First of all, it must be understood by everyone that the crate is a useful and necessary training tool and not a punishment for the animal.
This practically means that we don’t trap the animal there to “get rid of it” for endless hours but we use it for specific reasons, within reasonable time frames and after a process of learning with positive reinforcement for the animal has preceded.
The crate must be of such a size that our animal can fit upright inside it, can make a full rotation around itself and can lie down comfortably. It cannot be too big or too small.
And it cannot remain in it throughout the day. Let’s not forget that the animal needs to move, play, urinate and needs socialization with other animals and its family. However, the reasons that make it necessary are the following:
• It is the place where the animal will learn that there it calms down and rests.
• We ensure its safety when it remains alone at home and avoid possible damage (let’s remember that the biggest part of training is prevention).
• Its use will help the animal understand that it must follow rules and limits inside the house (we must not forget that dogs are animals that like routine).
• It helps to eliminate anxiety and stress (e.g., cases of fear of thunderstorms).
• It helps to avoid soiling inside the house.
• It will be useful for us to transport the dog when we travel (car, plane, ship).
• It will be useful to us in case of holidays and our stay in a hotel.
• It is particularly useful when we have visitors who may be afraid of dogs or even during a meal. The dog can remain in the crate without feeling isolated from the others.
• It serves us when we want to do chores inside the house where the dog should not get tangled in our feet (e.g., mopping).
• There are cases where the animal will need to remain in confinement. For example, when it is neutered or in case of illness, it will stay in the veterinarian’s cage for a few hours or even days. Or even in case it needs to stay as a guest in an animal boarding house. If it has not learned to stay in the crate from its home, it will get stressed badly with unpleasant effects on its mental health.
• It is indicated in cases where there are two animals in the house and they don’t get along very well with each other or we want for some other reason to stay away for a while (e.g., health reasons, or calming of the animals).
However, we should know that the use of the crate cannot exceed three to four hours a day. The exception is the night sleep where the dog can and should be in its “nest”.
The crate must be placed in such a point, so that there is visibility from us to it and from the dog to us. The place must have natural lighting and be without drafts. It must also be in a cool place in summer and near heating in winter.
The crate must be combined with positive associations for the animal. There we can have its bed, feed it, have its water, give it treats or even have one of its toys.
So as we understand the crate is not a prison, it is not a confinement space that can be used all day and it is not and should not be used as a punishment for the animal.
On the contrary, it is a space that helps in the smooth coexistence of family and animal and will be useful to us in many cases.
Finally, we must not forget that animals in nature live in nests. In our next article we will deal with the way of teaching the dog about the crate.
Giorgis
