Wait! Don't Ditch the Crate!

It's that time again - time for a post on a subject that comes up so often in our training sessions with our clients that it's worth an article:

The subject is:  Keeping Dogs Crate Trained...

...or... 

"Wait!  Don't Ditch the Crate!"

In this post, I want to address a big mistake that so many puppy and dog owners make:  

Un-crating their pups or dogs too soon (or at all).

Too many owners view the kennel or crate as a temporary training tool - just to get them through potty training and the teething/chewing phase of puppyhood.

What they're missing is the entire concept of the crate - not just as a training tool for puppies, but as a lifelong tool that is useful for every dog, of every age.

So - why should you keep your dog kennel or crate trained throughout life?  

Here are my top 5 reasons:

1.  Potty Training!  Most owners think their pup is fully potty trained long before the process is 100% complete.  In fact, the AKC notes in their handouts to new puppy owners that most pups have an increase in accidents around 6 months of age, even if they had previously been on track with potty training.  

This is most likely because the pup wasn't fully potty trained, but instead, the owners were supervising the pup closely and paying such good attention, they've begun to establish good habits.  But habit take time to be cemented.

So, if you make the mistake of thinking your pup is 'done' potty training too early, you might stop supervising quite so closely, and suddenly, the pup starts having accidents again - simply because you weren't consistent in supervision and getting them out in time.

Until your pup has gone a full 6 weeks with NO accidents, you're still in 'training' mode - that means you need to keep supervising the pup closely whenever she's loose in the house, and keep using the crate when you can't watch her.  This will help your pup get solid on potty training - developing both the mental and physical control you're seeking.

If a pup is un-crated too early, especially overnight or when you're not watching him, he can sneak off and have accidents - sometimes in places you don't even notice!  So, if you want a truly potty trained dog, keep the crate training going for at least the first year.

But what about the adult dog who is already potty trained reliably?  Well, a crate is still a good place for that dog, because sometimes accidents do still happen; especially if a dog is ill - and wouldn't you rather have the 'mess' contained to the crate than all over the house?  Or better yet, a dog who doesn't want to mess his crate, so whines and tells you he needs out, instead of sneaking off to make a wreck of the carpet in the living room?

2.  Teething - their are actually THREE phases of this stage for most dogs, and having a safely crate trained dog is vital during the 3rd stage.  

Yes.  You read that right:  THREE teething phases - not just two.  The first happens around 14 to 21 days, when the pup cuts its milk teeth, or baby teeth.  

Then, those first teeth begin to be pushed out by the adult teeth coming in - around 4.5 to 6 months of age.  This is when you see a major jump in mouthiness, biting, and chewing on anything and everything, as the pup works its adult teeth into place and loses its milk teeth.

But wait, it doesn't end there!  Most dogs go through a third, and final stage of 'teething' (really just major chewing, and setting of those adult teeth) - this stage generally occurs around 9 or 10 months of age, and can last until a dog is 18 to 24 months (2 years) old.

During the 3rd teething phase, your dog has the strength and power of his adult jaws and teeth, and the restless energy of a teenager; so you can see why it might be important to still have a dog who easily accepts being crated when you're not around to supervise!  Those adult teeth and jaws can pack a punch of about 300 lbs or more per square inch of the jaws...that equals major chewing power - and major destructive power to furniture, rugs, walls, etc., if your dog is unsupervised and is a heavy duty chewer.

3.  Social Status & the Canine Den - for anyone who's gone through my training classes at Front Range K9 Academy, you know that sleeping space is seen by dogs as a valuable resource that reveals where a dog's place in the family hierarchy is.  

 But even more important, dogs who are positively crate trained tend to view their kennels as their own special den or bedroom.  

For some, it's an escape from kids or other pets.  Or just a place to go curl up and take a nap - exactly as you view your own bedroom.  Why would you want to take that away from your dog?  Most dogs need a place to feel completely safe and relaxed - the crate is just this great hideaway.

4.  Travel!  If you plan to travel at all with your pooch - whether just across town to visit your family, or across the country - having a dog who travels quietly and safely in a crate makes everything easier.  

Plus, when you get to your destination, having a dog who readily accepts her kennel and will just flop down and take a nap while you and your family go out to dinner is much safer and less of a worry for you.  

The owner of a happily crate-trained dog doesn't spend their entire visit wondering if their dog has eaten their parents' couch, or soiled their college roommate's rug. 

