Tips for Proper Use of Dog Crates

A kind of soft dog crate.

Crates are wonderful tools for training puppies, preventing young dogs from getting into mischief and for keeping dogs safe while traveling in the car. One advantage of having a crate trained dog you might not have thought of is that a dog that is comfortable being confined in a crate will be more easily managed in a disaster situation. 

1. Use or recommend dog crates for training, NOT as a way of life.  Dog owners should know how and when to transition their dogs out of routine crating. Spending 8 hours plus a day, 5 days a week in a crate, for 10 or more years is not our idea of a good quality of life for a dog and may develop self-injurious behaviors, be quite reactive, excitable and difficult to train, become possessive of objects, or show abnormal behaviors.

2. Avoid recommending or using a crate to manage existing home-alone problem behaviors until it is clear these behaviors are not fear motivated. Sample case: a owner crate a dog to prevent him from being destructive during thunderstorms, but the dog is always trying to break out of the crate. Using a crate to stop a dog from being destructive when alone is risky.  If the destructive behavior is motivated by any sort of fear – separation anxiety, noise phobias, etc., - the dog is going to become more panicked and quite likely injure itself trying to escape from the crate.  We can’t imagine the degree of terror these dogs must feel that they will actually break teeth to get out of the crate.

3. Accustom a dog gradually to not only being confined in a crate, but being confined when alone. Introduce crates properly to make it the most comfortable and secured territory for pets.

Try PetStreetMall.com's tip on choosing right size of dog crate.