming or vet visits. Ask any trainer, veterinarian or other professional & I'd bet most of them would recommend crating as well. You aren't being mean, you are giving the dog their own bedroom. Who doesn't want that?

 

[exoticsdr]

Wildponey21....I think you might be misunderstanding the intent of crate training and this thread. Crate training has nothing to do with keeping your pet locked up when it is not with you, quite to the contrary. Crate training is all about having a safe haven where your pet feels safe and secure when you can't be there and when there are situations that your pet cannot be involved in, for instance, construction going on at home or visitors that are afraid of dogs. They can still sleep with you and carry on as before, it's just nice to know that they are not going to freak out if you have to crate them or if they have to board at a facility. As for the eating whenever they choose, if it works, great .... but in my experience, it is a sure fire way to an overweight pooch and future joint/arthritic problems as your pet ages...but that is a whole 'nuther topic. I'm glad your here and willing to put your views to words for us all.
Doc

 

[wildponey21]

I know what crate training but i just don't it. I am a vet tech i get it but i just don't do it. I have tried with both of boys. I have two dogs and i tried it whan they were babies. It does not work for me. my dogs don't go in creat at all. if people come to my house that are afriad of dogs they have no right being in my house. I think that crate traning is great for people that can do it. I just don't use it. I know that it is a good thing but is not for my dogs. Now if was a child i have no problem doing it.

 

[CtTortoiseMom]

I know what crate training but i just don't it. I am a vet tech i get it but i just don't do it. I have tried with both of boys. I have two dogs and i tried it whan they were babies. It does not work for me. my dogs don't go in creat at all. if people come to my house that are afriad of dogs they have no right being in my house. I think that crate traning is great for people that can do it. I just don't use it. I know that it is a good thing but is not for my dogs. Now if was a child i have no problem doing it.

If it was a child, you would have no problem locking them in a dog crate? It's amazing to me that you still seem to be missing the point!

 

[matt41gb]

Wildponey, you said that you are a vet tech, right? Do you ever have to handle aggressive, or insecure dogs? I know that I do on a daily basis, and I have people who don't crate train, or discipline their dogs. You obviously do not understand dog psychology at all. Do some research on wild dog packs, learn their VERY strict social structure and implement that in to your training. You are doing a disservice to your dog by letting it do whatever it wants. YOU are the pack leader, you are the one to put certain rules, and guidelines into place for your dog to obey. Dogs cannot function properly without a strong pack leader.

You, my friend are the dirt under the totem pole as far as your dog is concerned. People tend to anthropomorphise dogs, and that ultimately will lead to their destruction. I train all of my dogs by being a strong leader. My dogs see me as someone to follow and do not exceed their boundaries. This is not cruel, nor am I punishing them. Sometimes all it takes is a low, throaty growl to make them back off. My dogs respect me and love the leadership. You say that you leave food out all of the time because you think they should eat all of the time?? You are a vet tech, you should be telling your clients to feed at certain intervals. How does the owner know if their dog is not eating the same amount of food every day? How can you properly make an assessment of an animal when you don't know if it's eating, or not?

An unruly dog at home is a HUGE liability as well. You state that if your dogs don't let somebody in your house then they have no reason there. That is not the state of mind you should have. Because you do not train your dogs, someone will be bitten by one of them and will quite possibly will sue you.

You should be telling the clients to crate train, do you really want to deal with unruly dogs on a daily basis? You have a lot of learning to do, and I suggest that you start your research now. To be a good vet tech, you need to know why dogs behave the way they do, and learn to be a good pack leader. You should also teach your clients the same.

-Matt

 

[Wirewehear]

if people come to my house that are afriad of dogs they have no right being in my house. I think that crate traning is great for people that can do it. I just don't use it. I know that it is a good thing but is not for my dogs. Now if was a child i have no problem doing it.

