Why ”crating” does not work and is dangerous to your dog.


vizzla

New Member
Dear dachshund owners.

I would like to address this to new dog owners and owners that experience behavioural problems with their dog.

I am a member of the Swedish Dachshund Club and sits on the board of my local club . I hereby want to explain and give you arguments against putting your dogs in cages when you are of to work or during the night.

For starters...
The dog is a pack animal and dachshunds in particular is very dear family dogs and have great need for intimacy and interaction with its pack (your family). As a dog owner you assume that the dog will sleep all night. If you then keep your dog in a cage during the time you are at work so the dog is confined to a very small area for about another 10 hours (estimated that you work 8 hours and then travel to and off worlk). Possibly someone might come home and go out with the dog during lunch.
When the owner then comes home its time to manage the household, cooking, cleaning and helping kids with homework or going to practis etc. How much time do you therfore spend with your dog? What interaction does the dog get and how will it be able to create a relationship to its owner if it never gets to interact? A dog can only obey you if you have built up a relationship and trust. If the dog is alone for about 18 hours out of 24 (even if it is 16 hours its to much time spent without contact), then no such relationship or trust can be acomplished.

Why "crating" makes more problems :
Like all animals kept in cages, it creates loneliness and boredom, both mental and physical problems are common. Dogs are active animals and need to move all the time to build up the muscles and joints, especially young dogs. They need the weight on their skeleton to build up the body and to keep prgans running.

Loneliness and boredom also creates anxiety, agitation, depressed mood and depression that can manifest itself in barking, whining, biting, potty inside the house," defy ", etc.
A human dies without social contact. A dog is also a living creature and moreover a strong pack animals just like humans.

For those who use the argument that ”the dog does not pee where it sleeps ”, this can be countered with ”a dog should not be punished because the owner can not go outside with it every four to six hours” . A puppy has no control over his bladder, it's a natural maturation that has to occur in the body and to force a puppy to sleep in a limited area in the belief that this makes it housbroken is to deceive oneself.

”you could not have a dog in order to work full time if you do not crate it for it not to behave badly (barking or destroying)” so the explanation lies in the text above about problems that you create yourself by leaving the dog alone to mush. Restricting the dog's space is one thing, for example, to limit it in one room is ok, but keeping the dog in the cage is really harmful to the dog.

What is the solution of the problem?
Family members , relatives or friends that are home daily or who may bring your dog to work
Doggy daycare
Dogwatchers by neighbors or business that specializes in dogwalk-buissness
Dog Buddies
Maybe other in your area has the same problem and you can share to watch each others dogs
Young people in the area who leave school earlier looking to make some extra money could be trusted to watch your dog

If you talk to others you may have a solution right in front of you. Its more pleasent to be a dog owner if you dont have to worry if the neighbours are disturbed and getting tired of your dog while you are at work.

Please share and spread the knowledge of this for our dear dog's sake!
Thank you !
 

Nell

Member
I totally agree that too many dogs are left alone far too much. Why people think its OK to get a puppy when they work full time is beyond me, a small puppy needs 4 meals a day and company to provide the love, teaching and guidance they need to develop into happy and healthy adult dogs.

I know its hard if you need to work and like dogs but there is always the option of an older rescue dog and sometimes we just have to realise we cant have everything and its not OK to get a puppy and then leave it.

Like you I too am not a fan of crates for dogs. When I need to leave them my puppies start off in the kitchen with a comfortable bed and puppy pads placed near the back door. They are left with toys and chews on the floor and can move around freely. Once clean and past the chewing stage they are left with the free run of the house and I have never had a destructive or dirty dog.

I know many people with dachshunds argue how important it is to crate train their dogs in case they need bed rest due to back problems. But have they considered how a life of hours of restricted movement could of contributed to those back problems? animals need free movement to be healthy.

I know I have been lucky so far, my dogs have been happy and healthy with no problems, I also know that should one of mine suffer an accident or develop a back problem they may need crate rest to recover. However loads of dogs have had to rest after operations or accidents that have never before been crate trained and this has been managed very successfully with the minimum of stress for the dogs involved.

I am guessing our views will not be very popular with many on the forum and I make no apologies for my view, my dogs are part of my family and I did not get them to keep them in cages.
 

Penny

New Member
I know many people with dachshunds argue how important it is to crate train their dogs in case they need bed rest due to back problems. But have they considered how a life of hours of restricted movement could of contributed to those back problems? animals need free movement to be healthy.
You shouldn't equate crate training with staying in a crate for 10 hours. In my mind, crate training is having the dog comfortable and quiet in a crate, not in there for hours on end with the door latched shut. If you have a puppy, leaving them in the kitchen, with a crate open for them to use as a bed will get them crate trained. It is like a den and they should feel safe in it, not trapped. Many breeders use a crate for momma and babies right from the start so babies are accustomed to the crate as a safe place. Continue with the crate when they come home to you.
 

Nell

Member
You shouldn't equate crate training with staying in a crate for 10 hours. In my mind, crate training is having the dog comfortable and quiet in a crate, not in there for hours on end with the door latched shut. If you have a puppy, leaving them in the kitchen, with a crate open for them to use as a bed will get them crate trained. It is like a den and they should feel safe in it, not trapped. Many breeders use a crate for momma and babies right from the start so babies are accustomed to the crate as a safe place. Continue with the crate when they come home to you.
I think my use of words was probably wrong here Penny, I totally agree with what you say, my dogs bed in the kitchen actually is an open crate. What I meant to explain is that some people use the excuse of "crate training" to shut their dog in a closed crate when they are away from the house.

