English Deutsch Français Italiano Español Português 繁體中文 Bahasa Indonesia Tiếng Việt ภาษาไทย
All categories

A friend has covered (with a blanket) her puppy's crate, while he is in it, to curb his barking. It really bothers me. The puppy has become agressive. Has this technique added to his agressive behavior. She says that covering the crate is a thing that is done often.

2007-03-16 02:50:39 · 21 answers · asked by electralite 1 in Pets Dogs

21 answers

check with the rspca sounds a bit cruel to me

2007-03-16 02:52:43 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0 1

as a former long time breeder I still cover mine at night to this day. It does not induce aggressive behavior. Much behavior has to do with the way the dog is treated. If your friend is using the crate as a means to discipline than this could create resentment in the dog thus it can become aggressive. If he is using the crate as a place to feed and bed the dog than this attitude is not coming from the crate.
Covering crates does not suffocate dogs. Anyone who has had a dog that is frightened will tell you that it finds comfort in darkness. Dogs that are afraid of firecrackers etc will first seek a dark secluded area. This is instinctive. Many dogs sleep in bed with their owners under 2 or 3 layers of blankets, they don't suffocate so stating this is cruel is not true at all. The aggression issues usually stem from something else.

2007-03-16 03:57:28 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2 0

It is amazing the different takes on this particular question. I would venture to say, tho that many who believe that a crate for a dog is cruel, also have dogs that run the house. Remember that a dog is still an animal, not a human, and dogs actually feel security by having their own "cave". They don't want you to come into their own space. Now the other side of the coin, is crating a dog endlessly. Thats as mean as dogs who live at the pet store. Now THAT is cruel. A poor dog that never gets exercise, and has its paws on wire around the clock is meaness, and who must pee and poo in their bed.
If this dog you are speaking of is agressive, it is because he is not getting his muscles worked out everyday sufficiently. Every living being must release muscle tension by work or exercise. If not, you find it is released emotionally (incessant barking.) Have your friend look online at Cesar Milan. His methods are excellent and create good owners as well as pets. :) The blanket, itself is not bad if the weather is cold and, as long as the dog has fresh air available.

2007-03-16 03:33:18 · answer #3 · answered by DT 3 · 0 0

If your friend has to cover the crate, then make sure that the door is still open to allow for the dog to have some air. I have a large dog that is crate trained but we put a blanket inside and his crate is in a large walk in closet that has no door. The puppy is barking because it's lonely so maybe you could put some toys in with him to keep him a little quieter. It usually helps.

2007-03-16 03:22:50 · answer #4 · answered by eowyn074 1 · 0 0

My vet gave me a good idea to comfort a scared puppy. Take one of the old clocks (one that ticks), wrap it in a warm towel (straight out of the dryer is best) and put it in the puppy's crate. The puppy will feel like he's with his mother again, which may stop the barking. I've never heard of putting a blanket over the crate, but it seems a bit cruel. Dogs are social creatures, especially puppies, and it seems like it would make things worse to cut them off from any interaction outside their crate.

2007-03-16 03:02:20 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Our dog loves his crate and has no problem when we cover it up. Of course we don't just toss a blanket over the whole thing. We strategically cover the top and either side, leaving the back and front open for circulation, a place to look out of etc.

During the day there is no cover and he knows he'll be getting out soon as we'll be home shortly from wherever we are. At night the blanket goes on when we go to bed and he knows its bedtime and he may as well pack it in cuz he's not getting out till morning. Also, this way we can get up for whatever reason in the middle of the night without him seeing us and confusing him into thinking we're going to let him out.

It's a win/win.

2007-03-16 03:18:16 · answer #6 · answered by symbo61 2 · 0 0

We put a cover (a sewn up bedsheet) that covers three of the four sides and the top. Originally it was just to help keep the dog warm. When I removed it the dog barked and whined until I put it back on. I am guessing it is because he likes to burrow under sheets and under beds where it is dark. As long as it the fabric breathes (we have large gaps in ours on the corners) then there should be no problem. My guess is the cover is not making the animal aggresive, some other treatment of the dog is.

2007-03-16 04:55:35 · answer #7 · answered by rainier 3 · 0 0

That doesn't sound very nice... we put lots of blankets in the crate for our dog in case she gets cold and wants to cuddle up, but never one on top. A friend of mine covers the back end of the crate with a blanket to keep it warm and the dog lays toward the back of the crate (this dog is out in the garage, though) but the front of the kennel is left unobstructed so the dog can see out... that seems to work fine.

2007-03-16 03:05:16 · answer #8 · answered by Jennifer A 2 · 0 0

You shouldn't cover the crate completely this way there is airflow. My dog loves small dark spaces like under the bed so she loves when I cover the crate. I don't do this when it's warm though because she will get too hot. It shouldn't cause aggression maybe the owner just needs to spend more time training the dog.

2007-03-16 04:00:13 · answer #9 · answered by MLE 2 · 0 0

Putting a blanket over a crate is for a drafty home. It is used soley to keep the pup warm. Dogs are cave dwellers by nature and like to have a place they can scurry off to. I leave the door open on mine and my saint goes in there frequently to lie down. She was a yappy one when we brought her home. We would get up constantly when she whined to take her outside. It takes some time but the barking will stop.

2007-03-16 04:01:15 · answer #10 · answered by overneath 2 · 0 0

NO NO NO - the puppy is not a bird. This is terrible. And the only time the puppy should be crated is when you are sleeping or not home. This is abuse. Why even have a dog?

2007-03-16 02:54:27 · answer #11 · answered by kelbean 4 · 0 0

fedest.com, questions and answers