What do you think about "crate training" a dog?

Question

I really have been wanting a dog lately. one of the dogs I found on spca said it was housebroken. Then a little further down the description it said it was crate trained. So she doesn't pee in the house since she is locked up all day? I think its mean to lock a puppy up all day. What do y'all think.

Answer 1

Crate training is absolutely the biggest favor you will ever do for your dog.

Here is a WHY as well as HOW article about crate training.
http://www.retrievertraining.net/crate/kennel.htm

Answer 2

The puppy needs to be a 4 or 5 month old before crate training. The crate should be just big enough to stand turn around and lay down. No bigger. If it is to big the puppy/dog will use one end to use and the other end to lay. You try to not leave the dog in there but sleep hours and work hours. You take the dog out every time you get it out of the crate and a few minutes after the pup ats or drinks. This crate as the puppy gets older becomes the safe place. when people or other is happening this is the place the dog will go to to feel safe and should not be bothered there. this crate as the dog gets older will go of with the dog if he/she has a slep over somwhre else cause it is her/his place. The puppy may have an accident or two but will learn quick if you do your part right. If the puppy does not use the crate and you come home/get up and the puppy goes outside then you give a treat. Try to leave the puppy in there for no longer than possible and offer the puppy a walk before returning to crate. You may lock the puppy in for a time out but you do not want to turn this in to the bad corner.

Answer 3

While I would never recommend locking a dog up all day there are some wonderful benefits to crate training a dog.

Some dogs have seperation anxiety and having a secure place such as a crate makes them feel more secure. Also some dogs are very destructive and being crate trained limits the amount of damage they can do to an area.

The thing to remember is that dogs will normally lay down and fall asleep if they are not being stimulated. So if you aren't around they would probably be sleeping anyways.

And if you do crate train a dog you should make sure to give them lots of attention, exercise and play when you do get home. that way they have a stimulating life too and a reward for being good all day.

To make the crate more "fun" you can give your dog bones and chewies to occupy their time.

Always make sure a dog has plenty of room to stand up and turn around COMFORTABLY in the crate or it is too small

getting a bigger crate is better than a too small crate.

Answer 4

I was against crate training for about 40 years. Then I got a hound pup. That critter could literally pull doors off closets. Nothing was safe and the pup was not safe because there was no way to keep her from getting into poisonous cleaning products or to keep her from chewing wires. In desperation I broke down and got the biggest dog cage I could find and she only took a couple of days to get used to it. We put her in it during work/school and left the door open when we were home. It was wonderful and now I'm a firm believer in crate training. Now it is her "house" and she likes to keep toys in it (she's over 2 years old now). If she is in a good mood she'll even let our other dogs sit in it for a little while. She considers it her own private den and no longer needs it but still goes in it a lot. She "allowed" us to use it to train the pup we got last year and lets him think it is his and he loves it too.

Answer 5

No, it extremely is unquestionably not incorrect to crate prepare a dogs. i used to be a style of ignorant people who thought it grow to be incorrect. i grow to be continuously handling my canines destroying my dwelling house and having a complicated time coaching to potty outdoors. Then I have been given a job as a dogs coach and did not have a call with regard to the canines that I labored with. After only one week at my activity I went out and have been given a crate for my canines. It grow to be the main suitable undertaking I ever did. My canines are lots greater advantageous behaved now. i won't be in a position to have confidence I ever lived w/o a dogs crate. I each so often wish i could crate my cat.

Answer 6

Crate training worked for me, but I came home at lunch to let him out. A puppy can't be expected to last 8 hrs w/out going to potty.

Another alternative is to get the pads, put a tarp down, and hook a doggy corral (like a baby playpen) and have the crate hooked up to that with bungy cord. That way they have the crate and can get water and still go potty on the pads. If there is a mistake you just wipe the tarp down with pet enzyme cleaner. I'd also leave classical music on or the Animal channel on to keep it company.

Answer 7

Crate training is great. When I got my lab mix, she liked to chew anything and everything. She wouldn't chew her crate. When we were gone, she would go into her crate. After her chewing phase, she was free to roam around. She sometimes just sits in her crate because she can. It's a whole lot easier to get around the house carrying things when you can just say "Crate!" and the dog get out of the way and sits pleasantly in the crate. Right now she's even in her crate and I haven't told her to go. She just feels safe. It's like a den.

Answer 8

Not mean at all. If she likes it then she feels safe in it. My 2 pits are in crates for 7-8hrs a day while Im at work. Once I get home they are out and free to come and go in and out of the doggie door. But i leave the crates open and they go in them when they are tired on their own. Its a secuity thing for dogs, like a den of their own. As long as its not used as a punishment they will enjoy having their own room (so to speak). Good luck

Answer 9

The crate serves as a dog's home. A dog won't pee in their home, so they hold it for as long as they can. As long as you take them out before they burst, they won't pee in there, as long as they realize it's their home.

Keep the dog in there during the day, but take it out before you leave, and right when you get back. Develop a potty schedule. Their bladder will strengthen, and they will be housebeoken faster than non-crate dogs.

We did this to our cockapoo. She still sleeps in the crate (we have a little bed inside for her), we just removed the door, because she doesn't need to be locked in anymore.

Hope this info helps. Best of luck!

Answer 10

I think crate training is a GREAT idea.....keeps puppy from getting into trouble with things like the trash...electric wires...chemicals.....shoes....pillows.....the drapes....my three small dogs sleep in an over-sized crate at night and are doing quite well....during the day, they're outside in a fenced yard with a doggy hut and a blankey and pillows to sleep on.