Crating: For House Training, Safety, and Mischief Prevention

By [email protected] | on June 08, 2023

Ellen Pfann's sturdy crates saved her dogs’ lives when she was recently involved in a bad crash.

They come in different sizes and types—airline style, wire, or foldable cloth. They go by different names—crates, kennels, or cages. Some dog owners believe they are instruments of cruelty; others believe they are magic problem solvers. They are neither. Crating a dog may save his life in the case of a car accident, protecting him from injury or from escaping onto the highway. A crated dog is easier for firemen to locate during a house fire and quickly evacuate it to safety. If your dog is relaxed in a crate, he will be less stressed during an overnight stay at the veterinarian's office.

Crating a dog or puppy can be tremendously helpful when teaching house training or preventing inappropriate chewing. A crate can also be your dog's safe haven, which can keep him away from children who pester him when he is tired. However, the crate is used inappropriately if the dog or puppy is crated for too lengthy periods of time, isolated from the family, or if he is crated in the wrong size crate.

Crates come in all types: wire, "airline" fiberglass, and soft cloth. This is one of Alan Ream's Brussels Griffons in an airline-type crate.

When you are housetraining a puppy, crating him when you cannot watch him prevents housetraining accidents. With puppies and adolescent dogs who chew inappropriately if you can't watch them, crating prevents them from chewing your furniture or personal items. Think of it this way: you wouldn't leave a two-year-old child loose in the house!

If puppies are introduced to crates early and in a positive way, they will be happy and feel safe and comfortable in their crates. Responsible breeders usually begin crate training the puppies before they leave for their new homes. Puppies should only be left in their crates for one hour of life, plus one hour. For example, if you have a four-month old puppy, he should not be crated for more than five hours at a time. A puppy can stay in his crate overnight, but if he begins to whine or bark during the night, he should be taken outside in case he needs to potty.

Older dogs may take longer to be crate trained. If the older dog has had previous bad experiences in a crate, the process can take a while but can be accomplished in small, positive steps. If a dog suffers from separation anxiety, it is not appropriate to be crated as he may panic and hurt himself. Consult a reward-based trainer or veterinary behaviorist for assistance with this difficult behavior problem.

For house training puppies, crate space should only be large enough for the puppy to stand up and turn around. Ashton Norris's Border Collie puppy takes a nap.

Provide your dog or puppy something to entertain him in the crate and to help form that positive association with the crate. A food-stuffed toy, such as a Kong™ or bully stick are good choices. You can increase the positive association with the crate by only providing these special treats when your dog is crated. You can also feed your dog in his crate. Not only is this another way to make the association positive, it is a good way to help manage the chaos of multi-dog households and to allow the dogs to eat without worrying about another dog stealing his food.

Crate training a dog does not mean you force him into the crate and shut the door. It should be a gradual process. When training your dog or puppy to love his crate, leave the crate door open and allow him to come and go. Toss treats in the crate. Let him run in to get the treats, but don't close the door. When he is happy doing that, close the door as he eats the treats, then open it when he is finished. Gradually increase the length of time that you keep the door shut.

When your dog learns he gets his dinner in his crate, he will run in eagerly. Coleene Gothard's Nico is waiting for his dinner.

Crate your dog near you as you watch television or cook dinner, occasionally dropping special treats into the crate.

When you bring your puppy home, place his crate next to your bed, preferably at your eye level. The huge change of leaving his litter and mother and going to a new home can be traumatic. Knowing you are close by is comforting for your new pup.

Small puppies should take their naps in their crates.

When your puppy is house trained and no longer chews up bedding, you can make his crate more comfortable and inviting by adding soft bedding and toys. However, when you are house training a puppy, it is best not to keep bedding in the crate or your puppy may urinate on the bedding and move away from the bedding to a dry spot. For house training purposes, a crate should only be big enough for the puppy to stand up and turn around. Otherwise, he will be tempted to mess in his crate. Many wire crates come with dividers to adapt the space. You can buy the size crate he will need as an adult and use the divider to enlarge the space in the crate as your puppy grows.

All of Emily Rose Allred's dogs have safe spaces in her car. Having your dogs crated safely could save their lives in an accident.

If your puppy or dog is barking in the crate, do not let him out until he has been quiet for at least 30 seconds. If you let him out when he is barking, you have rewarded the behavior and he will continue to bark. However, if your dog barks every time you put him in the crate, he is not crate trained. Consult a reward-based trainer to help.

Do not leave your dog's collar and tags on when he is in his crate. The tag can get caught on the crate and choke him.

Crates are an excellent management tool for multi-dog households. Gwen Reichmann's Misty and Josiah are crated to stay safely out of the way during painting.

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