A thread (newsgroup discussion) on crating had been going on for some time and I read most of the discussion that I could keep track of with a lot of interest. Now that "Independence Day" (emancipation from the crate)has come and gone for my dog (now 11 mo.), Socca, I have some better formed opinions of the crating experience I would like to pass along to people who wonder how to go about making the transition from crating their puppy to letting her/him stay out indoors alone at home. I had worries at first about going about it, my dog is a high energy and creative in finding ways to amuse herself but now I feel I could have trusted her a little sooner. If you read my experience maybe you will be encouraged in your own situation. I am not sure of the best age to let the puppies out while unsupervised, but I waited until mine was almost 11 months because of lack of knowledge about what to expect. There just doesn't seem to be enough information anywhere on using the crate.
This is just my experience, other dogs might respond differently to the crate. The former owners of our house had an adult Bichon Frise that was crated when they went out and the dog seemed totally at peace in the crate. My dog never took to having the door shut on her but she did use it as a refuge (door open) when she got tired of being around our guests.
I figured my dog would get used to being in it because other people said she would, but she never did. Inside the crate she tore up blankets and anything we put in to make it more comfortable. She barked to be let out when she had the door shut on her and every time we came home she looked miserable and eager to spring free. When we got her, at 6 months she was not housebroken, so that was my original purpose for it. Our vet recommended it.
Later, after she was housebroken I sought advice and was told that until she matured it was best to leave her crated while we were out so that she did not get into mischief or swallow something (she had swallowed a small belt buckle and fabric strips once that fortunately, she threw up later). Since I worked part-time and off and on as a contractor this year she was rarely crated for more than a few hours, but still it made me upset to see how much she seemed to hate going in there and how relieved she looked when I came home to let her out.
Based on my observations of her good behavior while I was home (mostly her having seemed to have learned the difference between her toys and our furnishings)and her increasing sense of confidence and independence, I planned her emancipation. I could not find advice on how to go about this, so I just went with my sense of the most appropriate way to go about it.
First I chose how much of the house I would allow her to roam while we were not home. In that area, which is the whole first floor, I picked up everything in sight that I thought might be a temptation or a possible danger to her (candles, leather slippers, tassels, tissue boxes for example). Then I purchased a new toy for her, a smoked knuckle bone, which she loves. I gave it to her and left the house for just 15 minutes. Of course she was surprised she was not being crated. When I came back she was looking at me in mild surprise (because she had not expected me to leave) and happy to see me, so I gave her a treat and then I left for a little longer. I built up my absences gradually to about 3 hours and each time there was no destruction on her part or behavior problems evident. I had expected maybe a little something here and there destroyed and was ready to accept that, but she was good.
Now, I have also noticed something else. She is as content as can be and hardly seems to mind too much if we go out. She wants us to stay and she bolts for the door to try to leave with us, but she can be pacified with a Kong toy stuffed with treats while we make our escape. Overall, she seems much more relaxed to me since we stopped crating her. She has also stopped getting so anxious over our leaving. When we come home, instead of that pathetic desperate look greeting us, she is stretching her legs, wagging her tail and grinning ear to ear. It is...so wonderful, I am ecstatic. I can not tell you how good it makes me feel to see her like this...that is why I wrote this, for people who might be worried about what to expect when they make this transition.
Every dog might not respond as easily to the change as my dog has so far, but my personal feeling now is that, with rare exceptions, a crate should be used for housebreaking purposes and not beyond puppy stage. Dogs should not be confined against their will for longer than a few hours at a time in a crate. My dog's crate is going in the basement to become nothing more than a place for her to find quiet contemplation, on her own, when we have people over.
Written By:
Birgitte@ix.netcom.com
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