One of the most common puppy training questions is to crate or not to crate?
Well it's a unanimous yes from us, and here's why...
* Once the dog or puppy is acclimatised to the crate it becomes a bedroom for them. It is their own safe little den.
* It is great to be able to crate your dog if it needs some breaks away from children, or other animals in the house. Or if it's a puppy and there is an older dog we're sure the older dog might be grateful of some respite!
* Untrained dogs and young puppies need constant supervision to keep them safe from household hazards, and to prevent them from picking up any bad habits. Remember they are either very young or in the case of rescue dogs, they do not know how to behave in your home. Leaving them loose without guidance might seem like the kindest thing to do but it isn't because you are setting them up to fail.
* Crate training helps with general obedience and toilet training. With young dogs who are not mature enough or established enough to know how to behave around the house crating helps to provide structure to their day and yours. We recommend having a routine. Make time for play, training, toileting, cuddles and in between those times use the crate for downtime.
* Having a dog that is crate trained reduces your anxiety and theirs. If the worst happened and there was an emergency which meant your dog needed to be confined if your dog is not already crate trained this could add to their stress levels. This might include requiring bedrest after an illness or operation.
* Dogs can travel safely in cars in their crate, or use them in hotels when you go away. Imagine how much more comfortable you would feel if you could take your bedroom with you to new places.
*Dogs who have an anxious disposition can become much more anxious when given more space. A crate reduces that anxiety for them.
All of our collective seventeen YorkshireK9 dogs are crate trained. Many of them do not need or use them anymore but we have the peace of mind that should we need to use them the option is available to us.
Some dogs take to crates like a duck to water, and some need a lot more help. Unless you know your dogs intimately like we do we wouldn't advise crating dogs together. We can also advise on the size of crate that you would need for your dog.
If you do require any help to crate train your dog please get in touch with us on 01423 646925.
For more information check out How to Crate Train Your Dog in Nine Easy Steps – American Kennel Club (akc.org)