You'd have no issues crating a child? .... I'm thinking youre making a joke right? It doesnt appear that English is your 1st language so its easy to misunderstand some of what you write.
You choose not to crate your dogs .... it works for your household and thats great. Many people dont ever crate either or have a reason to. I get it too. And you do seem to know the benefits of crating and hopefully pass it on to those you meet at your work place.
As for people with a fear of dogs having no business at your house ... I'm assuming you say that because you wouldnt consider putting them up in a room if a person like that was visiting you? Again ... your house, your choice .... whatever works for you. I work for a utility company, its my choice to ask a customer to contain their dogs somewhere or not. I love dogs so I dont usually care but I sometimes see dogs that arent so friendly. These I ask the customer to contain, if they dont, I leave and they wont get their service repaired.
As friendly as my dogs are, there are people who simply fear the breed or truely have a phobia of dogs. I will always put my dogs away for them if they are at my house. My dogs will not suffer because they had to be shut in a room for a few hours. I have no children and love my dogs as much as family but I respect people who dont feel the same way.

---

You are doing a disservice to your dog by letting it do whatever it wants. YOU are the pack leader, you are the one to put certain rules, and guidelines into place for your dog to obey. Dogs cannot function properly without a strong pack leader.
You say that you leave food out all of the time because you think they should eat all of the time?? You are a vet tech, you should be telling your clients to feed at certain intervals. How does the owner know if their dog is not eating the same amount of food every day? How can you properly make an assessment of an animal when you don't know if it's eating, or not?
An unruly dog at home is a HUGE liability as well. You state that if your dogs don't let somebody in your house then they have no reason there. That is not the state of mind you should have. Because you do not train your dogs, someone will be bitten by one of them and will quite possibly will sue you.
-Matt

In all fairness to Wildpony no where in his/her post says the dogs are unruly, just that crates are not used and will not ever be used. My dogs have run of the house and sleep in bed with us and they arent unruly in the least, they have other boundaries and abide by them.
Also he/she didnt write anything about the dogs not letting someone in house ..... it states if someone is afraid of the dogs they dont have any business being there. A little inconsiderate in my opinion but their house, their choice.
I do agree about the free feeding. I dont do it ... heck, I cant. My dogs would never stop eating unless they dropped dead. I did have a crew I could and did free feed for a while but I stopped as they matured because of weight. And yep ... paying attention to their eating habits is a really smart thing. Saved the life of one my dogs once. She didnt want her morning meal, not normal at all so I put her on watch. Tried a treat a few hours later with no luck. She went straight to the Vet and ended up being there for 4 days with liver issues. If she was being free fed and not monitored, I may not have noticed as soon as I did. The dogs I have now are gluttons for food. Fine with me ... if any of them dont eat, there is a serious issue.

 

[harris]

This thread was started because I made the comment "I don't believe in crate training". Let me clarify; this is based on the Labrador Retriever and my life with them. It is MY experience with this particular breed -English. Our family has raised them since the day I was born 43 yrs ago. We know what we're doing. As far as if I have a guest that is not a dog person, I simply take my pups outside to their kennels. From 7wks until 12wks my pup goes to work with me, which is when the socialization bond is cemented. In the 70's it was the German Shepard, 80's it was the Doberman, 90's on it's the pit bull; breeds that were or are destroyed by ignorance.. I choose to remain with a full blooded, all weather pup, that I don't crate train. However.... I believe that 95% of the population that wants to take a canine into their lives should (crate train).

 

[Yvonne G]

Everyone please keep a cool head about this thread. This is the "other pet talk" forum, and NOT a debate section of the forum. If Tabatha (Wild Pony) and Harris choose not to crate train, its not up to us on this thread to debate that. Its their choice. If you'd like a debate, start a new thread in the appropriate section of the forum.

