Pete the vet: Crate training doesn't put your canine in the doghouse

Crate training, when done with sensitivity and awareness can be a really positive experience for dogs who enjoy some alone time

This Doberman puppy is laying in its bed inside a dog cage in the morning during his crate training phase.

Most of us enjoy having our own bedroom: a space we can retreat to, in the knowledge that we will be left in peace, and we can escape from the busyness of the rest of the home. Dogs are no different to us: they love having their own private areas, where they can retreat from contact with others at times when they feel in need of solitude.

There are not many Irish households that are equipped to have a separate room for each dog: there’s enough pressure on accommodation for humans without including dogs in the equation. The good news is that there is a much simpler answer for dogs: the crate.

Dog crates are traditionally metal wire cages that can be flat-packed, by folding down. They were originally designed as travelling cages for dogs in transit. Crates can easily be set up in the corner of a room, lined with blankets, and made available for your canine friend.

My own Labrador-cross, Finzi, has had the same crate since she was a young dog, and for her, it’s “home.” She often climbs inside it for a snooze. At night time, when I say “time for bed, Finzi”, she trots over to it, gets inside, then looks at me expectantly for the dental treat that is her equivalent of having her teeth brushed. 

I shut and fasten the cage door, and she is happy in there until the following morning when I let her out, before breakfast. She has never, in her entire life, been unhappy in her crate. She never barks or whines or howls: for her, this is a place of peace, and she likes it.

Everyone in our home knows that when Finzi is in her crate, she’s to be left alone. No poking, no petting, no tummy rubbing. If people want to engage with her, the rule is that she’s called out of her crate first. She’s always happy to come out, but this way she can make the decision herself: if she wanted to stay in her crate, we would respect that, and we’d leave her in peace.

As well as creating a private dog space, there are other advantages of crates. They’re an effective way of confining dogs securely. As an example, Finzi has, in the past, been guilty of stealing food from kitchen counters, chasing our cats, and chewing slippers that have been left out. If we go out, leaving her free to roam around the house, this is an ongoing risk. I know that if she is in her crate, she can’t do any of these things: she is in a safe, temptation-free zone.

I am a huge fan of dog crates as a tool for managing dogs, but they do need to be used carefully, with sensitivity and wisdom. You can’t just put an animal into a cage, shut the door, and then leave them alone. If you do, they may understandably react in a negative way, with fear and anxiety. And they’ll be emotionally damaged, so they won’t want to voluntarily go back into the crate in future.

Cockapoo or Spoodle puppy crate training. Dogs need to be adjusted to their crates without feeling any pressure or fear that it is a place of punishment. 

Instead, you need to introduce a dog to its crate gradually, with no pressure. Leave the cage door open at all times. Create a cosy bed inside the crate, and offer your dog a few treat-stuffed chew toys. Sit beside them, outside the crate. Maybe you can read a book while they snooze. The idea is they learn that it’s a comfy chill-out place, not a place of restriction or punishment.

You may wish to take other steps to help dogs feel at ease.

Place a plug-in pheromone diffuser beside the crate: this produces odourless vapours that are artificial analogues of natural calming chemicals that female dogs produce when nurturing puppies. Adult dogs are calmed and settled when these pheromones are wafting in the air around them, and the diffusers are a useful tool to help anxious dogs feel less stressed at any time.

Set up a radio or loudspeaker beside the crate, playing calm music: dogs are said to prefer classical, soft rock or reggae. Avoid heavy metal!

It also makes sense to start off the crate training at a time when your dog is naturally tired, such as after a long walk, or a busy time of playing.

After a few weeks of daily crate chill-outs with an open door, you can start to close the door. Choose a time when your dog is sleeping, and only leave it shut for a while. Then you can start to leave the room, again, gradually increasing the length of time that your dog is on their own. 

Eventually, most dogs will adapt like Finzi, seeing the crate as their natural den, somewhere to be enjoyed. And when the door is closed, they don’t see this as a big, bad, negative event. Instead, they see this in a similar way to how they see the weather: the door happens to be closed, just like it might be raining, or it might be windy.

Many new owners (or pet parents, to use that contemporary term) dislike the idea of crates: the idea of putting their fur baby into a bare metal cage seems wrong. Usually, good experiences with dog crates are enough to help people get over this preconception.

An alternative and innovative approach was recently launched in the USA: a dog bedroom that’s effectively a crate with attractive, soft walls and flooring. This can be challenging: many dogs enjoy chewing anything soft. Again, dogs need to be trained to get used to their surroundings before being left on their own.

Does your dog have their own private bedroom? If not, consider getting them a crate.