Here is a picture of my dogs bed in the kitchen.
 

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vizzla

New Member
Thank you. I know its not like this for every dog but for those who live like this its no life! So if we can get one or two to think before they get a dog its going to be a better day for thoes dogs...
 

vizzla

New Member
I dont think there is a good use for a crate at all, no other than for traveling. But I get your point. If you have a crate just like a den without shuting any doors its more like a dog bed :)
 

JPsMOM

New Member
Thank you for this post! I've been looking and reading a lot on the puppy I'm getting ready to get, and the idea of crating that I kept seeing suggested never made sense to me. Your explanation makes sense why it never did!

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Penny

New Member
I have had 5 dachshunds over the years and ALL of them had a back episode. They all had to go through 8 weeks of strict crate rest to get the spinal cord to heal. To make sure your dachshund is crate trained is a kindness. I wouldn't ever want someone not to see the value in crate training. They all recovered the use of their back legs, but for weeks, it was a nail biting time. At least they were comfortable in their crate and weren't stressed out, hurting themselves further.

Georgia, the most recent back episode, which is over a year now.
I did move her kennel around so she could enjoy some sun..



Holding up her back end to go potty. She could not stand on her back legs..


Acupuncture treatments..


Having a spinal cord injury in a back episode, losing their hind legs, losing bowel and bladder control, are a real possibility for any dachshund. The recovery requires being in a crate,for 8 weeks or longer. JPsMOM, please consider it for your new puppy. There may come a day that you're sorry if you don't. Consider it as a smart, proactive, decision.
 

CaseyKC

Active Member
Crate rest is often vet recommended for numerous reasons. About 5 years ago, my Libby somehow came into contact with rat poison, although we have no close neighbors and certainly do not use it ourselves. After a blood transfusion, oxygen therapy, and vitamin K treatments, she had to be confined to her crate for weeks so she wouldn't walk around and possibly throw a blood clot. It is a good idea to get your dog used to the crate, to see it as a friendly, safe, and personal space in case it ever becomes vital to crate her.

Also, in traveling, it is a welcome and familiar piece of home for a crate trained dog when in a strange motel room or when visiting a friend or relative's home for several days. I do not advocate locking up a dog in a crate for long periods of time, unless medically necessary, but it is a really good plan to have a dog used to the crate, just in case.
 

JPsMOM

New Member
I am sorry your dogs had to go through all that. We do have a crate, and we do plan on using it for travel, as well as his open "safe place", teaching him that it is a good thing. I just don't plan on leaving him in it for extended periods of time. We have an area set up for him that he will be able to run around safely while we are away, which won't be long because my job only takes me away from home a few short hours a day.

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Lupita

New Member
When my Lupi went down last fall with her first IVDD episode, I was so thankful she was crate-trained. She felt safe and comfortable staying in the crate, even though we hadn't used it regularly for years.
Crate-training a puppy is essential in my mind, especially for a breed so prone to back problems.
When Lupi was a puppy we introduced the crate as a quiet place where good things happened. During the day it stayed open, out in our livingroom. I would put toys and treats in there for her to find, we made games of her going in and out of it, and eventually we would find her in there napping on her own.
At night, the crate was moved next to our bed. I would shut the door then, so she couldn't wander out and pee. And believe me, we heard her whining just fine when she needed out!
During the day we practiced leaving her inside the crate with the door shut, rewarding her for quiet behaviour. Actual crate-training is a long process, you don't just leave a puppy in its crate and let them cry for hours. We slowly built up the time she could be in there, initially staying in eyesight, then leaving the room and finally leaving the house.
It's true puppies need to move around and play, but they also need naps. We only ever left Lupi in her crate once she was ready for a nap. And we never left her in the crate for more than a couple of hours, except at night.
When she was about 8 months old and housetrained and past the teething stage, we put the crate away and replaced it with a dog bed. Lupi always had full run of our house while we were gone, because we soon found out she did nothing but sleep while we were out!
We moved houses when she was 2, and I had the crate out from the storage room where I'd kept it. As soon as she saw it, Lupi ran straight inside and laid down! That was confirmation for me that it held good memories for her, after more than a year, as a place of comfort.
Every couple of months or so, I'd bring out her crate and let her use it for a few days, just to keep her familiar with it. I had no idea how valuable that would be until her back episode.
Of course I agree that puppies should not be left alone all day, crated or otherwise. We have a new puppy who goes to daycare the three days a week I work outside the home. But you can bet we are crate-training her too, hoping we'll never need it but prepared if we do.
 

vizzla

New Member
If its on a vets order to rest I dont see the problem. What I dont like is crate as a way of keeping the dog for long periods of time, on an regular basis.

I cant leave my dog in a crate as a way of "controlling" them when Im at work. (so they cant chew on things or go inside).

My dog had a back injury, not ruptured disc, and hade to rest for 3 weeks. I didnt put him in a cage, I used a fence instead. But a cage at that time hade been ok too. When thats the only way to make them heal.

Just dont use it as a way of keeping the dog inside the house.
 
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