Crate training a dog is one of the most effective and humane ways of protecting your dog and providing them with a safe and secure place where they can be alone. In addition, if dogs are not crate trained, the odds are they will not be 100% reliably housetrained. If crate trained when young, a dog will not be as likely to accumulate bad habits as they grow and they will stand a better chance of becoming stable and reliable companions for life.
The concept of crate training has a negative image with some pet dog owners. They equate a crate to a jail or a place of punishment. Since our pets are family members, our furry children, why would we want to put them in a crate, right?
But dogs, being den animals, don’t look at crates the same way we do. And there are many benefits to crate training a dog, especially if you have a puppy or a young dog and you are in the process of house training. It is not unlike using baby pens for our toddlers. It is an effective and safe way of keeping our “children” secure. In the same way you would never leave a toddler alone unsupervised you should never leave a puppy free to wander around the house where they could injure themselves. Puppies, like small children, need a place they can go when you are not able to watch them, a safe place where they can hear, see and smell you without being underfoot. You will also find that a crate is a safe, quiet place your dog will happily go when they want peace and quiet, to snooze or just to withdraw into their own sanctuary. And when you travel or have to leave your pet in unfamiliar surroundings a crate provides that little “home away from home” for your canine buddy. I have never met a dog that does not enjoy their crate if the crate is introduced into their world correctly.
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