Crate training involves teaching your puppy or dog to willingly enter and stay in a crate for a specific period.
The goal is for dogs to enter the crate voluntarily and relax inside, without displaying signs of anxiety.
Indicators of anxiety may include excessive barking, whining, licking, panting, drooling, or restlessness.
Crating aligns with a dog’s natural inclination to seek out small, quiet spaces similar to dens, caves, or enclosures. Dogs instinctively use dens for safety, security, and comfort. We, as humans, should use this natural behavior to educate our dogs about crate usage. Regrettably, some individuals view crating as cruel and, as a result, avoid teaching this crucial skill to their dogs.
“Crate training early in a dog’s life prevents introducing unnecessary stress later. When older dogs are dealing with illnesses like incontinence, arthritis, or canine cognitive dysfunction, they don’t need the additional stress of learning new rules,” said Kaitlyn Arford in “Crate Training Benefits: Why A Crate Is Great for You and Your Dog” in the American Kennel Club website.
“Crate training helps senior dogs deal with health issues. Crates can provide a restful place for senior pets to rest their joints or take frequent naps, prevent nighttime wandering, and make transporting them to vet appointments easier,” Arford added.
What is a dog crate?
A dog crate typically refers to an enclosed space made of plastic or collapsible metal. It should be spacious enough for a dog to stand up and turn around comfortably. The crate serves as a designated area for the dog to stay in when there is no one available to oversee them. It can also be used as a sleeping area or a safe haven. It is primarily used to ensure safety, offer security to the dog, aid in house training, prevent destructive behavior, and facilitate travel.
The Good About Crate Training
There are numerous advantages associated with crate training a puppy. The most significant benefit of crate training is its effectiveness in expediting the process of potty training. When puppies are introduced to crate training early on, they tend to grasp potty training swiftly.
Beyond its effectiveness in potty training, crates also offer substantial protection for your dog, especially during travel. Dogs and puppies left uncrated or unrestrained in a moving vehicle pose a significant safety risk. In the event of an accident, they can become uncontrolled projectiles, posing a danger to themselves and others. Just as seat belts safeguard humans in car accidents, crates and barriers serve as protective measures for dogs during travel.
Apart from aiding in potty training and enhancing travel safety, crate training your puppy helps prevent undesirable behaviors. Crate training has a calming influence on dogs, and, as a result, crate-trained dogs are generally less prone to exhibiting signs of separation anxiety. When provided with appropriate toys and chew items, dogs become comfortable in their crates and can entertain themselves, contributing to their overall well-being.
The Bad
Crate training is a valuable skill for puppies and dogs, but keeping them crated for extended periods can have negative effects on their behavior and growth, particularly in the case of young puppies. It is common practice to crate puppies for overnight sleep, usually lasting around 8 hours. However, beyond these overnight periods, puppies should not be confined to crates for extended periods. Using a crate to confine a puppy throughout an eight-hour workday is not advisable, as it leads to a solitary existence that can be detrimental to their developing personalities.
Moreover, it is important to note that crates should never be employed as a means of punishing a dog. Instead, dogs should associate crates with positive experiences, seeing them as places of comfort and contentment rather than sources of sadness or distress.
The Unexpected Consequences
In some cases with numerous dogs exhibiting various degrees of separation anxiety, the common factor among them was a lack of crate training. This can lead to them expressing their discomfort through behaviors like whining, barking, and restlessness when confined to crates. On the flip side, dogs that have spent excessive amounts of time inside crates can suffer from a deficit in their personalities. These situations are profoundly saddening, and when they occur in older dogs, they become extremely challenging to reverse.
“Understanding the need for crate training is just the first step, but the training itself is another matter entirely. Make sure to do extensive research on how to crate train your dog, consider consulting a dog trainer if you have questions, and be sure to stick to your plan to ensure the greatest chance of success,” Arford said.
About the Author: Niko Gabriel Salgado is a graduate of consular and diplomatic affairs from De La Salle College of Saint Benilde, and worked at the House of Representatives. He is now an entrepreneur and a volunteer of the animal welfare group Save Animals of Love and Light- Save ALL.