Is crate training a dog abusive?

[Clarence_Boddicker]

I don't see anywhere on here that this section is species specific, if so feel free to move it.

 

 

I'm pretty much an animal lover & I connect with dogs much more than with cats. I've been chatting platonically with a girl online for awhile. The subject of dogs came up. We're both into rescue dogs. She has a fairly new one. She told me that she keeps it crated (locked in a transport cage) while at work. I had never heard of that before. I had only done that when I had 2 dogs & one was old and feeble. I crated both dogs at feeding time to avoid any conflict or stress. I didn't have the time or energy to try to train the younger one to not be a bully during feeding. It worked out to crate feed them both side by side. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around locking a dog in a tiny cage for a big part of the day. I used to be gone a lot, but my dog(s) had a lot of the house to move around in & access to water. I had tile by the front door with a scrap piece of carpet & if they had to go or vomit, doing it there was not an issue.

 

 

What does the LS population think about crating dogs for 8+ hours a day? I don't want to judge without all the facts, but it seems kinda cruel or unnecessary to me.

[Quiet Storm]

I think it's wrong. I can understand keeping a dog confined to one room all day, but I think crating and chaining dogs is mean.

 

I have a pit and a pit/german shepherd mix and they roam the house freely while we're not home.

[Minnie09]

It's a popular method, and I see it everywhere, but I cannot understand how it can possibly be legal or acceptable. It's obviously cruel to lock a dog into a small cage while nobody's at home. Those cages are way too small and leave no room for them to move around. In addition, a dog needs to be around people for the majority of the time, so even leaving them in the house by themselves is against their nature. Even if they can run around and are not locked up. Why not have a cat instead? They won't care for the most part.

[AppleKakes]

I think it's cruel to cage a pet (cat or dog) for hours a day cuz think about it, in the wild they roam free.

 

-Yes, I read online a lot of stuff that say "crating" is cool and I almost fell for it, but now that I think about it, lots of people think it's cool to dump their kid in daycare - so you can't always believe what people say.

 

But, on the flipside, if you give them free reign of your place (especially if you're renting) they more than likely are gonna chew on something (usually from boredom).

 

When I was in an apt, I'd seal off the laundry room and put the crate in there. So, it was open and she could move around. I even laid pads there. I also left the radio on and a lot of toys. When I could afford it, I'd drop her off at doggy daycare once or twice a week. Not "ideal", but better than locking them up in a crate, IMO.

 

-When I first got her and had a house, I put a doggy door in the shed outside, but she hated it. One night it was raining and she just sat there at the door staring at me and I caved in. I couldn't take it anymore. I don't recall if I limited her access when in the home. Wait, I think I did, same like in the apt - I limited her access during the day to the laundry room.

 

-Now, in my current home, I put a doggy door in the laundry room (considered the garage also for the door) full of the crate and plush doggy beds food and/or water. And, I immediately put a fence around the home as soon as I bought it. I've been so bold to put one of those automated things to serve them food if I had to be away for like an entire weekend

 

Works for me cuz the AC/heat keeps the laundry room well with perfect climate control for them and if they get dirty outside, it stays in the laundry room until I come home and wipe their paws (or bathe in worst cases). They also can go out to pee/defecate whenever they feel like it, run around, get exercise (but you still need to walk them) and be entertained by watching neighbors, other dogs, squirrels/birds/etc.

 

The bad sides? The neighbors. From day one they were starting drama for me and the dogs became another thing/way they could harass me. Mind you, them and the neighbors have dogs who woke me up on the regular with their barking.

 

Anywho, since my dogs can go in/out when they feel like, yes, they do bark. The nuisance laws say continuous barking for 15 min is a violation - but since I'm not home and Animal Control just goes by the complainant's word - I've gotten reported on a lot. I did invest in a shock collar once, but never used it, but bought this little thingy that you can hang on your fence/house and it covers a certain range to send out like a Mariah Carey high pitch that only bothers dogs. So, if they bark, the thing will send out a pitch to train them to calm it down.