5.  Safety & Vet Visits - if, Heaven Forbid, your dog is every seriously injured, or needs a procedure that requires him to spend the night at the veterinarian's office, you can be sure he'll be in a kennel of some sort.  

A dog who is used to going into one kennel will usually readily accept another kennel, even if it's not their own.  

A dog who is resentful of being crated, or who panics and tries to escape, or is simply stressed out the entire time is a dog who is a danger to himself, the vet and the staff.  Plus, all that stress is hardly helpful to an already stressed immune system.

But the dog who stays quietly in a kennel or crate without any issues is safer, and easier for the veterinary staff to help.

There it is - my top 5 reasons you should KEEP your dog crate trained.  

This doesn't mean they need to spend every second of their unsupervised lives crated.  Many dogs earn their freedom and can have free roam of the house at night or during the day while their owners work.  

However, even for these very trustworthy pooches, I still don't recommend ever completely ditching the kennel.  By keeping your dog doing some 'crate time' throughout its life, you'll have a dog who travels well, can stay at the vet's without danger, and has a safe den (bedroom) to call his own.

That's it from this end of the leash.

Jennifer Hime is the owner and training director of Front Range K9 Academy in Wheat Ridge, CO.  You can find her at k9counselor.com

Living with Canine Aggression - The Nature of Things

            So it happened… the moment every trainer who works with aggression cases dreads: the phone call, email, or tearful visit from an owner to tell you their aggressive dog had an “incident.”

Despite your warnings. Despite the management protocols provided. Despite, in fact, the training they’ve been doing with you. As you learn the details of the “incident” – which is nearly always some variation of “I made a mistake, I let my guard down, I thought he’d be ok with (insert person, animal, situation)” – you put your head in your hands as you vividly recall that “Come to Jesus” discussion (or three) you had with your client about the dangerous behaviors of their dog.

As a trainer, I can’t lie to you: in that moment I’m really frustrated. I told you this would happen. I gave you my honest, expert opinion that you paid me to give. I provided you with a safety plan. And yet in a single moment, it all went out the window. Why?!?

It’s a question that keeps me up at night. There are plenty of trainers who just write it off as client laziness or complacency, and to be sure there may be a few cases where that criticism is justified. But for the vast majority of my clients, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Most of my clients are conscientious pet owners who love their dog and don’t want him to hurt anyone, who are willing to put in a ton of time, energy and money into helping their dog. They fully acknowledge that the fault of the dog’s “incident” lies with them.

So where’s the disconnect?

While I don’t know for sure, I suspect it lurks in our human nature – those parts of us who want to forgive, who want things to be a certain way, who want to believe the best of others, including our beloved dog. And I think, that part of us that needs to learn certain truths the hard way. I can tell you something fifty times, but until you experience it you don’t really believe it. You might even hear my voice in your head telling you put his muzzle on, but your heart whispers, “maybe he’ll be ok” and you make the decision to give it a try.

And then it happens, and the force of truly knowing hits you like freight train. Your perspective fundamentally shifts and will never be the same again. In that moment, you suddenly understand what terms like “always” and “never” mean to your relationship with your dog. There are no more “what ifs” or “maybes,” just reality staring back at you from the eyes of the dog you still love but can no longer trust. That is the moment when you become the responsible owner of a dangerous dog…but unfortunately that realization often comes with a heartbreaking price tag.

If you still harbor hope for a normal dog… or wonder if safety protocols will really always be necessary… or hear that whisper “maybe he’ll be ok” – you aren’t there yet.

I’ll do my best to help you, but I’m still trying to figure out how to impart to you that for the sake of your dog and others, you have to get there faster.

Don’t risk the safety of others because you love him, or feel sorry for him and/or yourself - certainly don’t risk it because you’re tired, or sick, or think your trainer doesn’t understand your dog. These aren’t mistakes you need to make yourself in order to learn how to safely handle an aggressive dog, but sadly far too many clients do.

When you decide to live with an aggressive dog, it comes down to a very simple choice: Be a responsible owner, or don’t.

Jennifer Pearson is Senior Trainer and Behaviorist at Front Range K9 Academy in Wheat Ridge, CO. She is an Applied Animal Behaviorist (Master of Science, University of Edinburgh's College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine), an animal-assisted clinical social worker (Master of Social Work, University of Denver), and teaches classes in the fireld of the human-animal bond (University of Denver).  Jennifer can be reached through the Front Range K9 website at:  www.k9counselor.com.