Years back, I had a dog trainer-in-training, who told me she didn’t agree with a training book she was reading. This was because it said that in order to properly train a dog, it had to be crated. She was very negative about this professional advice. At the same time, I thought to myself that the writer had made a big mistake by stating, with no gray area, that you needed to use a crate to successfully train a dog. At the time I also realized that, by and large, people are very uninformed about to how to welcome a canine species into a human family and home.
After decades of training and working with dogs at all levels of delinquency, I now explain to students and trainers, that dogs are not only pack animals (which is why they accept our invitation into the family), but that they are also den animals. Dogs are comfortable and feel safe in dens both in the wild and in our home. If you provide your dog a den, it is important that it be cozy by design, approximately 1.5 times their size, covered, and protected by three walls and a roof. When the den space is comfortable, I have also seen children move into the dog’s crate, sometimes moving in with their doggies and sometimes even evicting them! Set up correctly, crates are very comfortable.
Crates are also tremendously helpful in keeping your dog safe. As a side benefit, they also help protect your carpets and furniture from incidental chewing as well as assisting in housebreaking. When introducing a new four-legged family member to your home it is very important to remember that your Home-Sweet-Home requires more than love and nutrition. It requires a bullet-proof plan and a puppy-proofed home. And with the right preparation, priorities, and advice anyone can do it.
Back to the beginning of the story: What my trainer-in-training needed was the experience to realize that dogs need a den, and that CRATES MAKE EXCELLENT DENS! So, while you certainly don’t have to use a crate, it is smart to do so. However, you have undoubtedly heard that some dogs don’t like crates; and that is true. Not every dog takes naturally to our homemade dens (more on that later). And also, some of the more popular crates and kennels are not well constructed and, if not presented well, can be rejected by your dog. For this reason, it’s important to associate the Den/Crate in a positive manner, using cookies (bribes) and gentle guiding techniques so the dog learns to like its’ own special and safe place. A well liked den is good for both dog and owner. It prevents the dog from getting into something that could hurt them when they are not supervised and it also protects your defenseless home from a naturally curious animal! Even if you are home and just need a break, a crate is a good place for a dog to relax and defuse. And this shouldn’t ever be thought of, or deliberately used as, punishment or incarceration. It’s not either of those things. It’s a dog’s personal space and a place they can relax and be safe.
Still, as I mentioned earlier, not all doggies take to their homemade dens quickly. Every so often we will meet a dog with Overdrive Energy, compounded with a Bad-to-the-Bone attitude who believes that no walls are going to keep them from what they want (kind of sounds like some children too…). So, when our Turbo-Drive pup protests confinement, or we have a dog with separation anxiety that panics and goes Hyper-Active, we will need some professional help to teach our dog crate-manners. With this, both Mighty Mutts and MuttMasters can help!
Summary: CRATES are good, DENS are natural and required.