Uses for Dog Crates in the Home

This post is going to focus on the various uses of a dog crate in the home, the primary of which are relaxation, punishment, and management. Understanding the uses of a crate can help you to avoid creating negative associations for your dog, and if your dog was already exposed to crates before you adopted them, understand why they may have big feelings toward the crate now.

While two people have the same wire crate set up in the same place in their homes, the meaning and feeling of that space may be vastly different to the dogs in those homes, which is established by the reason the humans use the crate for their dog. 

RELAXATION

In some homes, crates are used to establish and promote relaxation. They can be a space where the dog can engage with calming enrichment such as licking, chewing, or sniffing or could be a place where you shape relaxation to make it an environmental cue. Associating the crate with naps, overnights, and downtime in the home will help create a space for relaxation as well.

In cases such as working dogs or sporting dogs, crates can also be established as an on/off switch - when the dog is in the crate they are still and resting but not necessarily relaxed, and when they are out of the crate they are working.

Ask questions, join the conversation, and let us know about what you use a crate for in the Facebook group!

𓃡 𓃩 𓃡 Human End of the Leash 𓃡 𓃩 𓃡

Ask questions, join the conversation, and let us know about what you use a crate for in the Facebook group! 𓃡 𓃩 𓃡 Human End of the Leash 𓃡 𓃩 𓃡

PUNISHMENT

Crates can be used as punishment, such as being used to remove a puppy from an environment where they are biting or barking, or confining a dog who has gotten into the trash. 

To be clear, this is not an option I condone or encourage. However, to pretend people do not use crates for punishment would be to leave out an entire section of the conversation. When working with dogs with behavioral challenges, it is important to remember this is one potential use of a crate so you can explore all the motivations behind your dog's current big feelings toward crates. 

MANAGEMENT

Instead of being used for punishment, crates can (and should) be used for management, especially with puppies and aggressive dogs since they are one of the most easily accessible and maintained management systems to keep everyone safe and from practicing undesirable behaviors. 

There is a fine line between punishment and management - some people may feel placing a puppy in the crate after they have gotten into the trash or made a mess on the floor while you clean up is punishment for the puppy. As long as you do not address the puppy with a harsh tone of voice or force them into the crate roughly as a result of the mess, and include some enrichment if your puppy is not trained enough on their relaxation to wait patiently in the crate, then the crate remains management while you clean instead of punishment.