What is Crate Training?
Trainers continue to debate whether crate training dogs is healthy or harmful.
'Crating' involves putting your dog in a plastic or metal cage for a period of time during the day or night. Those trainers who favor crating maintain that it gives the dog a space of its own. It is argued that the crate is a home from home where the dog can retreat from scary noises or boisterous children and be surrounded by familiar objects and smells.
Some trainers maintain that the use of a crate makes it easier to potty train as they say that dogs will avoid soiling their 'den' and wait until they are outside.
Opponents of crating argue that containing a dog in a space where it can barely turn around is likely to suppress its desire to roam. They maintain that crating stifles the dog's natural ability to explore and soak up the sounds and smells of its environment.
Opponents argue that crating is for the owner's convenience rather than the dog's well being and does not help in house training. They point to the fact that a puppy is more likely to play in its own waste and soil themselves more.
There are few objective studies on crating but it seems fair to say that within certain parameters crate training is not harmful and may possibly do some good. Locking up a dog for excessive lengths of time is unhealthy, as even its proponents recognize. They recommend that rate time should be restricted to a maximum of two hours.
Some trainers are concerned that a dog could injure itself as a result of its natural desire to escape. Thus owners should ensure that the dog's collar won't snag on anything, and that there are no sharp edges on the crate. A crate should be strong enough not to tip over because of a dog's normal jostling against the walls.
Those who advocate crating say that it is beneficial on car, train or plane trips which can be stressful. Being in a familiar smelling environment can reduce that stress and this view is endorsed by some owners who take their pets on long trips.
Critics maintain that animals fare better on familiar territory and owners should avoid taking them on long trips. If long trips are unavoidable then the owner should ensure that the crate is well constructed so that objects cannot fall in or out of it.
Clearly this argument will continue and owners should exercise their own judgment as to what the effects might be on their particular pet. It is worth giving it a trial period and leaving the door open after a few weeks training use to see whether the dog will seek or avoid the crate.