 

Also, I heard of thieves who used the doggy door to get into the house, but I put an alarm thingy on the laundry room door entrance, so even "if" they get in there, try to come into the house and the alarm will go off.

 

-One dog, she's funny. She does like the crate. When I'm cleaning the house and have the laundry door open, she goes and hides in there. A couple of times we've left the house only to discover she was in there instead of in the house. So yes, I do believe the crate sorta resembles the holes they dig in the wild to hide in, but still cruel to "lock" them in there for hours on end.

Edited July 17, 2015 by AppleKakes

[LuckyLady13]

She keeps the dog crated the entire time she's at work? Personally, I do think that's abuse and you know what? I have seen it recommended over and over and over and if you hear something enough, you start to believe it's true.

 

Maybe this girl you've been talking to has heard this is perfectly fine so many times she's just believing it now. Maybe you two can talk about this and she can think about how she personally feels about it and not what she's heard.

 

I tried to crate my large breed dog when she was 6 months old but for an hour, not an entire work shift. I got a large breed cage because so many people said this is perfectly fine. Well, I just wanted a short break, that's all. At 6 months old, my dog turned into Linda Blair, flipped the full size crate over onto its side and I felt like I was watching the Exorcist unfold right in front of me. It was over for me right there and then!

 

She's 10 now and doesn't try to eat our entire house anymore so things worked out fine without a crate. Those puppy months in the beginning are tough though...

[Quiet Storm]

My son set webcams to see what they do when no one's home, and all they did was sleep. When they heard the kids come in from school, you see them jump up all excited, tails wagging so fast they're just a blur .

Edited July 17, 2015 by Quiet Storm

[Got it]

I have no issues with crate training and all animal behaviorist I know or have studied accept/promote crate training. Both of my dogs, rescues, are crate trained.

 

The only time we crated for that long was our youngest dog at night. He was not happy downstairs so he was crated in our room or the kids' room while we were sleeping and let out once in the middle of the night as a puppy and that stopped when he got to be more than 6 months old. As he grew we moved from the crate (he is a big boy almost 95 pounds) and had a moveable gate thingie that we could great a pen area in our bedroom for him to settle down at night. At 16 months he was able to be free in that area and will settle down on his bed with a kong.

 

He was crated during the day if we were gone, no more than 4 hours. It was hit or miss with letting him loose in the kitchen as he chewed up the ottoman and the pillows on the couch. Finally at 2 years old he is much better and does not need crating at all.

 

But it is a good skill to have as crating can be necessary at times.

 

For us, when we are at work, if we aren't working from home, or overlapping schedules then the dogs go to doggy daycare. The dogs are not left home alone longer than 5-6 hours still.

[amaysngrace]

I don't know how people can have dogs then leave them alone day after day for hours and hours and that's when they're free to roam a home so of course I think sticking them in a cage all day long is mean.

[anika99]

The first time I heard of dogs being left in a crate during the day I thought it was the cruelest thing ever. But then I read up on it, talked to people about it and came to understand that there are some good reasons for doing that are actually beneficial to the dog.

 

My dog was 6yrs old when I got him and he had never been in crate so I didn't bother trying to crate him either. He is fine to roam the house freely when I'm gone. However I work from home and when I'm working he generally stays curled under my desk on his blanket. It's small,dark and cozy under my desk and dogs actually like small den like spaces. They feel safe and secure. My son has a small neurotic dog who becomes full of anxiety when left alone to roam the apartment freely. He cries, barks, chews and pees. But when he gets put in his crate he stays calm and quiet.

 

All that being said I am a horribly claustrophobic person and therefore can't stand to see any living creature confined to a small space. I practically have panic attacks just looking at a dog in a crate. So I will never crate my dog even though I know it's illogical of me to project my claustrophobia on my dog. Still I don't don't have a problem with people who crate so long as it's not for longer than 5 or 6 hours.

