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"Should I crate train my puppy?" (NEW! 1/6/04) In my work as a dog trainer, I deal with a lot of breeds that are notoriously hard chewers - Labrador Retrievers, Shepherds, Rottweilers, etc. I've seen some of these puppies trash a Kong or Nylabone in a few hours. They tend to do the same thing with furniture and rugs and walls and anything they can get a hold of, if they're bored and left to their own devices. A trainer from England taught me a lot about dog training, and he says that for 60 puppies that he supervised at any one time, he only had 5 crates to be used with the worst of the puppies. They did it the old fashioned way - watch the puppy all the time just like you would do with a toddler or young child. Prevent the bad behavior before it happens, or catch the puppy in the act and correct him. Yes, it takes time, it is a LOT of work and constant supervision, but the dog ends up learning self restraint. The dog is an integral part of the family and can be trusted to behave himself. A well supervised and trained puppy doesn't end up living his life in a crate because that's the only way the owner can keep him from doing damage to the home. Here in the US we do a whole lot more "crate training". We take home a brand new puppy and at the same time we buy a crate and stick the puppy in there for many hours every day. That is an absolutely horrible way for a dog to live his life. My goal is to have a dog that is reliable in the house and doesn't have to be locked in a crate. Fully trained dogs do not need to be crated in the home. They should be expected to behave well and be a part of the family. To get this, they need to be taught appropriate behavior as a puppy. Unfortunately, even with so many people using crates for the dog's entire lives, many adult dogs are still misbehaving and poorly house-trained. Everything from accidents in the house to stealing off of counters to chewing on sofa cushions and rugs. So many of these dogs are doomed to spend their lives in a tiny crate, or the owners will finally tire of the bad behavior and get rid of the dog. I've had many puppies, adult dogs, strays and rescued dogs that I've house trained over the years, only one of which (the last one) was crate trained. All of my dogs are expected to be well behaved in the house, without being destructive or having accidents and none of my dogs spends any time in a crate, in fact, I don't even own a crate anymore. Yes, I've lost cell phones, remote controls, and the arms on my sofa and loveseat to one of my WORST dogs while going through the training process, but we DID get there eventually. Even my little Siberian demon dog is totally reliable in the house now. Yes, it would have been MUCH easier to crate train her. I would have gotten the same results MUCH sooner, without having to replace a LOT of expensive things, but at that time I thought that crates were cruel and no matter how much she destroyed, I refused to use one, and worked her through the problem behaviors without it. The only reason I crate trained my last puppy was that I planned to take him to shows and seminars with me, so he needed to accept staying in a crate without stressing out. I realized at that time what a terrific tool a crate can be. Yes, I will crate train my future dogs because it is much safer for the dogs (and my home) and MUCH faster and easier to get the dog housebroken when the crate is used properly. But... my crate training is done in conjunction with teaching the dogs manners and appropriate behavior in the house, and the dog will spend as little time in the crate as possible. Crate Training vs. Teaching Self Restraint I've seen a noticeable difference between the dogs that are crated to keep them out of trouble vs. those that were crate trained in conjunction with being taught self restraint and how to behave themselves. I will probably get in trouble for saying this, but I honestly think that the vast majority of dog owners seriously misuse crates and rely on them to cage their dog rather than working to train their dogs manners! In my opinion, confining any dog to a crate without teaching it appropriate house manners is just wrong. Yes, some dogs (and some breeds) take much longer than others, but they should all get to that point sooner or later. Just one more thought on crate training... if you leave the pup alone in it's crate for a total of 4 hours... that's a total of approximately 12 hours in a crate per day (including sleeping at night) and is quite literally 1/2 of the pup's life! Is that how YOU would like to spend your time?!? Unfortunately, most people have to work full time jobs, and there are no restrictions on how long a dog can be kept in a crate. I have known quite a few dogs that live a majority of their lives confined to a crate that is just big enough to stand up and turn around comfortably. The owners (and even many dog trainers that I know) think that this is adequate - and even perfectly normal - care of their dogs. Yes, the dogs may be resigned to the fate and not complain because that is what they know and what they have been trained to accept, but does that make it right? - Debbie Knatz
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