Category: Puppy Stuff, Common Problems ¤
  Author: Val Ellingson ¤
   Title: Using a Crate ¤

Nancy J Sheedy wrote:
> 
> Just one comment about putting a dog that has "graduated" back in a crate.
> WHEN it is put in is the significant thing. To give up the privilege of the
> bed for a crate would be a blow; IMO, there shold be other times, however,
> when the dog does experience the crate, even if briefly.  Vet stays,
> motels, etc., will require that the dog be comfortable in a confined space,
> so we like to keep ours accustomed to the practice.


Good point, Nancy!

Owners ask when their dog will "outgrow" kenneling in a crate because
they don't understand that "a crate is for life, not just for
housebreaking."

My own dogs have taught me so much on this subject!

Our first golden did not have the benefit of early crate-training; he
was an only dog and I was home most of the time during his puppyhood. 
We were lucky - we lost only a few leaves of a plant that hung over the
place where he ususally slept (they would wiggle, he would chew 'em)
when we were gone.  He was easily housebroken and not destructive,
didn't bark excessively, didn't get into the garbage or the closets . .
. he grew up uneventfully without a crate because we were ignorant and
he was good.

When he was a few years old, we added a second dog to our household - a
rescued six-month-old Doberman.  For her, a crate was mandatory!  She
was new to us, pretty wired, and unmannered - she was supposed to be
housebroken but, hey, I wasn't willing to risk the hardwood floors to
find out!  Fortunately, our local Dobe club provided a great deal of
knowledgeable back-up for us first-time Dobe owners, including
information on introducing our new dog to her crate.  We couldn't have
kept her without it!

In the years that followed, we added more dogs to our menagerie. For
five years, I trained Hearing Dogs for a program that housed the dogs
with their trainers.  All of the dogs were adopted from local animal
shelters.  A seemingly endless stream of untutored (but neutered!)
critters passed through our doors, and all of them learned to use
crates.  For the few (the proud!) that made it to certification, a crate
went with each to its new home - for the others, all of whom went to
good, non-working or non-certified, placements, being accustomed to
crating was a big advantage, too.  All of the new owners appreciated
that their new family member had had such useful training.

Meanwhile, our first golden seemed to persist in believing that crating
was for "the common dogs," I think <G> . . . he slept on the bed, he
slept wherever he wanted (remember, he was a good dog and had earned
this privilege!), and the other dogs were crated when we were away from
home.  The few times he was required to be crated, he was clearly not
happy about it, but he endured without audible complaint - just THAT
LOOK!

Much later, when he was nine-and-a-half, he was diagnosed with lymph
cancer.  We opted for chemotherapy, and he lived for another seven
months.  During that time, as we struggled to balance the dosages and
keep him eating and drinking when he was really down, he had long
periods that he was very weak, physically - very shaky and uncertain.
During that time, all on his own, he seemed to change his mind about the
crates . . .

He had always been left loose in the house but, now, he was so unsteady
on his feet that I feared he would fall down the stairs.  I did not
leave him for long, but sometimes it was unavoidable - I got called for
jury duty!  During those times, I would crate him.

We gave him a special crate in the bedroom - no other dogs were crated
there.  When he could no longer safely jump on or off the bed, I would
crate him with the door latched even when I was there - I wasn't
sleeping much anyway, so we both needed our rest!  We found that, even
when he was feeling better, he was returning to the special crate . . .

. . . soon, we saw that he would even choose to spend time in one of the
crates that we kept downstairs in our kitchen alcove for the other
dogs.  All of this crate behavior was totally on his own, his choice -
although we were certainly glad, and tried to reinforce him for it!  Why
did his opinion change about being kenneled in a crate?

We theorized that he had found it much more comfortable, in his sad
condition, than sleeping on the floor and that, because he was so
unsteady, standing up and lying down were just a whole lot easier when
he had the crate around him - better traction, sides to shove off from,
limited sliding - and, maybe, in his case, simply far more dignified
than having to scrabble around on the hardwood floor until your owner
comes to help you.

We have four dogs now, and five crates set up permanently in the house,
two in my van, one for my husband's car, and probably at least six more
crates of varying sizes in the basement for future use, loaning to
friends, and overnight visitors who are dogs (but no guestroom for
humans - go figure!) - plus an exercise pen on our screened porch and
another one I take to classes when I bring more than one dog.

The doors of our crates are always left open when the dogs are not
inside - in fact, two of our goldens have learned how to open and close
(NOT latch and unlatch, fortunately!) their own unlocked crate doors if
we forget to leave them ajar . . . which is very cute.

Our dogs often, I would have to say about 75% of the time, choose to
sleep in their own crates during the day when I am home, just like kids
going to their own rooms to relax.
The two that are crated at night and when we're gone "kennel"
voluntarily and gladly - and they always get a treat for doing it!  The
"loose" dogs often "kennel" themselves.

Our oldest dog is now ten, and has just been diagnosed with disk
degeneration.  So far, he's only had one episode of just mild
discomfort, but our veterinarian suggested two weeks of rest - few
stairs, no jumping, no playing with other dogs.  I was desolate, since
he's usually with me, sleeps on my bed, and now he couldn't even come
upstairs - the dog, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content to be
crated, with the door latched, in his kennel (glad we kept it!) in the
kitchen with the other crated dogs.

Crating has been a normal part of his life since he was born - he has
"crated" himself all of his adult life!  So, the quality of his life, to
him, has not changed one whit, I think, even though we now must, again,
start latching that crate door.  In fact, now that his "resting" time of
two weeks is over and he is allowed to come upstairs, he has "chosen" to
spend almost all of his sleeping hours in an open crate in a room next
door.

And me, the poor owner, obviously suffering from severe separation
anxiety, is forced to get up a couple of times every night to peek in at
him sleeping peacefully - I miss him!

So, I'm going to put a crate in my bedroom again, even though there's
really no space - because I want my dog to be near me even if he can no
longer jump up to sleep on my bed.

And, when/if he can no longer do the stairs, I'll remember what my
veterinarian said:  maybe I can sleep downstairs!  Now, if they only
made VariKennels in my size - 1200?

Val Ellingson
The Family Dog
Spokane, WA