[mrldii]

My ex-SIL was a dog trainer (think the female equivalent of Cesar Milan) and she was a strong proponent of crating dogs...at least at night, while sleeping (which would be for 8+ hours). She worked with her dogs during the day, so obviously they'd be up and about during those hours.

 

 

She would always explain that the worst thing you can do to a dog (and the best way to create for yourself a neurotic dog) is to let them sleep on the bed with you. Most people understand that crates remind dogs of their dens...which is where they go to feel protected and safe, so they don't hate being cooped up like humans would.

 

But what people don't usually know/understand is that in a pack the Alpha male and female never sleep with the rest of the pack; it is another signal as to who is the boss. When owning a dog as a pet, it's extremely important that YOU are the Alpha...so, when you let your dog sleep with you, you're sending him the message that you're NOT the Alpha, leaving him to wonder, "Well, then...who the hell is in charge around here?!? ME??? But, you're always telling me NO and correcting me!!!"

 

~Voila!~ Neurotic dog.

 

 

 

Oh, and just so you know...yeah, my dog sleeps on the bed with me despite me knowing better. I'd rather deal with a possibly neurotic dog than a for-sure neurotic me every time I hear a bump in the night.

 

[Raena]

My dog is a rescue and has severe separation anxiety along with still being a puppy. He's wild if left out of the crate. He paces the house, tears up everything he can get to, uses the entire house as a toilet and is generally a hot mess. When I get home after he's been out all day he's hyper and out of control. I mean it's so bad that it actually frightens me a little the way he acts because he's very very strong and large. But when he's in his kennel, he's calm, he sleeps, he chews his bone and sleeps some more. When I get home he's no where near as out of control as he is when he's left out all day. I do use it for when I go to work. It's plenty large enough for him to get up and move around (which is actually NOT recommended) and he likes it. I don't have to force him in there. All I say is "go to your room" and he goes right in and lays down. It's his safe haven.

 

I'd say it's inhumane to leave him roam free and let his anxiety peak all day long. He feels safe in there so it's better for him.

 

When he outgrows this, and he will, it's just a matter of time, then the door will be left open and the choice will be his as to whether to use it. My last dog was the same way as a puppy and she eventually outgrew the need for it but would still use it from time to time.

 

You can call it abuse all you want, I don't agree. My dog's behavior has improved dramatically in the 6 months I've had him and it's the best thing for him for the time being. My vet said the same thing... you do what your animal needs and he needs that safe place.

[mrldii]

Excellent post, Raena!

 

The second best way to create a neurotic dog, according to my ex-SIL, was to put human reactions/issues onto dogs...they're a completely different species with a completely different language and a completely different social networking structure.

 

 

While it's *normal* to say, 'Well, I wouldn't want to be in a crate all day...that's mean!', that is NOT what it is in the doggy world.

 

 

For instance, every living creature's a**hole itches from time-to-time; as humans, we scratch it...dogs scoot it across the floor. Dogs see another dog they like/want to dominate and they hump it. Should we train our dogs to follow the 3-Date-Rule because that's what we would do?

[Rejected Rosebud]

Crate training a dog is not wrong, it's nice. Dogs naturally like to have their own space; a den. It's good to have your dog feeling comfortable in its crate if you have to travel or stay in a place where dogs aren't allowed to roam around freely. But keeping a dog in a crate for 8 hours ... not so much.

[lollipopspot]

But what people don't usually know/understand is that in a pack the Alpha male and female never sleep with the rest of the pack; it is another signal as to who is the boss. When owning a dog as a pet, it's extremely important that YOU are the Alpha...so, when you let your dog sleep with you, you're sending him the message that you're NOT the Alpha, leaving him to wonder, "Well, then...who the hell is in charge around here?!? ME??? But, you're always telling me NO and correcting me!!!"

 

~Voila!~ Neurotic dog.

 

Oh, and just so you know...yeah, my dog sleeps on the bed with me despite me knowing better. I'd rather deal with a possibly neurotic dog than a for-sure neurotic me every time I hear a bump in the night.

