Crate Training
Before we get into the “how to” I think it’s worth spending some time on the “why”
I, personally, feel that there are many positives. Things like potty training. So often we spend a lot of time guessing when the pups need to potty. I’ve even heard that people set their alarms to go every 2 hours. I don’t know about you, but I cannot pee on a schedule. I can hold it and I can go a bit early, but that takes bladder control, and a crate not only helps with learning to “hold it” but also helps them communicate that they need to go. Crate training helps a puppy so that we can bridge that communication gap. Puppies need to learn to tell us that they need to go and relieve themselves, and we need to learn what their verbal cues are.
The second benefit is that it helps support deep sleep. Those puppy dreams as talked about in The Sleep Session tells us that that REM sleep is where puppies and adult dogs process what they were exposed or taught that day. If your puppy isn't having puppy dreams, odds are you're doing way too much, too fast, and you're flooding them. Any mammal brain, once flooded, can no longer learn, and everything goes into the junk file in their brains, so it's not overly accessible. The point of training is to do it in small enough steps so that the puppy understands each step of the way. Then making sure the pup is given a moment to process it and have it go deep into their memory banks.
Did you know adult dogs need 12-14 hours sleep a day while a puppy needs 18-20
Another great benefit, in my opinion, is that we start some independence and avoid some separation anxiety. If the puppy can learn to be in a crate by themselves and not following you every time you move, then the puppy is going to be able to watch you walk out the door without a lot of fuss. That shadowing, although cute and endearing, starts to build some fear of missing out and they don't know what to do in the absence of your presence.
I think we would be remiss if we did not discuss safety. If the puppy can't get to things that it should not be ingesting, we're going to have a healthier puppy. I have seen pups that got sick from cleaning supplies or eating the wrong plants, so many retrievers go to the vet to have socks removed from their stomachs. There is a lower likelihood of them destroying your remote controls, shoes, toys or stuffies.
While we're on this topic we may as well discuss this destruction during peak times like teething or adolescence. During teething, puppies can't help but chew on things. It's our job to give them appropriate things. But if we're not looking and we're not paying attention or we are at work, we can't see that they're chewing the table legs. The second peak time for destruction is during adolescence, and this typically comes on at about seven months old. During adolescence, the part of the brain that keeps the information, Like I'm not supposed to chew that, no longer communicates well with the part of the brain that does things. I very often get cries for help during adolescence because they thought their little baby was perfect and well trained. Teenage life is a whole different story, and it needs our support. The best thing, if you've ever known a teenager for them, is sleep, and the crate is going to support that.
Pups that are put in crates when we are not actively watching them are very similar to a baby being in a crib. The bonus is that it doesn't allow the puppy to practice bad behaviors. Things like inappropriate chewing or counter surfing or stealing toilet paper. It. What mammals practice they get good at. If we practice playing the piano every day for 20 minutes, we will eventually get so that we could play something beyond Mary Had a Little Lamb. If a puppy can practice checking the counter 15 times a day, they get very good at it. Then you have something huge to untrain. It is just so much easier to train the way that we want them to behave rather than untraining and then going forward.
With the increase in evacuation orders from flooding and wildfires, emergency crews are greatly assisted in rescuing pets if they are crate trained. You can imagine trying to gather up numerous dogs, cats, birds, fish, with none of them being able to be contained. The chaos makes it terrible for them and greatly hinders their ability to work. It creates literal nightmares of the animals they had to leave behind. With climate change, this is the way that we are going forward. It's a kind thing to be able to help in any way that we can so that the rescuers can get on to the next house and the next dog and get them out of harm's way.
On average, Canada loses 2.5 million hectares to wildfires, but in 2023 we lost 14 million hectares to forest fires.
When it comes to vet appointments for things like spaying and neutering, being crated isn't going to add stress to the pup. Obviously undergoing surgery, being sedated, being in a weird space with weird smells and being away from home most often for the first time is stressful enough. If we can reduce the stress, then the puppy's mental health can bounce quicker and the physical health follows.
The last big point that comes to mind is that it allows us to give space should the puppy struggle with visitors, children or other dogs in the home. At one point we used to put dogs away when company came and then the pendulum swung, and we now keep them out and ask that they be part of everything in our lives. It. Sometimes the kinder thing is to allow those pups to have some space from strangers until they're comfortable.
Next Lesson; Crate Placement