To Crate, Not Crate

by Steffie Schulz, Steffie’s House Dog Grooming, Portland 97214

How in the world did we ever manage without crating our dogs, in ‘the olden days’???

I’m being facetious here, in asking that,,,of course *we* did just fine,, the same way we did before ‘wee wee pads, or water filtering water bowls, just fine.So,,,,,wow! It seems we have come a long way, we are so much better off with these things, right? And Crated Dogs Make Our Lives Better. Uh huh,,,,

Let’s look at it from the Dogs Point Of View:

Ok,,so, we all have heard how a large dog Year is equal to 7 Human Years, and a small dogs year is equal to 5 Human Years,,so, we all understand that when a big dog only lives for 12 years, well that’s about 84 years for a human, and that makes sense. And we are alright with a small dog living for 17 years, too.

So why don’t we look at having to hold our bladder, without being able to pee, for 50 hours (10 hours away from home x 5 for small dogs,,) or 70 hours for large dogs,, can you imagine not being allowed to pee for 2 to 3 days? And, if we did, get punished for it? Dogs instinctively do not want to mess their bedding, but we ask too much of them with crating. Please, remember to multiply every hour of your dog’s experiential life by 5 or 7 hours, to get a more accurate idea of what life is like for them!

More…..

,,hmmm,,,let me put it another way,,,would you rather go see a wild animal in a zoo as it sits behind bars,,,or, the one where the animal is living in a mini version of its wild habitat, separated by a mote,,

It just seems so much nicer to see the one that seems out in the open, doesn’t it?. Now that’s the kind of Modern Improvement I’m talkin about,,hooray  for No More Cages at the Zoo,,,

I personally don’t want to see any living creature behind bars. It is literally,,Criminal,,,Jail is where we house Bad Guys. So,, I’m asking you,,why is it ok that We have gone backwards in Humaneness, and find that it now is better to cage dogs at home? Really??What IS that?  Is your dog a Bad Guy?

Imagine yourself Jailed For Life, and you didn’t even commit a horrendous crime? ‘I Am Innocent!’

You would shout, and continue to shout, even after there was no one to hear you,,how sad you would feel,,,all the experiences that Freedom has available, but not to you, cause your Stuck In Jail…

Perhaps, you think, or have been told,,”it is what He Likes, Feels Safe In, It Feels Like His Lair,” maybe you are right,,, if he came from a puppy mill and only knew crating all his life,,or, maybe you think so  because he was being crated at the pet shelter, so that’s what he knows and likes,,(not!)

Look, cages are for institutions, animal warehousing. In massive populations, it keeps things from getting ‘out of hand’,,A convenience for Humans. Stack the cages 8,10,or more feet high, on wheels, truck loads of dogs, monkeys, cats, what have you, in cages. All kept from ‘getting out of hand.’, for Our Sakes.And Theirs, too, right?,,hmm,,,

So, you ask, what’s wrong with wanting to keep things from getting out of hand, at home? I want my home to be clean, you say,,

Nothing,, its not that that is the discussion here,,, it is the Method

 I want to stress here, that dogs are family oriented. They want to belong and be a part of your every moment, if possible. They want to share your world. They are keen opportunists, and know you have the Key To The Food And Safety, and are willing to go through all sorts of things to insure they keep a good relationship with you, the Keeper Of The Food, and Lavisher Of The Love. Yet, you don’t want them Up On The Furniture. Ok, they say,,and,,,If what you require is that they are Jailed, then they do it, tail down, ears drooped, head on paws.  A ‘good’ cage (call it a Kennel, if it makes you feel better) prevents them from doing anything different. And now, you are his Jailer. How’s that workin for ya? Feel it.

So, you say, He’s Not Trustable….is that his fault,,or yours, for not making your house puppy proof, or not making your desires and requirements for living together clear, in a calm and consistent and easy to understand way? Have your really taken the time, read the books, watched the videos, talked to experts, to educate yourself on the best ways to Train Your Pet, then implemented all that know how with actual time spent training,,,or, have you just taken the Easy Way Out..;, just put the thing in a cage, close the door, go to work for xxx  hours,, eventually making  your way home to Release The Hounds!,,spend 2 minutes feeding and watering, perhaps a short walk while you ignore your Best Friend, and talk incessantly on your cell phone…before putting the dog back in the cage, and or closing the door, turning your back to work some more,, (,,hey, I missed you, play fetch, woof?)