 

 

That alpha crap is outdated, often results in cruelty to the animal, and just shows that "experts" often don't know what they're talking about. Advice about childcare, pet care, healthcare, etc. changes over time. Also, most people who are wedded to the older methods of training and beliefs about dogs will probably never be convinced otherwise.

 

Dog Sense: How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You A Better Friend to Your Pet: John Bradshaw: Amazon.com: Books

 

The first idea to bite the dust is so huge and entrenched that some owners will struggle to adjust. We have had it drummed into us by trainers such as Cesar Millan that because dogs are descended from wolves (their DNA is almost identical), they behave like wolves and can be understood as "pack" animals. The received thinking has been that dogs seek to "dominate" and that our task is to assert ourselves as pack leaders – alpha males and females – and not allow dogs to get the upper paw. (I remember sitting in the back of a puppy-training class with Lily who was crying while the teacher was talking. I got ticked off. I was told she was demonstrating "dominant" behaviour.) Bradshaw has no quarrel about DNA. His argument is that scientists have been studying the wrong wolves and jumping to the wrong conclusions. He says: "People have been studying American timber wolves because the European wolf is virtually extinct. And the American timber wolf is not related at all closely to the ancestry of the domestic dog."...

 

Before he leaves, Bradshaw and I have a tug of war with Lily in which (you have to be a dog owner to understand how cutting-edge this is) she is repeatedly allowed to win. She trashes a toy duck and shreds a rope. It is a great and victorious afternoon – as far as she is concerned. Here's Bradshaw on tug-of-war research: "Dogs were allowed to win tug-of-war games played with a person, over and over again; understandably, this made the dog more keen to play with people than when they were forced to lose every time, but there were no signs indicating that any dog became 'dominant' as a result." He is good news for owners and – there is no doubt about it – Professor John Bradshaw is a dog's best friend.

Why dog trainers will have to change their ways | Science | The Guardian

 

It’s news that should shock and delight dog owners, scolded for decades by trainers and dog whisperers that they must relentlessly assert their dominance over their dogs: Yes, it’s perfectly acceptable to let Fido sleep in your bed.

You can also let him enter a room before you, and you can let him win at a game of tug of war, all without fearing that you will somehow signal that you are the submissive one and he is in charge. Contrary to long-cherished theories, dogs aren’t competing with us for position in the pack, but are largely performing for our approval. And that — no matter what the Cesar Millansof the world would have you believe — is because much of what we’ve been led to be believe about dogs’ hard-wired behavior has been totally wrong.

 

In his densely illuminating new book, “Dog Sense: How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet,” John Bradshaw explains how our understanding has been skewed by deeply flawed research, and exploited by a sensationalized media. In place of the rigid, often violent, alpha-led wolf societies we once believed produced the modern dog were actually cooperative, familial groups. And in place of the choke-chain school of negative reinforcement should be a training program based primarily on the positive.

How we came to misunderstand dogs - Salon.com

[Taramere]

I don't see anywhere on here that this section is species specific, if so feel free to move it.

 

 

I'm pretty much an animal lover & I connect with dogs much more than with cats. I've been chatting platonically with a girl online for awhile. The subject of dogs came up. We're both into rescue dogs. She has a fairly new one. She told me that she keeps it crated (locked in a transport cage) while at work.

 

I wouldn't do that. I think training a dog to be comfortable in a crate for shorter periods is a good idea. Transport - and, for a puppy, sleeping (especially as it helps with house training since dogs tend to avoid messing the area they sleep in). For a puppy in particular, once it's used to its crate then that crate will give it the safe feeling "den like" environment puppies often crave...but again, only for short periods. A puppy needs opportunities to relieve itself during the night.

 

But leaving a dog crated while she's at work? That's something else altogether. My neighbour's son knew somebody else who did that. Fortunately she saw the error of her ways and gave the puppy to my neighbour's son who has the time and resources to ensure the puppy would have interaction with other dogs and with people while he's working. The puppy seems very happy and well adjusted, so I don't think his spell of crate-living during the day caused any long term behavioural problems (she didn't have the puppy for very long)...but it's certainly not a good life for any dog.

