There is still a lot of debate among pet owners as to whether crate training dogs is a good idea. Crating, if you’re unfamiliar with the term, is the practice of placing your dog in a cage for a period of time during the day or night. The cage is generally made from metal or plastic and is very small ” barely large enough for the dog to turn around in.

The proponents of crate training maintain that a dog which has been crate trained is easier to housebreak, since crating a dog teaches them to hold off on elimination until they are allowed outside. Since animals instinctively are reluctant to do this in the place where they lie down, the thinking goes, this helps to speed along housebreaking. They also point to crates as a place which a dog can consider as its own private space where it can escape from the antics of children in the household and be comforted by its familiar smell.

There are of course crate training detractors as well. Their view is that restricting a dog’s movement by keeping it in a cage which offers barely enough room to turn around robs dogs of the opportunity to act on their natural inclination to roam and explore its surroundings.

The no-crating crowd point to those instances where puppies will go ahead and soil themselves while in the crate, despite the arguments made by the proponents of crate training. They make the argument that crate training is really more about the owner’s convenience than it is the best interests of their pet.

Both sides want only the best for their pets and the arguments made by both sides have merit. There has been some research into crate training, but there is no hard and fast answer, other than that if done with care and common sense crate training can be beneficial to some dogs and has no ill effect.

Of course, common sense has to be exercised. Keeping your pet in a cage for many hours on end is not healthy for your dog. Four hours is the maximum length of time you should crate your dog. Keeping your dog cooped up longer than this is a serious strain on their ability to hold back from eliminating and of course, most dogs are far too active to be happy sitting still for this long.

There is also the concern that a caged dog can accidentally injure itself. It’s important to make sure that the dog’s collar will not snag on the cage and that the cage is free of sharp edges, as well as that the cage is sturdy enough not to tip over or break when pushed by your dog.

Pets which are accustomed to the crate do however tend to travel better than do others. Since they are already accustomed to spending time in close quarters, they’ll be far calmer when traveling.

Another school of thought holds that pets should be left at home while their owners travel anyway. However, if it is necessary to travel with your pet, use a well built crate which prevents any foreign objects getting in, as well as falling out.

While this is an argument which is unlikely to be settled anytime soon, both sides make good points. Pet owners should decide for themselves ” but why not let your dog have a vote too? Try crating them for a few weeks, then leaving the crate open. Your dog will let you know how they feel about things by avoiding the crate or actively seeking it out.

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