What kind of pet owner are you? Maybe you should go find a better home for that little fella,,, get a plant, or a stuffed plush toy, instead,,., Look, I know you want a fuzzy buddy,,a friendly head to pet,,you have to realize, though, that it is a living breathing, mess making individual,,without hands to clean up after itself,, and if you are into Clean Perfect Furnishings, you’re  better off on not getting a dog, no matter how small, or cageable. It’s just not fair. Puppy mills keep producing easily cageable small sized dogs, we all know the horrible conditions they keep their breeders in, you see,  they don’t care how the dog is raised. It’s a For Maximum Profit venture. It’s fine with them if you want to continue to keep you dog in a cage,,they do,,,,, Please, don’t align yourself with their way of thinking. And don’t buy from puppy mills. Make sure your pet comes from a reputable breeder, and not a ‘Front man’.

Ok, so, back to subject, Get Rid Of That Cage/Kennel! How hard can it be to keep a dog without keeping it in a cage/kennel? Give it a try, it’s really not hard at all, OMG<<,

One of my clients told me she was keeping her Rescued From A Puppy Mill American Eskimo in a crate at home, even while she was at home sometimes, when she wasn’t able to pay full attention to her. I gasped, and said please, just open the door, make it Optional for her, she did, and she said soon her Eski was feeling comforatable and welcome, and adjusting well,  and was more confident.

Dogs learn from observation. They carefully observe your reactions, everyone’s reactions, to everything. They want to insure that they are still wanted and welcome, and will get, and continue to get, food, shelter, warmth, mutual affection, and protection, they just want Their Slice Of The Pie of life, like everyone. They can pass time doing nothing much, just sleepily watching you, the cat, the door,,  but really enjoy new experiences and challenging terrain to walk in, meeting and sniffing new creature and whatnot. They investigate, and discover, constantly categorizing things into ways they are, or will, be of use, or potential use to them later.  A sterile, squeaky clean home environment is boring and downright distasteful to sniff,,look at it all from Pups View.

.. And***this just in,, Too much cleanliness and all that anti-bacterial soap is actually making the Bacterial Enemies more strong and resistant to curative medicines,,**

Maybe you were raised not to eat dirt, but observing dogs at the dog park, you may see one eating dirt, and lo and behold, you’ll see that same dog the next day, week and years later, non for the worse for eating dirt. In short, cleanliness is over-rated. We need to put down the yellow gloves, take off the knee pads. This isn’t the Middle Ages, there is no plague. Relax, let the dog up on the couch for cryin out loud!

It’s not hard to train a dog simple manners.  House Breaking connotes the same as Horse Breaking, or Breaking In a pair of shoes,,a painful but  necessary thing to do. It doent really have to be physically painful.  To a dog, Your Love Is Liver,,Your Love Is Food…So, if you show displeasure and withhold ‘Lovin’s’ with your body language, not hitting, not bullying, when he pee’s in the house, but show great pleasure and happiness, lotsa love, when he pee’s outside, they will get the message. Adding a doggy door and a patch of grass to pee on will help.  Puppys take time to learn, depending on the breed, and previous experience with other family dogs.  Just keep at it with patience and consistency.

Animals also communicate using mental images, try visualizing what you want before you ask your dog to do it, about 3 seconds or so before you ask verbally. A Mental Picture is worth a Thousand Words.

Now, I know there are some exceptions especially when we are talking about safety when travelling,, crating is fine then. What’s the longest YOU can hold your bladder? I once went fishing, held it for 8 hours,,whew! Was I glad to get back on shore! Let’s Do The Math, that’s not more than 1 to 1 ½ hours People to  Dog Time,, So, don’t cage your pet for more than 1 to 1 ½ hrs, and you will be doing them and their bladders a HUGE favor!

No wonder dogs haven’t evolved to talk, all they’d be able to say is,

“I gotta go,,I gotta go, I gotta go..”

Woof!