Description
This article is from the Dog
Crating FAQ, by Cindy Tittle Moore with numerous contributions
by others.
03 Proper use of a crate
Crating a puppy or dog often seems unappealing to humans, but it is
not cruel to the dog. A dog's crate is similar to a child's playpen,
except it has a roof (dogs can jump out of a playpen) and is
chewproof. Also, a crate is not suitable for activity or exercise, but
rather for rest. Dogs are carnivores and do not need to be constantly
active during the daytime, like people (as gatherers) do.
If a crate is properly introduced to a dog (or puppy) the dog will
grow to think of the crate as its den and safe haven. Most dogs that
are crated will use the open crate as a resting place.
The major use of a crate is to prevent the dog from doing something
wrong and not getting corrected for it. It is useless to correct a dog
for something that it has already done; the dog must be "caught in the
act". If the dog is out of its crate while unsupervised, it may do
something wrong and not be corrected, or worse yet, corrected after
the fact. If the dog is not corrected, the dog may develop the problem
behavior as a habit (dogs are creatures of habit), or learn that the
it can get away with the behavior when not immediately supervised. A
dog that rarely gets away with anything will not learn that if nobody
is around it can get away with bad behaviors.
If the dog is corrected after the fact, it will not associate the
correction with the behavior, and will begin to think that corrections
are arbitrary, and that the owner is not to be trusted. This results
in a poor relationship and a dog that does not associate corrections,
which are believed arbitrary, with bad behaviors even when they are
applied in time. This cannot be overemphasized: a dog's lack of trust
in its owner's corrections is one of the major sources of problems
between dogs and their owners.
A secondary advantage of a crate is that it minimizes damage done by a
dog (especially a young one) to the house, furniture, footwear etc.
This reduces costs and aggravation and makes it easier for the dog and
master to get along. It also protects the dog from harm by its
destruction: ingestion of splinters or toy parts, shock from chewing
through wires, etc.
A young dog should be placed in its crate whenever it cannot be
supervised.
If a dog is trained in puppyhood with a crate, it will not always
require crating. Puppies or untrained dogs require extensive crating.
After a year or so of crate training, many dogs will know what to do
and what not to, and will have good habits. At this time crating might
only be used when the dog needs to be out of the way, or when
traveling.
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