Is Crating Cruel? 5 Surprising Benefits for Your Dog

Amy Castro (00:00.462)
Today I want to talk about a controversial subject, you've probably heard people arguing about it on both sides, and that is crate training. Some people swear by it, other people think it's cruel, and if you're one of those people who've been afraid to try it because you think it feels mean or you worry that your dog will be sad, then this episode is definitely for you.

You've reached the Pet Parent Hotline, your lifeline to practical solutions for your toughest pet parenting challenges. I'm your host Amy Castro, and I'm here to help you cut through the noise and turn expert advice into step-by-step strategies so you can stop chasing your tail and start enjoying life with pets again.

Amy Castro (00:51.022)
All right, so first of all, let me be crystal clear about what this episode is not going to be about. This is not gonna be a step-by-step or a how-to. Although I've successfully crate trained many, many dogs, both my own and Foster's over the years, I am going to leave that to an upcoming episode when we're talking with a dog trainer to make sure we're getting a well-rounded and expert perspective, not just Amy Castro's personal opinion. And I'm...

Absolutely not telling you that after you listen to this episode and you say, yeah, maybe I should crate train or maybe I should put my dog in a crate. I'm not telling you to just suddenly do it, like put your dog in a crate and then go to work for 12 hours. That's incredibly cruel and very unfair for your dog and not what crate training is supposed to be about. What I am gonna do is share why crates, I think, are one of the most loving and practical tools you can give your dog and yourself and your family.

We're gonna bust some myths, we're gonna talk about some real benefits. And by the end, my hope is that you'll see that the crate is not a punishment to your dog, but really a gift of safety and comfort. So let's start off and talk about some of the fears that I hear from people all the time. And I've heard this from adopters. I had an adopter that adopted a dog from us and despite the fact that she was on board with the crate training, her husband was not, and they successfully worked through issues.

without the crate, but in my opinion, I think that they endured a lot more stress, a lot more damage to their home, and probably stress for their dog than they probably needed to because of the husband's opposition to the crate. So a lot of times people are afraid that, know, crates are mean, my dog's gonna hate me for putting him in there, my dog will be sad and lonely when she's in the crate, or you feel like you're trapping them in a little box, and...

If you thought that, you're definitely not alone. But here's the truth. Dogs generally like their crates if they are introduced properly. They feel comforted being in a small enclosed space. If you think about it, that's why when a dog is afraid, let's say of a thunderstorm, they're gonna hide under the bed. They might, if they're afraid or they need comfort, they might curl up in the corner of a couch or go into a closet. The crate...

Amy Castro (03:12.061)
is not a prison if it's introduced properly, it becomes their bedroom. As a matter of fact, at my house, we have crates that look like furniture. So our two side tables on either side of the sofa are crates, and there is a crate in what is now the dining room. And I don't have to force my dogs to go in the crate. Actually, all I have to do is say, and not only does everybody get in their crate, they all get in the right crate.

And another sign that your dog doesn't see a crate as a prison is that when you leave it open and you walk into the room and find your dog laying in the crate napping, that's because they think of it as their safe spot, their bedroom, their house. So they will actually start seeking it out. I've noticed when I've had stressful and anxious rescue pets or fosters, they, when things get chaotic, like let's say the other dogs get

playing roughhousing too much and you've got a fearful dog or a little bit of an anxious dog. I've seen dogs actually get up from where they're laying down and go get in their own crate, kind of putting themselves to bed. So if it might seem mean to us, for dogs, I think they often see it as a huge relief and a place to get away from the chaos and mayhem of what might be going on in your household.

So let's talk about some of the reasons that I started using a crate because I definitely didn't always crate my pets, but along the way, I definitely figured out the benefits and started using them. So the first thing I looked at and the first reason that I really started using crates was for safety. You they're not just about comfort. They're definitely about safety. Think about what happens when you leave.

a dog unsupervised, especially if it's a curious dog or a dog that's new to a home. You how many times have you come back, even if it was just to go to the mailbox and found a dog chewing on a shoe or couch cushions destroyed or come home from work and find your trash cans been emptied and dragged all over the house. know, beyond the fact that that's annoying and can get expensive depending upon what they chew up, there is a huge danger.

Amy Castro (05:23.808)
with dogs getting into things when they're not attended. They could get under the sink and get into your cleaning chemicals. We've had dogs that have eaten chocolate in the past or chewed on electric cords. I had my dog Jack, who was a doberman pincher and loved to eat everything. Many, many times ended up at the vet when he was left uncrated because he liked to eat socks. So think of a crate as kind of like baby-proofing your house. You wouldn't...

Say to yourself, I want my baby to have freedom, so I'm gonna leave all of the chemical cabinets unlocked or all the cleaning fluids out in the open. You baby proof your house. So keeping your dog in a crate and getting them used to a crate removes the danger when you can't keep your eyes on them 100 % of the time. I know in my house with multiple pets, crates can also prevent fights from happening. Even pets that get along seemingly most of the time like my dog Gunny.

As she has gotten older, she has become a lot less tolerant of the BS of the other pets in the house. And so something as simple as the doorbell ringing can set off a pretty bloody fight if somebody's not supervising. And so just the other day, we were getting a big package delivered and had to leave the front gate open.

and that meant that somebody was gonna be ringing the doorbell. And so Gunny went in her crate and so did everybody else, just for everybody's safety. And nobody was whining, nobody was crying, and nobody was upset about it. But it gave me the peace of mind knowing that they weren't gonna get into it before I could get into the room. You never know what might start an issue. So think about the crate as not punishment, it's about preventing, preventing destructive behaviors, preventing dangerous situations.

preventing unnecessary vet bills and preventing you from replacing those expensive shoes that you forgot to put away. Another thing to consider, especially if you are a big traveler and you like to take your pets with you, is the benefits of having crates in your vehicle. A car ride with a loose dog can be super dangerous. And I actually had this happen to me one time. I was traveling with my friend Linda and we had her dog candy dots.

