Golden Retrievers Speak: To Crate Or Not to Crate

Josh:    I was brought into this house the day before my mommy needed to finish up all of her Christmas shopping.  Suffice to say, I was going to be home for hours by myself.   My parents had not yet purchased a crate (they did it that day), so I was given access to most of the house on my first full day of living here.  This could have been a disaster, as I am a Golden Retriever and we can get quite bored very quickly.    Thankfully (for them), I didn’t get into any mischief at all. Nothing was broken, nothing was eaten, and I didn’t have any accidents.

Jeter:   That is quite amazing!   When I first came home, they had a crate all ready for me – I was going to be a crate trained dog.   I would spend many nights inside my crate, and I was enthusiastic about going in it to go to sleep at night.  It became a part of my routine….

Josh:   They never did get around to actually crate training me.   To be exact, daddy took the crate out of the box and placed it on the floor.   The next morning, I proceeded to pee all over it.     I guess that was the end of that experiment.   They were very lucky with me.    I wasn’t a destructive dog when I was bored – at least not INSIDE the house.

Jeter:     You will likely forever be the only dog they have that was never crate trained….

Alanis:  I came to this house crate-trained.      Daddy made the big mistake, however, of going food shopping without putting me in my crate.  I chewed a big hole in their drywall and ripped apart couch cushions.    He learned quickly that I needed to be in my crate for the sake of the house and for my safety.  Nowadays, I don’t go in the crate every time they are out, unless they are going to be out for a while.   I do love my crate, though…

Jeter:  Your crate is one of those closed-in crates.  I have one of those metal, open crates.    I no longer go in my crate, but I liked not being closed in.

Alanis:  I like being closed in.   It gives me the feeling of being in a nice, safe cave.   Just like my ancestors.

Josh:  You two are crazy!    I have always had FREEDOM!  Do you two not get it?   What fun is there in going inside of an enclosed structure with no place to go?

Jeter:  But what is the difference, old man?   All we do is sleep when they are away, anyway.

Alanis:   Yeah, I am no longer destructive – we just all find our own little spots and go to sleep.  Well, except for Jeter – he doesn’t like it when there aren’t people around him.   Needy Middle Child Syndrome.

Jeter:  I’m needy?  That’s a laugh.  Which dog is the dog that has to BARK every single time she needs attention?  Every single time we are fed?  Every single time she wants to come into the house?   Every single time she sees a person or a dog when we go for a walk?    There is a reason why you are the diva of this group – and it isn’t just because you are a girl.

Alanis:  WOOF!

Josh:  OK, enough of this.   You two have freely accepted being locked in a cage, while I told them on Day 1 that I was having none of it.

Jeter & Alanis: at the same time:   But, I kind of like it……..

Me:   First of all, yes – that is Jeter in the picture above, “waving” at Josh. Anyway, I strongly recommend crate training your dog.   Dogs love having a safe haven where they can go when they are scared.   People like having the piece of mind that their house won’t get destroyed if they are gone for hours.     If you transport your dog around the country, having them in a crate in your van can keep them (and you!) safe.    Crates are also essential in housebreaking, as dogs have an instinct to not soil where they sleep.  Hence, they are likely to learn more bladder control.     DO NOT USE A CRATE AS PUNISHMENT!  One sure-fire way to make sure your dog will come to despise their crates is if you throw them in there against their will because you think the dog did something bad.  Crates need to be a safe haven and a fun place for them to want to go.   More information can be found here.