 

[dmmj]

"You are the pack leader" cesar

 

[eudora09]

I started crate training with my Siberian Husky I had when I was 14 because he was my service animal and he had to learn that along with a lot of other training. Up until that point we had never crate trained a dog before. But after teaching him this it made a lot of things easier on me (he was terrified of thunderstorms, but he found safety in his crate with one of my old shirts that smelled like me and a blanket covering all but the front of his cage, he would go in and go to sleep instead of freaking out during a storm).
So when my husband got our Schipperke three years ago the first thing I did was crate train him. It has been a blessing even though my mom said that it was cruel (she still doesn't understand why someone should crate train a dog). Kamakazi, our Schipperke, has heart problems and if he gets too excited he starts having trouble breathing and starts throwing up. The only way to get him to calm down is to tell him "bed time" and he goes to his crate and lays down thus preventing him from having a heart attack. He has a very mischievous personality so at night or while I'm away from the house he is locked in his crate (with a clip put on the cage since he learned how to open the cage without the clip on) and this is done for his own safety because he would get into EVERYTHING if left unattended. I don't believe this is cruel in the least because it's for his own protection. One day while I was gone he learned how to open the door on his crate and when I came home he had found some ant and roach bait that we had set out (we had just moved into an apartment temporarily and didn't know what it was like so I took precautions to make sure there were no bugs that could get in to my animals so we hid baits around but not out in the open for the animals to come in contact with) and he had ate all of them. If he thinks he can get away with it he'll sneak around and try to find things to destroy. He knows this is bad because if you find him he puts his head down and waits for you to scold him and then he pouts the rest of the day until he thinks he can get away with something else. I'm a stay at home wife and I take care of the house and the animals so most of the time he stays out but at night or if I leave to go shopping or go to a movie he goes in his crate that way I know that I don't come home to a dead dog. My mom still says this is cruel but I believe it's more cruel to let him get into something and get seriously hurt.

This is Kamakazi:

 

[Kristina]

I always crate train my dogs. My current dog, Lily, used her crate for years, although after the first year we never latched it. She would go in and lay down at night, and in the morning lay there until I told her she could come out, door wide open lol.

I get angry when I see people use a crate as punishment. That it is not how it is meant to be. It is supposed to be a tool, and a haven , a den, and a safe place for a dog, their own little "space." I have never had actual housebreaking take more than two weeks when using a crate, and that was with a severely abused dog.

When you bring a puppy home, the routine that you set in those first few weeks will determine how training will go the rest of that dog's life. You have to establish boundaries and dominance. Dominance is NOT established through striking an animal or negative reinforcement. Putting a puppy in a crate every time it is "bad" is NOT the right thing to do. As an owner, it is your responsibility to not even allow that puppy to DO anything "bad."

How I housebreak a dog is like this - when I bring a puppy home, I play with him and familiarize him with the ONE room of the house that contains the crate. Once we are done playing, we go outside, and whether he goes potty or not, he comes in and goes in the crate. A half an hour later, I get the puppy out of the crate and take him immediately outside. Usually by then, they go. Lots of praise, inside, a drink of water and some play time, and back outside. Then back to the crate. I do this frequently, and usually by the end of the first week, we have no accidents. (In fact, I have never had a dog have an accident after the first DAY ) After about two weeks, we introduce another room into the mix, and so on and so forth. The important thing is, if you are not in DIRECT contact with the puppy at all times, then it needs to be outside or in the crate. Letting them go on the floor and them swatting them or rubbing their face in it is not the right way to do it.

If a pup is in their crate and they are howling or whining or barking, NEVER say a WORD to them. Even yelling "be quiet!" is attention, and that is what they are looking for. Completely ignore their existence until they stop crying, wait a few minutes, and then take them out, and go through the play/potty routine. This is the hardest part of a new puppy. They have just been taken away from their mom and their littermates, and they are lonely and want attention. But if you are a softy about it, you are reinforcing the crying behavior and it is almost impossible to get them to stop. Have fun sleeping those first few nights

I like to cover the crate with a blanket or something too to make it more "den-like."

The other thing I find important is daily obedience. Even if it is five minutes of sit, stay, roll over, etc., it keeps them sharp and willing to listen.

That is how I do it - and it has worked for my dogs and the rescues that I have taken in.

 

[Wirewehear]

This thread was started because I made the comment "I don't believe in crate training".

