Is your dog spending too much time in his crate?
12 Jan 2010
Rusty in his crate
I recently attended a webinar titled “The Use and Misuse of Crates” by Dr. Suzanne Hetts and Dr Dan Estep, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists, based out of Colorado.
Now I recommend the use of crates frequently to my clients, particular to the owners of dogs under 1 year of age. These pups are going through a lot of physical and mental changes as they develop into adult dogs and a crate gives a safe place for these dogs to stay when unsupervised.
Lets face it, puppies can be very destructive, they pee and poop on the floor, and they chew things, particularly when they are teething. Since it is impossible to watch your puppy 24 hours a day 7 days a week, a crate is a very useful tool when used correctly. However, crates can become nothing more than a doggy jail cell if used improperly. One of the most common mistakes when crating a dog is leaving him in there for too long.
