I remember a time when I thought crating dogs was a little cruel. Then one night I went to a party at some friends’ house, and I spotted their dog in her crate in a mini-office off of the kitchen. The crate door was open, and I said, “Do you mean she goes in there and stays there willingly instead of begging all your guests for ear rubs and snacks?” And I was assured that she loved her crate. I didn’t quite believe it.
Then Margot came to us crate-trained from her foster home. We got a crate because that’s what she was used to, and she not only went in there willingly any time we asked, but also chose to take naps there. When Guinness came a few months later, Margot trained her to use a second crate. Guinness doesn’t use the crate quite as often as Margot, but she never argues about going in it and sometimes actually chooses it over all the other cozy places she can nap.
Now I’m an enthusiastic advocate of crates. Used correctly–NEVER for punishment or discipline–they help prevent mishaps and provide dogs a sense of a secure space that belongs only to them. (And if you use a crate, please remember to remove a collar if you’re going to close your dog up unsupervised.)
The first photo makes it look like Margot’s crate may be too small for her, but it’s actually the right size. Your dog should be able to stand up in the crate and turn around (three times in a circle, of course) comfortably.
To the best of my knowledge, Greta has never been crate-trained. She has several special dog pillows in her own home placed strategically throughout the house and on the patio for her comfort. But today, she started trying to go in either Margot’s or Guinness’s crate, and she’s just too big.
So Tim set up River’s crate (Rex came with his own from his former family, and it’s set up at Tim’s, of course) in the Home Office, and I put Greta’s pillow in there. It’s a little too spacious for her (River was a larger dog), but I think she likes it. She may be going home with some demands in a few days…