Actually, it wasnt. My dog group has a big thread going on about it and I had already wanted to start a thread about the benefits, here. You just sorta lit the fire under my butt to do it. Didnt even occur to me but can see how you could easily think that. My fault and I'm very sorry if I offended you or made you feel badly. Really ...
In the other forum some were a little over the top in saying that those that crate do so because they are too lazy to train the dog, its abusive, cruel, etc ....
Most of my dogs are/were from rescue so came to me already crate trained. Mikey was the only one that had never been crated and what a mess he was when he was injured once and had to stay at an ER. I had to beg to get him out of there on the second day. He was so stressed out that his fur was falling out by the handfuls. He was off his IV so they let me but I had to drive him back and forth everyday for a week. But that was easier on him than being crated.
Not every household *needs* a crate, however its a good idea that dogs be taught to be comfortable in them for when the need arises. That was suppose to be the point here .... and what the ladies in my dog group are still debating. lol
I'm with you on the bonding period. For every one of my dogs, young or old, I've taken 2 weeks off from work to get thru the adjustment period. I think because of that I havent had any dog go thru any destructive stages (well, minor stuff with a dog or two)or potty issues. I think they settle in better, gain confidence faster and the boundaries are understood from the start. I've never had a *problem dog* and think this little method has a lot to do with it.
Anyhow .... Mia wants to go to bed. Again, I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. Hope your pup is everything you expected her to be.

 

[Yvonne G]

Well, that kinda' sorta' clears up a little confusion on my part. Am I to understand that Harris is a member of your dog group and made a comment on your dog group? Because when Harris posted here, I looked back to see what he was talking about, and this was his first post in this thread. Was very confusing to me.

 

[Wirewehear]

Well, that kinda' sorta' clears up a little confusion on my part. Am I to understand that Harris is a member of your dog group and made a comment on your dog group?

No, he mentioned it in a PM and thats what makes it worse. It was right after that I started the thread. But it wasnt about that, it was that I was already in a debate about crating.
My thoughts with this thread were more along the lines of *defending* those who crate not to chastise or judge those who dont. Because having to defend the choice of crating is what seems to be happening in the other forum. There are misconceptions about crating just as there are about chaining/tying out a dog or using e-collars. (yeah those two subjects can really get things hopping) Tools can be and are abused, some more than others. But not to drift .... considering the really poor timing and re-reading my opening post, indeed quoting his choice of words, I'm sure he felt I was judging his responsible ownership and I dont blame him.... it was thoughtless of me.
Thats the trouble with message boards sometimes ... hard to be articulate about what one writes and people get offended. I'm usually pretty good about being careful and clear but blew it this time around. I'm going to PM him to apologize but wanted to clarify this 1st and apologize publicly as well.
It is a good topic tho, imo, and hopefully helped someone reading here who could use one but hadnt considered it or simply another idea in developing a well balance dog.

 

[Len B]

This has been a very interesting thread, I do and I don't use crates. right now just one of my dogs uses a crate, because she prefers to,the others don't but would if it was necessary. If we go out they go to sleep,don't eat or drink anything until we get home even though it is available for them.Paige is in her crate,Seven is on HER chair at the kitchen table,and Margaret, Chester, and Rocket are usually close to each other on the floor somewhere. We lost our two old ones last year, Katie was 20 and Ranger was 15. So to crate them all was almost impossible,Our house here at the beach is small. The pic is of Margaret, Rocket and Chester, I think they are well balanced, but as soon as I say that one of them will do something stupid to prove me wrong.LOL .Len

 

[ChiKat]

Kyryah- if only more dog owners were like you!!

When I was younger we had an aggressive dog and we used the crate as a punishment. She became very protective of her crate as well. It makes me cry thinking about how my family and our improper training methods were the reason she was so aggressive and unhappy.
I did a little better the 2nd and 3rd time around. Hoping to perfect it (aka follow your methods to a T ) with dog #4

 

[terryo]

Len, I love that picture. I can't get over how they are on top of the big one. Precious.