Could someone please tell why why crate training is so popular and what exactly it is? I really cant work out why someone would choose that unless there was no other option (which in alot of cases there are)
2007-06-27 15:46:36 · 7 answers · asked by Hooperkid129 1 in Pets ➔ Dogs
In the wild, dogs burrow or make dens. The crate simulates this "denlike" area. Many dogs - which are anxious and ill-behaved if left to their own devices, will curl up and sleep in a crate. My dog suffers from separation anxiety. I used to not even be able to go get the mail without the dog freaking out. But through crate training, I can now leave him alone in the house, he runs - RUNS - to his crate when I am getting ready to leave the house (so no one can say I am forcing the dog into the kennel!!) and he lies down and sleeps. He feels safe and secure in there. Nothing in the house is damaged, the dog doesn't get into things - which can be harmful to the dog! - and the dog is safe and secure when I am gone. Responsible dog craters do not leave their dogs locked up in kennels all hours of the day - it's not like we put them in there when we are home. Responsible craters leave the doors to the kennel open and many times, dogs will enter and sleep in there on their own!
I woke up two mornings ago to find my dog sleeping in his - he only gets crated when I leave - yet he chose to go into his own kennel during the night and sleep there.
There are now kennel pads so that you can pad the bottom of the kennel (before these things came out, many owners would put down blankets or something) to make the floor softer.
Dogs that are trained to not fear the kennel do not see it as punishment, they see it as their home. Just like - when you go to sleep at night, you go into your house and sleep in your bed! You don't sleep outside on the grass!! Dogs have and need their own "home/safe place" too. Kennels are not cruel when used properly.
2007-06-27 15:58:49 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Crate training isn't cruel. I personally don't do it with my dog, but this is because she's a bit claustrophobic and would be nervous in a crate.
However, it is really helpful to crate train a dog to have a place for them to go during dinner, while traveling, when guests are over, to sleep in. Some dogs actually feel more secure in their crate and will go there when their owners are out.
It is not simply locking the dog in a crate, you train the dog to go into the crate on command.
It is a very useful command to have with your dog, and as I said, is beneficial both to the owner and the dog.
2007-06-27 15:52:40 · answer #2 · answered by Bored. 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Crates can actually be a very good thing for a dog. It gives them a quite and safe place to go. I know that in a household full of kids this can be a very useful thing for a dog. A good place to go where they are off limits. It is also a good way to make sure that the dog doesn't get into anything it shouldn't while you are away at work. Some dogs really enjoy their crates, but a lot of that depends on how they were introduced to one.
2007-06-27 15:51:54 · answer #3 · answered by kmarble4 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Dogs are naturally den animals and the crate is a safe secure home of their own within your home.
Gives them a place to go to when tired or during a thunderstorm.
Gives you a place to put them, for their own safety and that of your belongings, when you leave the house for a few hours.
If you ever have to board your pet, it WILL be crated or kennelled; better to have it already accustomed to the crate so there is less trauma.
Also helps with housebreaking.
My guys are old enough that they are allowed free run of the house when I am home; they are babygated in the kitchen when I leave. Their crates are in the kitchen and they will go to them during the day to take a nap or chew a toy, whatever. Also if they are not feeling well they will "hole up" in the crate; this is often my first indication that they are not up to par.
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/cratetraining.htm
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/housebreaking.htm
2007-06-27 15:49:59 · answer #4 · answered by Karen W 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I had the same reaction when we got our dog, then a puppy, seven years ago. In fact, it helped tremendously. I wasn't so worried when I came home as to what damage I might find. It helped her to know her position in the "pack", it was her safe place. When she was a little more than a year, we did away with the crate but, believe me, she might not have lived to the end of that year without it -- and she really did become accustomed to it. She didn't view it as torture, just part of her life. We still have her and she's a good dog. I think crate training helped us all.
2007-06-27 15:58:51 · answer #5 · answered by Sels 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I chose to crate train our dog as a puppy so that at night when we go to bed she is safe and not getting into our things. I did not want her in our bed she's over 100 lbs fully grown and she likes having a place of her own away from the kids. Also, if we have company they may not want a dog all over them so we put her in her kennel. It's very useful and not at all cruel... We tell her "goodnight" and she goes into her kennel... I have a friend that has lost multiple dogs due to having them run out of the house w/o a leash into traffic.. When she was unloading the car w/ groceries.. Or have lost a dog because it got into something it shouldn't.
2007-06-27 15:57:31 · answer #6 · answered by pebblespro 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Crate training plays to a dog's natural instincts. Dogs are den dwellers and do not naurally choose to eliminate where they eat and/or sleep.
2007-06-27 15:53:21 · answer #7 · answered by mockingbird 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