Every Puppy Needs a Crate? Think Again.
We tend to hold tightly to things, particularly to things that we love. That’s because letting go is scary, and a firm grip feels like a small measure of control in a world where most things are out of our control. Dog parents, particularly in cities, exemplify this “short leash” approach to love. But at what cost?
From dozens of newfangled harnesses to the 21st century dicta that puppies should be crate-trained, we’ve come to a moment in pet care where the messaging about how to care for dogs is often linked to the means by which we confine and restrain them. The problem that arises is that by avoiding risk and inconvenience, parents are withholding from their dog a world of essential and wonderful experiences. More importantly, by restraining instead of teaching dogs, parents are missing the opportunity to establish a deeper bond and relationship based on communication, clear boundaries, and shared fun.
Like most gear designed for dogs, crates have an historical and appropriate purpose – they were developed for safe transportation and veterinary care – but as a society we’ve drifted very far away from what the rest of the world considers to be reasonable usage. Finland and Sweden have even made crate-training illegal. Here in the United States, however, the crate has become so ubiquitous that most new puppy owners don’t even question their use because it is “common knowledge” that crate-training is part of raising a dog. That’s not to say that everyone agrees; there are outspoken professionals on both sides of the great crate debate.
Proponents of crates espouse their use as a housetraining tool and as a way to keep dogs out of trouble when they are unsupervised. They argue that crates are a “safe space” for dogs to “den.” Opponents argue that these cages are a form of animal cruelty and their use affects the psychological well-being of dogs. The truth is that crates can be all of these things: accident deterrents, dens, and cruel. But rather than weighing in on the ideological debate, we’ll use known facts and pragmatism to convince you that in most cases, crate-training a dog is not a good choice. The reasoning is simple but far-reaching: when there is a choice between teaching or restraining, teaching should always prevail.
What do we mean by teaching versus restraining? Let’s look at how crates are recommended for use at home. The first experience most parents usually have with a crate is during the potty-training phase. Instinctually, puppies do not like to poop and pee where they sleep, thus the crate inhibits them from eliminating. It sounds useful, but there are two problems with this approach. The first is physiological: puppies have small bladders and need to eliminate frequently. While a crate might force them to “hold it” for a brief moment, most will end up having accidents, effectively delaying or completely derailing the potty-training process. Instead, puppies should be allowed to pee whenever they need to, and they will slowly develop more bladder control. The second problem is pedagogical: to really understand where it is appropriate to eliminate and where it is not, puppies need to be given a choice. When they pee in the wrong place (the carpet) the parent communicates this to the puppy by picking her up at a slightly awkward tilt and placing her on the wee-wee pad or outside. If restrained – i.e. crated – a puppy will never really learn how to make a choice between where it is acceptable and where it is unacceptable to eliminate.
The same principle applies to crating dogs as a tool for preventing mischief in the home; this is another example of relinquishing the opportunity to educate a dog about good choices by employing restraint instead. Dogs are often crated in the home because parents are worried about behaviors that can be dangerous for the dog and/or destructive to the home. But when we teach dogs what is and what is not appropriate, for example, that chewing furniture is not acceptable, we don’t remove the sofa or prevent the dog from accessing it. We commit to a period of vigilant supervision where pups could chew the sofa or get the bacon off the breakfast bar, and when they make the wrong choice we communicate to them so that they learn. When they go for the toy instead of the shoe, we tell them what a great choice they made and the lessons are internalized. Throughout the process of setting boundaries, we are strengthening our bond and ability to communicate. Eventually, they make the right choices even when we aren’t home; until that point, when we cannot fully supervise an untrained pup, we use a spacious pen where the dog has access to wee-wee pad, bed, water, and toys.
The irony is that dogs who are crated are actually more anxious and in more danger of getting into trouble or getting hurt because they’ve never learned the rules and they can’t always be restrained. When dogs who are used to being crated come to stay with us, we know instantly. We describe their behavior as being like kids in a candy shop. As parents of human children, we have yet to come up with a better portrait of the chaos and mischief that ensues when tots begin to get a little freedom of movement. We think about the time our three-year-old daughter went shopping with Mom at CVS without being plopped into a shopping cart. She found the candy aisle in four seconds flat, took as much as she could carry off of the shelves and licked it all, ran to the checkout to lick more candy, and as Mom nearly had her within grabbing distance, our little ninja threw herself across the counter, crashing into the cigarette display. Of course, this is a necessary rite of passage and part of the learning experience for our kids; they can’t be strapped into the stroller or shopping cart forever. It’s also what happens when crated dogs come to our home and experience being uncrated. Their instinct is to get into as much mischief as possible as quickly as possible before being restrained, and these dogs are not relaxed. They have trouble taking a rest, chilling out, and enjoying family time because they don’t want to miss any opportunity to scan the countertops or get at the garbage or chew up a sock.
Now, one might pause here to suggest that crating is a reasonable option for “untrainable” dogs in order to keep the home and dog safe, but the premise is flawed. Dogs aren’t crated because they cannot be trained, they are untrained because they are crated. We have never met a puppy who, given the proper socialization, communication, and early supervision, cannot learn how to be relaxed and well behaved when left alone in the home. Of course, this is our anecdotal experience, but it is supported by the fact that the United States is the only place where crate-training is the norm, and the rest of the world is not facing an epidemic of destructive dogs who need to be restrained nor do dogs in the rest of the world regularly poop and pee in the home. Furthermore, crates were neither used nor needed by most dog owners until recent decades. This isn’t proof that every dog can be trained to behave when unsupervised, but it is certainly persuasive evidence that on the whole, crates aren’t necessary for everyday life with a dog.
Nonetheless, crate-training adherents often continue to resist the idea of giving up the crate because “My dog loves her crate. She feels safe. It is her den.” The “safe den” argument is one with passionate defenders and critics on both sides, but we think the debate is irrelevant to a final decision. Leaving the crate door open is an easy way to offer what may or may not be a comfortable space for your dog without sacrificing the advantages of raising a dog who can be left unsupervised. Dogs who are uncrated feel safe and relaxed in the home, but they also benefit from a long list of advantages that crated dogs do not. Uncrated dogs have a more balanced relationship with their humans because they understand what is expected of them, and communication with parents is clear because it has to be; their sensory experience of the world is richer and more varied; social interactions are more frequent and less structured; and calm confidence develops alongside the process of learning how to make good choices.
Dogs raised as pets are not wild animals who need containing. They are highly intelligent, domestic companions and aides. At the end of the day it is important to step back for perspective and remember that if we want our dogs to be happy and well-behaved members of our families, we have to treat them as such.