 

I had never heard of that before. I had only done that when I had 2 dogs & one was old and feeble. I crated both dogs at feeding time to avoid any conflict or stress.

 

That to me is the purpose of crate training. To ensure that dogs are happy and comfortable during those times that it's appropriate for them to be in a crate (and, for puppies, to ensure they manage night time - though obviously they need to be checked on/taken out for toileting a couple of times during the night). There are certainly valid reasons for dogs to sometimes be crated for short periods - especially when it comes to transporting them in a way that will keep them safe. It's concerning, though, that people are using valid reasons for crating to justify leaving a dog in a crate for long periods during the day while they're out. I just couldn't do that to a dog.

 

What does the LS population think about crating dogs for 8+ hours a day? I don't want to judge without all the facts, but it seems kinda cruel or unnecessary to me.

 

I share your belief that it's cruel. If a person feels that their only/best option for taking care of a dog while they're at work is to leave it locked in a crate, then I don't think they should have a dog. Much as dogs quite like an enclosed den-like space for security reasons, it doesn't mean they want to spend much of the day trapped in it with no means of escape. If the dog likes its crate, then there's always the option of keeping the door off it during the day - so that the dog can go into its crate if it wishes, but isn't locked up in there.

Edited July 31, 2015 by Taramere

[Taramere]

That alpha crap is outdated, often results in cruelty to the animal, and just shows that "experts" often don't know what they're talking about. Advice about childcare, pet care, healthcare, etc. changes over time. Also, most people who are wedded to the older methods of training and beliefs about dogs will probably never be convinced otherwise.

 

Dog Sense: How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You A Better Friend to Your Pet: John Bradshaw: Amazon.com: Books

 

 

Why dog trainers will have to change their ways | Science | The Guardian

 

 

How we came to misunderstand dogs - Salon.com

 

The two animals I bond most with are dogs and horses. With both, it's not so much a case of "I'm alpha over you" as "we're a team, but I'll take the lead for the most part" (the sharpness of animal instincts means that sometimes it's wise to let them take the lead to avoid potential danger).

 

Every day, I meet loads of dog owners in the park. They all vary in their views of how dogs should be raised, what they should be fed on, how "alpha" an approach ought to be employed in training them etc. What they have in common is that despite their varying views on the best approach to dog ownership, they pretty much all have sociable, healthy and well behaved dogs.

 

I know some people need to call the experts in for help, but I think the majority will form a connection with their dog whereby they know better than anybody else what's right for that particular dog. Nonetheless, it's hard to imagine any scenario where locking a dog in a crate for 8 hours a day while its Person is out at work would result in a happy, well adjusted dog.

[Toodaloo]

My dogs would go completely fruit loops stuck in a crate for hours on end. I would end up with very aggressive agitated animals on my hands... a far cry from the dopey mutts that are sound asleep and relaxed with me now...

 

They are perfectly happy curled up on their beds/ behind me on my chair. They come with me get walked in between jobs. They are relaxed, happy, for the most part sociable and usually well behaved.

 

Heck my dogs would go fruit loops locked up in a house for more than a couple of hours with out anyone there...

 

Personally I find that very cruel.

 

Mine have a crate, its in the living room and made up with blankets and pillows and has a blanket over the top. They don't use it much but its their quiet place if they just want to settle and not be disturbed. They go in the car with no problems with out it. When they have an op at the vets they have it then and we pick them up at the earliest chance so we can get them out again.

 

Imagine being locked in a lift for hours on end, on your own, every day... it would drive you bats...

[pureinheart]

I don't see anywhere on here that this section is species specific, if so feel free to move it.

