Dog Crates: Tool of Neglect and Abuse

So, you're a dog owner, and you love your pet. You want what's best for your dog but did you know that your actions may be damaging the physical and mental well-being of your pet? It's probable that you have a dog crate. This dog-training tool was bought because you thought it would help towards making your dog well-behaved and keep it safe. Maybe you believed this was true, but what if you knew that keeping your dog in a crate actually made it weaker, less intelligent, and more clumsy?

Keeping your dog in a crate can also change their views of the world, making them frustrated, fearful and less likely to want to spend time with you. Millions of dog owners buy these "dog-training tools" every year, with the best intentions, but not understanding that keeping their dog in a crate is really just like sending it to a glorified prison.

Can Cause Long Term Effects

In a recent book by dog behaviourists, the Lincolns, these experts discuss how keeping a dog in a crate can effect not only the well-being of the pet, but the entire society. Crating did not come from happy beginnings and myths today about dog training and behavior continue to fuel this abusive habit. There are also many long-term effects seen in dogs that have been kept in a crate.

Through their experiences, the Lincolns found that most of their work with dogs was spend un-doing the metal and physical damage that crates had done to these pets. Similar to humans, dogs are extremely damaged by the isolation and confinement of a crate.

18 Hours Jail Time

Dog crates encourage owner abuse. It's not unusual for people to keep their dogs in a crate for as much as 18 hours at a time. It's a lot easier to lock a dog into a crate than to look for reasonable and safer alternatives. If you have a full-time job, you maybe guilty of this habit as well. Think about it. If you keep your dog in the crate while at work, that's 9 hours right there. And, if the dog stays in the crate at night, that's another 8 hours. You may not realize that your pet is spending most of its day in a confined space, but now that you do, it's your chance to make a change.

No To Dens

Pro-crate advocates will try to convince you otherwise. They'll tell you that crates are just like dens and dogs love having their own space. Well, canines are not naturally den animals and don't actually want to spend their time in a den. Even wild breeds of canines such as wolves will only use a den when having puppies. Also, dens are not the same as crates. They don't have doors and are utilitarian, only used for protection in the wild, not in the home.

Other crate promoters will tell you that their own dog loves his crate because he runs to it periodically. This response is driven by a fear of new things, people, or experiences, rather than a genuine affection for the space. Dogs who spend the majority of their time in a crate lack self-confidence to face the world and tend to bond with their crates rather than being able to face humans and other dogs.

Crates Are Temporary Solutions

Truthfully, crating is a poor substitute for the necessary dog training. Many dog trainers who don't want to take on the challenge of actually following recommended dog training methods, will simply use crates as a general solution. However, this temporary fix is just going to make you have to deal with your dog's insecurity problems later in its life.

In short, dog crates are used as marketing tools for companies trying to increase their profits. Not only do they earn the money from the crates, they also share in the income from dog anxiety medications and other products related to dog crate training. If fewer people turned to crates as a cure-all, these industries would shrink.

The good news is that you don't have to turn to crates to keep your dog safe. There are many ways to have a healthy and happy pet with some training strategies and solutions. Do the right thing for your dog and look into these alternatives.