Is "Crating" a dirty word?

  Is” crating” a dirty word? Some people think it is. How could you be so cruel and put that cute little puppy in a cage all alone. Puppy jail is another way some people describe it. Once more people are becoming “anthropomorphic” when it comes to canine behavior. They are “humanizing” their dogs.  Bad idea.

  I am the first one to agree that positive methods in training are the way to go. That being said, for the first two years of a dog’s life, you have to save them from themselves. In the words of Caesar, “rules, boundaries, and limitations”. Every time you interact with the dog, it should be a positive experience for both of you. That can’t be if you have to reprimand the dog or correct him for some wrongdoing. In the dog world, you either condemn something or condone it. There is no middle ground. Let’s take a real life scenario; I just got off the phone with a client, and this is what prompted me to write this piece. His 4 month old German shepherd just ate the bottom of the stair railings. Well if the dog was supervised, that couldn’t have happened. Now the dog has to be corrected for that behavior. See what I mean.

  Now you can’t keep a dog crated all the time. That is just ridiculous. However, there should be regular “play time”. Then you can supervise his exercise and activities. Once the dog becomes mature, usually 18 mos. To 2 years old, than he can have more freedom. By that time he will have outgrown some bad habits that puppies engage in. And your interactions will be almost always positive without having to correct them for doing destructive “puppy stuff”. Too often people make the mistake of expecting adult behavior from an immature animal. Don’t make the same mistake.