 

 

I'm pretty much an animal lover & I connect with dogs much more than with cats. I've been chatting platonically with a girl online for awhile. The subject of dogs came up. We're both into rescue dogs. She has a fairly new one. She told me that she keeps it crated (locked in a transport cage) while at work. I had never heard of that before. I had only done that when I had 2 dogs & one was old and feeble. I crated both dogs at feeding time to avoid any conflict or stress. I didn't have the time or energy to try to train the younger one to not be a bully during feeding. It worked out to crate feed them both side by side. I have a hard time wrapping my mind around locking a dog in a tiny cage for a big part of the day. I used to be gone a lot, but my dog(s) had a lot of the house to move around in & access to water. I had tile by the front door with a scrap piece of carpet & if they had to go or vomit, doing it there was not an issue.

 

 

What does the LS population think about crating dogs for 8+ hours a day? I don't want to judge without all the facts, but it seems kinda cruel or unnecessary to me.

 

((((((hugs))))))) and thank you It's not right to not let them out. Typically they won't go in their own place, especially one that small.

[Gloria25]

So dogs, before humans domesticated them, spent hours on end curled up in the burrows, caves, tunnels, etc they dug for themselves, right?

 

That's illogical...

 

Sure, they may have their tunnels, caves and whatnot (what we use as "crates" in a domesticated situation), but I'm sure them holding urine/stool and/or not stretching their legs for hours on end is NOT how they lived in the wild.

 

I don't get people who get pets and/or have kids and wanna sedate them and/or dump them off, lock them up, tie them up all day and/or not even take them on a freakin' walk. Get a stuffed animal and/or baby doll that pees when you feed it water if you want the comfort of a companion w/o the responsibilities.

 

No, I'm not the greatest pet owner...and no, while they've taken over my reclining chair, my bed is off limits and bedroom door closed at night.

 

But, the stuff like crating, tethering, not walking/socializing them, IMO, is cruel to say the least.

[sweetjasmine]

Nonetheless, it's hard to imagine any scenario where locking a dog in a crate for 8 hours a day while its Person is out at work would result in a happy, well adjusted dog.

 

It's possible. Some dogs really do best when they're confined, and they tend to be the ones with anxiety issues. Some dogs can really hurt themselves if not crated and left alone, and it's not exactly practical to expect owners to be glued to their pet 24/7.

 

One of the things that I'm noting in this thread is that people seem to be picturing crates that don't even allow the dog to stand up and turn around. That is cruel, but that's also not what you do if you crate train properly.

 

Crate training is important for every dog, IMO. There are circumstances in which dogs may need to be crated, and if they're not used to it, it's even worse and more stressful for the dog. Travel is certainly one of those situations, especially if we're talking about flights. When dogs are hospitalized, it's often easy to tell which ones have been crate trained and which ones haven't. It doesn't do any good to have a post-op dog go nuts because he's not used to being in a crate and he could very well hurt himself. It also doesn't do any good to send a dog that just had orthopedic surgery home and have him running around the house and jumping on things because the owners can't confine him and restrict his movement because "he just won't stop barking and going nuts in there!". I can't tell you how many owners say that. I also can't tell you how many people get mad when their dog doesn't heal properly as a result of their inability to keep their dog from jumping and running around.

 

My dog is crate trained. I leave it set up and open, and sometimes he goes in there and curls up on his pillow. It's his safe spot and his own space where not even the cats go. Nearly every day, he gets left out loose in the house, but every once in a while I need to put him in there. Sometimes I've had to leave him in his crate for longer than 6 hours. Life happens when circumstances prevent you from going home and there's no one in your life who has a spare key and who you can trust to go into your house and walk your dog. If we bring him to a friend or family member's house where we're staying overnight, he gets crated when he's left alone because most of these houses aren't dogproof, and we don't need him getting into the chocolate someone left out or whatever.

 

I'm curious, though, what people think about boarding facilities. What happens when it's closing time, and the staff go home? The dogs stay in their crate or run until the morning shift comes. It's really not any different.

