Dog Crates - Are they a good idea?

Re: Dog Crates - Are they a good idea?

Stella Skelton RVN — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 11:20:48 GMT

Hey,

I put my puppy in there from the start and he never minded it. When i first brought him home he whined the first 3-4 nights and we had the crate outside our bedroom initially and then moved it downstairs after a week. He got used to it pretty quickly and we ALWAYS ignored the whining...never do or say anything as it will re-inforce the behaviour (as previously mentioned).

He would also go in there voluntarily for naps. We also fed him and put toys in there for him too.

Good luck...

Re: Dog Crates - Are they a good idea?

Sandra Taylor RVN, MBVNA — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 23:12:11 GMT

My dogs and cats all juggle for space in the crate! they all love it, it's always been a happy place, never a punishment, always something good happening when in the crate..ie fed ,toys fuss etc, mine love it!

Re: Dog Crates - Are they a good idea?

Sian Pasquale — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 17:42:34 GMT

Hey, I agree with all the above info and I would also reccomend a feeding ball for breakfast and dinner to lenghthen the feeding period and keep her occupied when you need to go out, I was chatting to the rep at congress and they now do buster balls in varying stages so you'd get one that realises food every 2 turns then progress to one that realises every 6 turns then when they are used to that progress to 32 turn ball..so it will keep them going all day! This will obviously only work if dog is food motivated.

Concerning the noise at night..any attention that you give her whether positive or negative is going to reinforce the behaviour, you really need to ignore her and only go downstairs when she is quiet. It may be neccessary to stay up as late as possible at night and get up as early as possible in morning for a little while and gradually leave her longer and longer until she accustoms.

Good luck!

Re: Dog Crates - Are they a good idea?

shell30984 — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 16:40:31 GMT

Thanks. all of those replies have made me think :)

I will more than likely go out tonight/tomorrow to get one.

She is on zylkene, and the DAP collar is going on later.

One thing though....which is confusing me....when she barks/cries at night, should we tell her off or just ignore it??? (sorry this whole dog Owning thing is so new to me - i no exactly what to tell a client, but its so different when its your own animal lol)

Re: Dog Crates - Are they a good idea?

Saz jam — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 16:30:22 GMT

Hi,

Crates are brilliant, but like previous posts have said never use them as punishment. I have a 4.5 month old puppy and we feed her in there and leave the door open all the time apart from at night when we close it, we did take time to building up to closing the door at night and now she's fine. She loves her crate and uses it as a little den, she takes any chews or new toys straight to the crate and quite happily goes in and out of it to play and hide from the cat! Another good tip is to make sure the whole crate is covered in bedding or there will more likely to be accidents.

As yours is older and a rescue things like DAP and Zylkene will also help, it is also worth seeing how he reacts in a crate or a kennel, as a client at work had a rescue who was a terrible cage guarder and it transpired he had been kept in a crate in his previous home all day and the children were allowed to pester and annoy him while he was in. It is important that your dog feels safe in its crate.

Hope this helps

Re: Dog Crates - Are they a good idea?

Anonymous — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 15:23:25 GMT

We used a crate for my rescue dog when we first got him. Luckily no real separation issues, but it seemed to help him settle knowing that he had his own space in the house. Like others have mentioned he would put himself in there for naps etc, and was happy to settle in there at night and when we went out

Jenny x

Re: Dog Crates - Are they a good idea?

Sally Howe — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 14:48:59 GMT

All of my dogs have crates, the cats use their crates too!!

At about 10.30pm they put themselves to bed with their chosen teddy and are usually snoring like a pig by 10.40pm.

It's their area that they know they won't be disturbed if they wants some time out.

Re: Dog Crates - Are they a good idea?

Donna France — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 14:34:53 GMT

When i rehomed my dog a year ago I had a few seperation and anixety issues with her and I had amazing success with Zylkene, it really chilled her out and with positive training it didnt take her long at all to settle in. I left the radio on and used baby gates instead of closing doors so she didnt feel locked away.

try not to make a fuss when leaving the house, very hard I know! im sure she will settle in quickly.

Im afraid i cant offer any advice on the crate but im sure you will get some advice from other people on here

Good luck!

Re: Dog Crates - Are they a good idea?

Nicola Smith — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 14:22:24 GMT

I think they are a good idea but only when used properly. Dogs need to be accustomed to them and should view them as 'their space' and they should never be used as a punishment. You should not lock a dog in one which is not used to it. My dog has had one since he was a puppy and it really helped with toilet training and he still loves his space now. If you are introdcusing one to an older dog it may take longer to get used to it than a puppy.

In response to the original post If the dog is suffering from anxiety problems these need to be worked on with a properly structured programme, and a DAP diffuser or collar may help the settling in period too. Good luck!

Re: Dog Crates - Are they a good idea?

Forlan — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 14:02:59 GMT

Where I work (dog day care and training centre) they advocate crate training, only if done properly. However, I too would like to hear the general opinion as I am considering getting one for my new rescue dog as well.