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Crate Selection


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Debating about whether to bother replying - think :banghead: . But I really don't want other readers to think that this view is the only one.

willem said

IMO there is a severe underlying issue if a dog has a need to hide from his pack members
. My 7.5 year old Border Collie would beg to disagree .. he has the option of sleeping anywhere in the house, including furniture, and my bed, but he chooses to sleep in his airline crate, beside my bed. It is totally his choice ... the door has not been shut on that crate for about 5 years, and in fact I took the door off about 2 years ago. Sometimes he gets bullied out of his crate when my 14 year old BC girl decides that she wants to sleep in there. Again, dog's choice.

My dogs travel in wire crates in the SUV .. they have water and soft bedding in there, and on long trips, get toilet stops every two hours ... although they are capable of going longer. The big exception is when they travel across Bass Strait on Spirit of Tasmania ... then dogs are kennelled for approximately 12 hours.

They have soft crates for travelling - the first things that go into our dog-friendly accommodation .. you can almost hear the visible sighs of relief when they see their crates. Again, doors are open, except at bedtime, when I do close them in to safeguard the property.

Rory has his show trolley for use at shows and trials .. and if you ask him, he would definitely tell you it is his safe space, where he can relax. On odd occasions I have forgotten to fasten the door .. he stays in his crate.

Willem is correct in saying that like all tools, crates can be abused. And if the dog has not been trained in the use of the crate, it can be problematic.

With regard to toilet training .. many find it is comforting to both puppy and owner to have the puppy sleeping in a crate near the owner's bed ... then it is easy to hear when the puppy needs to go out, put a light leash on and take the puppy out to toilet, deliver the appropriate praise and then quietly put the puppy back in the crate with a little biscuit, to go back to sleep.

The thing that convinces me most of all of the value of crate training, to the dogs as well as to us, is that we find that dogs, who are supposed to have difficulty generalising, seem to have no difficulty generalising the concept of 'comfy safe place' ... happily going into different kinds of crates without needing to be specifically trained to them. Maybe it's not technically a 'den' instinct, but it sure seems to work well for the dogs, whatever it is.

...as you said, he doesn't sleep anywhere in the house, he's choice is to sleep close to where you are - and I'm pretty sure he would also sleep in a normal dog bed as long as it is close to you. Obviously the open crate is comfortable for him, he is used to it, it is close enough to you, why wouldn't he sleep there?...I can't see that what I said contradicts your dog's choice where he sleeps.

http://hubpages.com/animals/Are-Dogs-Really-Den-Animals

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Debating about whether to bother replying - think :banghead: . But I really don't want other readers to think that this view is the only one.

Better person than I. I just couldn't. :confused:

Thanks Tassie, I was taking Scottsmum's approach despite this being my own thread, lol. I agree with what you have said. :)

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Naaww ... poor girls .... such a shame you need to hide from your 'pack' members. :laugh:

And willem ... my boy does sometimes choose to sleep on the normal dog bed on the other side of my bed ... but ONLY because he can't get into his crate, because Kirra has made him get out of it ... just for devilment, but then she settles down and snoozes in there.

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Crate games rock!!! And snook ...you make such an important point. When a crate is just part of the available furniture, or a training opportunity as in crate games, then there is so much less stress in those situations where there is a need to crate and confine .. such as TSD's situations, or yours when Justice was recovering from surgery.

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My dogs are show dogs so crate trained BUT i would never ever not train my dogs to be in a crate .

So many right reasons for them to enjoy being in a crate .

As for choices depends on each dog mine hated the soft crates as they are more airless plus there a pain for water bowls if that option was needed .

Mind you mine have C pens so can enjoy walking around at shows

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Im a crate lover too.

here's why:

I do believe dogs like dens. The reason is, im on my 4th GSD, and every single one, is a digger of DENS! The crate is a substitute den. They have chosen the crate over the digging of dens.

I go bush camping. The crate enables me to prevent hunting whilst i sleep.

I have nieces, that are cruel to dogs. And parents who dont see how sick n twisted these girls are, putting my dogs in the crate when they visit, prevents me from having to kill them. And i get to live in the community having not murdered my married into family.

I had a ACL surgery on one dog, it required crating in recovery, that she is already crate trained, made this easier for her to do.

Ive had injured animals rock up on property: ive used the dog crate to contain them.

I have multi dog family. The crate has house trained all of them. I dont just mean toileting, but my house is safe from destruction, if i pop them in there when im busy.

I travel to training: there is a secure car travel crate. In an accident, they are secure. Its bolted into the car, so wont be moving.

If we go to stay with people, my dogs can come too. As the crate gets taken with us for this. Makes me more user friendly to people i visit.

I know my dogs temperaments well. They are sound of nerve and temperament, doing IPO. And they love crates. There are many world renown trainers, who extol the virtue of crate training. If Forrest Mickey, Micheal Ellis, Ian Dumbar, Susan Garrett < my gurus all say crate is great. Im with them!

I like the look of the fabric ones, but my dogs would rip those apart in seconds! so have: wire crate, solid metal box with bars to see through at entrance only type, and a cage trailer that can be pulled by a car that they all fit in.

All have taken to crates with the only training required. locked or open, they are at ease in there. Which in turn has me at ease. Priceless when travelling with a pack of dogs.

Edited by sporti
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I like the look of the fabric ones, but my dogs would rip those apart in seconds

Most dogs could do that to a soft crate, hence it is a good idea to train a dog new to crates in something sturdier.

But my dog won't because it's her safe place, and she knows I'm coming back to it.

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My poor mistreated dog has two crates to choose from. The wire crate she was trained in and travels in is the smallest from Vebo Pets. I used the divider when she first came home. Quite often, there is a mistreated cat in with her. She also has a soft crate which she also happily uses.

I like that she settles so well in her crate. It's brilliant at shows.

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Had to buy an extra crate when two year old BC(Not crate trained at that time) kept hogging the puppy's crate. Dog is now 11 years old and still chooses crate.

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