[xxoo]

Crate training can be very kind. It teaches an anxious dog to chill out and rest for this period of time. Crate training was what taught my adult rescue dog to sleep at night instead of barking, pacing, whining, etc. That was 8 hours in the crate, and did her no harm. She no longer needs the crate, but it served a helpful role in her adjustment to a home.

 

I don't see why a dog couldn't sleep in the crate quite peacefully during an owners work hours, if that's what the dog is accustomed to. Most happy dogs sleep when the owner is not home, anyway. As long as the dog gets plenty of exercise and attention when the owner is home, and is free to stretch out and sleep somewhere else at night, it should be fine.

[Tobin]

Nothing wrong with confining a dog to a crate when no one is around, if the dog cannot be trusted to be free inside the residence.

 

I crate trained my dog for the first few months, now she's reliable and housebroken and she has the run of the house when we're not home, but if your dog cannot be trained to do this then yes, the crate is the dog's home, they are instinctively geared to accept it as such, which is why dogs seek out the crate when they feel insecure.

 

On the other hand, there are limits to how long a dog should be kept in a crate!

I wouldn't crate a dog for more than say 6-7 hours, and NEVER in one of those small pet carriers!

 

So there's 3 things I'd recommend for the person who started this thread.

 

1- try to get your dog trained to the point that it can be left alone outside the crate.

2- get a larger crate!

3- pay a pet sitter to come over in the middle of the long days to take your dog for a walk.

 

I thought of a 4th idea too.

 

Consider partitioning off part of the house/apartment with a gate, for example let the dog stay in the kitchen area so they can walk around and have access to food and water.

 

No matter what you decide the dog should definitely have access to water at all times.

[Gloria25]

I'm cool with restricting your pets to a certain area of the home and putting the crate there...like I did/do with my pets. The crate is left "open" so they can get up, stretch their legs, get water/food and there's mats there for them to urinate/defecate on.

 

I'm sure "crating" is successful cuz the poor thing has probably went into depression. Look at people in jails, they, after a while have no choice "but" to get used to being locked up...not cuz they enjoy it.

 

Oh, in shelters? Hello, the dogs have room to walk around in the cage. But sadly they pee and defecate right there. Ever wonder why they give a bath to them before you pick them up and/or won't give you a tour of the facilities?

 

I hate going to county shelters and/or seeing dogs for adoption on weekends like at the pet stores, you can see the sadness in their eyes

[Quiet Storm]

My ex-SIL was a dog trainer (think the female equivalent of Cesar Milan) and she was a strong proponent of crating dogs...at least at night, while sleeping (which would be for 8+ hours). She worked with her dogs during the day, so obviously they'd be up and about during those hours.

 

 

She would always explain that the worst thing you can do to a dog (and the best way to create for yourself a neurotic dog) is to let them sleep on the bed with you. Most people understand that crates remind dogs of their dens...which is where they go to feel protected and safe, so they don't hate being cooped up like humans would.

 

But what people don't usually know/understand is that in a pack the Alpha male and female never sleep with the rest of the pack; it is another signal as to who is the boss. When owning a dog as a pet, it's extremely important that YOU are the Alpha...so, when you let your dog sleep with you, you're sending him the message that you're NOT the Alpha, leaving him to wonder, "Well, then...who the hell is in charge around here?!? ME??? But, you're always telling me NO and correcting me!!!"

 

~Voila!~ Neurotic dog.

 

 

 

Oh, and just so you know...yeah, my dog sleeps on the bed with me despite me knowing better. I'd rather deal with a possibly neurotic dog than a for-sure neurotic me every time I hear a bump in the night.

 

 

What if the dogs sleep in bed with the kids? Mine sleep with our kids and still seem to know my husband and I are the alphas. I don't give our kids a bedtime in summer when school's out, and some mornings i get up for work and all three kids and two dogs are sleeping in the family room. Otherwise they take turns- the dogs are always in a bed at night.

[SammySammy]

Some dogs will tear up your house if you don't crate them while you're gone.

 

Maybe the dog needs more training, but, without that, crating may be the owner's only option.