Is it ok to use the dog crate when I'm about to lose my temper?

Question

Hello,

I have been using a crate to train my 5 month old puppy. We use the crate at night and if we leave for short periods of time. I have read a lot online about how it's not good to use the crate for punishment. However, sometimes i'll get really angry when she misbehaves, and I know it's not her fault, she's just a puppy.. So, if she misbehaves, I do not scold her or say anything, I just pick her up and take her to her crate and quietly shut the door and keep her there until i calm down. I just don't want to lose my temper with her and this seems to work for both of us. Is this doing more harm than good?

Answer 1

Yes, I think it's best for you and for the pup to just - wordlessly - put her away. Keep in mind that you must put at least 5 'deposits' back into your relationship when you go to get her out. Ask for behaviors that she can do easily and reward these, and then go back to what you were doing.
You know, many top dog trainers have this problem from time to time. They get upset when they can't figure out something about training and they'll put the dog away until they can figure it out. It's important to not subject the dog to our emotions - after all, they are dogs and they don't understand out anger at all.
Having a mutual time out gives you time to stop, breathe, and think. That makes it easier for everyone, right?
Good question!

Answer 2

I have had allot of dogs and use crates with all of them and my answer is do not put your dog in the cage when she has done something wrong. Even if you do not scold her before you put her in she will think that when she messes or does something you don't like she will end up in the cage. The cage should be a safe haven for your pet - that way she has a place to go and feel protected. I am not sure what you mean by misbehaves - if she is just being overactive and puppy like why not just take her outside for a walk, it will use up her energy and give you some time to quiet down and relax? If it is because of accidents, try puppy pads that you can put down. Pet stores even have a chemical that you can spray on the pads that draws them to it when whey need to do their business. I have some very stubborn potty trainers, try to be patient and remember the crate is to keep the puppy safe and out of danger. Good luck and happy trails with your new puppy.

Answer 3

I tried to crate train our dachshund and after about a month of it not working we decided to leave her loose in the house when we left so the cage sat empty for a few months so we decided to use it as a discipline thing and it works. If she starts to chew something and I tell her to go to her cage she drops her tail and stops what she is doing. If you really want to use the cage for her sleeping area at night and when you are gone I would not use it as a discipline measure. It has to be for one or the other or the dog will get confused. I know how frustrating a puppy can be sometimes so scold her and walk away. Ignoring them hurts their feelings more than anything.

Answer 4

Hi there,
I think as long as you are not "punishing" her it should be okay. How about giving her chew toys and when she starts playing up, put her in the crate with a chew toy or bone (that hopefully will calm her down). But always praise her when she is in the crate, a dog always needs to feel as though there crate is a "safe place". I also think that if it is working for you both than great! I know how challenging puppies can be at times, but they dog grow up eventually (hopefully lol)

Answer 5

Yeah, it's okay if you do that.. What you don't want to do is say " You peed on the floor??? " and then shove them into the crate.. Things like that.. SO that they associate something that they have done wrong, with being shoved into the crate.
But sometimes dogs will get hyper, or just plain bratty and rather than having them getting themselves into trouble, it's better to put them in the crate for a few.. It's good to just put them in and close the crate, walk away without saying a word.. Then all they know is that they are in the crate, and don't associate it with something negative.

Answer 6

What you are doing is a very smart thing! It is better for you to put her in her crate, which she presumably associates with quiet time and good things, than for you to loose your temper and yell at her (or even worse, hit her). There are going to be times when your patience reaches it's limit and in those cases it is best to remove yourself from that situation if at all possible. You can't very well leave the puppy alone and unattended while you remove yourself from the situation in this case, so crating her is an excellent solution. If you look at it objectively, it really isn't different than crating her while you run to the store for 15 minutes.

Answer 7

So long as you are putting her in the crate in a calm manner that is fine. If she is just chewing and doing naughty puppy things you can always distract her with some food and make her sit or drop. Sometimes just getting their attention will stop whatever they were doing naughty.

Answer 8

I think it's better that you put the pup somewhere else (as long as they have a toy or a bone) than for you to lose your temper and do something to really confuse or hurt the dog
you should be proud of yourself for trying to remain calm and to do the best for your pup
have you enrolled in beginners training yet? petsmart has some good classes
oh and this book might help you-it helped me alot:
the idiots guide to positive training
it teaches you how to train your dog without ever having to scold them by way of re-directing and ignoring negative behaviors...your dog learns alot faster and you bond much closer using positive training methods rather than conventional methods!
good luck!!

Answer 9

As long as she doesn't seem to act like she is being punished it is okay. Try to redirect the bad behavior then reward her when she is doing something good so you won't have to use the crate. Also getting her realize that what she is doing is wrong by saying ah ah or something to the effect should stop the bad behavior quickly. Good luck:>)

Answer 10

Yes it is. Doing more harm than good. You are using the crate to avoid a problem. This is in lieu of having patience with your puppy and understanding the problem. A crate should never be used to avoid a problem. You need to enroll yourself in puppy classes so as to better be able to understand your puppy and to apply behavior correction. At this point nothing the puppy does is its fault, it is your fault for not obtaining the necessary education in dog behavior to understand and correct it.