I used to feel pretty bad about kenneling my dogs. Thinking about them locked up all day broke my heart. Until Osa. She was crated from the start, never as punishment, so it became her safe place.
When she turned 2 [“adulthood”] we stopped kenneling her and had no problems for a while. She had abandoned her wire-chewing puppy ways and seemed to lay around or play with toys for the most part.
While Daniel and I were at work, and Maya was over [our friend’s dog we used to dog-sit for], there was an incident. It went unnoticed, but it must’ve happened. There was a power struggle…and Osa [now 3.5 y.o.] won. This event most likely triggered the occurrences of Spring 2013.
Since then, Osa has been crated when we aren’t home, and we are very, very leery of having other dogs over.
But Osa doesn’t mind one bit. The day we brought her crate back out of storage, she didn’t even flinch. Osa is the kind of girl that will follow you around, wait by the closed doors, and practically lay on your legs in bed. I believe that, without the kennel, Osa would be a prime candidate for separation anxiety.
We’ve got our routines down solid. In the morning, as soon as I grab the box of treats, she bolts into her kennel, takes the treat, and lays down. No barking or whining. When I return, she lazily stretches and patiently waits for the door to be opened. No barking or whining.
For the record, this process took months of barking and whining when we rescued Osa. It’s a process that pays off in the end!
When done right, crate-training your dog is a smart decision. In my case, it kept Osa safe as a pup, and now, with her anxiety, it keeps Sam and her safe. If you’ve got a young pup, consider reading up on the do’s and don’ts of crate-training linked above. The article lists every wonderful benefit of a crate – things I’ve mentioned and more! Be fully aware of the commitment you are making. 🙂
I'm glad you crate! Crate training works great for my dogs. All I have to do is say "crate!" and they go to their respective kennels without complaint. They're fed in there now which put a stop to meal time fights. All I have to do is pull out the kibble box and they run to their crates and wait patiently. I know they're safe in there, they won't fight, and they won't get into anything they shouldn't when I'm not home. Crates are great! (He-He. I rhymed)
I can only agree. Freya is used to her kennel. Its her safe place. She even goes there on her own as soon as we put on shoes and she knows we will leave.
Sometimes its just better that way and more stress free for everyone.
We have crate trained our puppy from the start! He knows what "in your room" means and it keeps him from getting in to trouble, and having negative reinforcement. It's alllll positive here 🙂
When I posted a picture on Facebook when we first got Gunner, and it was him in his crate, I had all sorts of Facebook "friends" comment on how I'm a bad dog mom for crating. I told them to shove it and to learn their facts before telling someone they're being abusive towards their dog. Those people are not Facebook friends anymore with me…
Good Osa!
When we adopted Daphne, we decided to crate train her. Unfortunately, the crate we had gotten from a friend was simply too big, and with her still learning that peeing inside is bad (at 11 years old, no one had house trained her!), we had some crate messes. Almost a year later, and she's doing REALLY well. We can leave her in or out of a crate without issue, we're planning to get a new crate for our new apartment (in a new country haha) so she has a "safe space", and she's finally house trained!
It takes a little work, but it's been worth it, and even an old dog can learn new behaviors.