Should I Crate Train My Puppy?
- caytonscaninetrain
- Jan 8, 2024
- 2 min read
Not Sure If you Should Crate Train or Not?
The simple answer is YES! Here is why.
Training For The Future
One of the things I encourage clients to think about when they get a puppy, or are making a training plan for their dog is “What will this dog's next 15 years look like?” Let's lay a foundation and prepare our dogs for what we expect out of them beyond just today and tomorrow. Having said that, during your dog's life expectancy is there any chance that your dog would need to be in a crate? For travel? Boarding? Grooming? What if your dog gets injured and their activity must be restricted? During veterinary care visits? Ect. Those are common scenarios that the majority of dog owners encounter regularly. So if that is the case, then wouldn’t it make sense to train your dog to a crate now, to reduce any unnecessary stress later? Of course, it does, which is one of the biggest reasons I say yes to crate training your dog!
Behavior Modification Plans
Additionally, from a behavior modification standpoint, something dog owners must understand is that you are either in TRAINING MODE with your dog or you are in PREVENTION MODE. Unwanted behaviors such as chewing, digging, and elimination in the house, shouldn't be rehearsed by your dog. So when you can’t be there to redirect your dog off of unwanted behaviors because you are sleeping, showering, or working, preventing them from rehearsing those behaviors is key. The crate is a huge help with the prevention part of behavior modification plans.
Separation Anxiety
Let's talk briefly about separation anxiety. Since COVID-19, more and more people are working from home and forgetting the importance of teaching their dogs to learn to be away from them. This has resulted in an uptick of separation anxiety cases. Dealing with Separation Anxiety can be extremely stressful for the owners and the dogs. Crating your dog allows you to create separation throughout the day and allows your dog to practice being away from you. Separation shouldn’t be a rare occurrence for your dog. It should be part of their everyday life. The crate helps allow you to practice separation.
** Be sure to also practice crating your dog with you in the room as well to avoid a negative association with the crate.* We don't want the crate to only represent separation as that can cause problems later.**
Summary
In summary, whether you crate your dog every day or even a couple times a week I believe keeping them conditioned to being comfortable in a crate sets you and your dog up for success for today, tomorrow and also for the years to come.
If you have additional crate questions or need help with crate training please reach out for help!
~Emily Cayton, CDT
804-512-9069
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