Amy Castro (07:36.245)
She was a cute little poodle. She was adorable. I don't know where we were taking her and I don't know why we had her. But this was probably before anybody even had crates. And riding in the car with the dog, I was holding the dog. We had an accident and the dog kind of went flying. And luckily she was not seriously injured, but she definitely could have been. know, a dog can become a projectile when you have to suddenly stop. Or worse, if you have a wreck and they panic and jump out of the car.

Or you don't even have to have a wreck. You could stop at the gas station while you're traveling to fill up with gas and your dog jumps out the open car door accidentally. So a crate keeps them safe. I'm not saying it's necessarily going to protect them in an accident, but it will protect them more than them being a loose object flying around a crashing vehicle. And it will definitely protect them from darting out a door. And obviously if you ever have to fly with your dog, crate training is essential too.

There is nothing worse. Nobody wants to hear your dog barking, whining, or smell your dog pooping in the crate because they are so freaked out about being in that crate under the seat of the person in front of you. And so getting your dog used to being in a crate and going in that and feeling like that's their comfortable space, it's not going to add to the trauma. It's already going to be a little bit stressful, a little bit exciting about traveling. But if I'm already used to my crate, that's one less thing to be upset and scared about.

And when you arrive at your destination, whether you're staying with a friend, a family member at a hotel or an Airbnb, having that crate means you don't have to worry about your dog destroying something that you're now gonna have to pay to replace or marking their territory, which can happen, or roaming somewhere that's unsafe because maybe the place that you're staying isn't pet safe or hasn't been pet-proofed along the way.

So think about this, think about the crate as being like a portable bedroom that you can take anywhere you go. If you listen to that episode that we did when we drove Bonnie the foster dog from Texas to New York, we definitely had a crate with us and used it as needed in our travels for sure when we were in the hotel and we wanted to go out and...

Amy Castro (09:55.327)
you know, go to dinner or do a little sightseeing for an hour. We didn't want to leave a dog in a strange environment because despite the fact that she was very well behaved, we didn't know how she would behave in a hotel room. And you never know when somebody might be coming into that room, like housekeeping or something like that. And you don't need the dog flying out or scaring the housekeeper or biting the housekeeper. So think beyond your house. A crate makes life easier pretty much anywhere you might have to go that you're going to take your dog. And on the subject of travel,

Think about emergency travel. Think about the time when you might have to evacuate because of a fire, a hurricane, a flood, whatever it might be. Your pets being used to being in their crates can be a lifesaver. I remember the last time we evacuated for a hurricane.

with all of our pets. I just can't even imagine what it would have been like to have cats and dogs loose in the car while we were traveling for 16 hours on a trip that should have taken four trying to evacuate. just keeping everybody separated, giving everybody a little bit of comfort in a space that was at least semi-familiar in a situation that was super stressful. The ability to get out of the car if we needed to and to take one dog out at a time or to

rotate a litter box into a cat's crate was just so much safer and so much less stressful than if we'd had the animals loose in the car. So whether you're traveling for fun, whether you're traveling for adventure, or whether you're traveling because you've got to get out of town, having your pets being used to being in crates can be a lifesaver. Beyond the issues of safety, there are definite emotional benefits for your dog to having their crate.

You know, if you've got a dog, they love structure. They know when it's time to eat. They know when you're getting ready to go to work. They know when it's time to play, when it's time to go outside. They like that structure and they like knowing what's expected of them. And they like knowing where they belong. Are they allowed on the couch or are they not allowed on the couch? Things like that. And that helps them to de-stress and to relax. So a crate gives them that consistency.

Amy Castro (12:08.893)
You know, instead of wandering around the house during the day, not knowing what to do with themselves or when you go to the grocery store, they can settle in and take a nap in what they feel is their safe spot. I have had dogs that have had separation anxiety that were, and as matter of fact, Jack is a good example of that. One time we decided, because he was a big dog and we felt sort of bad about creating him, we decided we were gonna leave him out while we went to the beach. And luckily,

We did not get all the way to the beach because about 10 minutes into our drive, it started to pour rain. So we decided to go back to the house, partly because it wasn't gonna be a great beach day, but also because knowing that we left Jack out, we knew he had storm anxiety and that probably was not a good combination of him being loose and a storm coming through. Kid you not, we had been gone 20 minutes round trip and came back home to find that he had...

And it's always kind of weird with dogs, right? Like they'll go after something that they've left alone. Like haven't bothered that lamp the entire time I've been here for 10 years, yet today when you decided to go out and leave me unattended, I decided that I'm gonna kill that lamp. And so he tore that floor lamp down, ripped up the shade, chewed up the light bulb, so his mouth was bleeding everywhere, and then proceeded to spread blood all over the house.

Now luckily, he did not seriously injure himself that time, but many dogs have had serious, serious injuries left loose in the house. There have been dogs that have gone through windows and seriously hurt themselves trying to escape. so crate training can be a solution to this. Now, huge caveat. Again, I mentioned in the beginning of this episode, I'm not advocating you suddenly just start creating your dog willy-nilly.

especially if your dog has separation anxiety, that is something you're gonna have to plan and work through with your veterinarian and with a trainer because a dog can injure themselves in the crate as much as they could possibly injure themselves outside of the crate, depending upon the dog, their level of anxiety, and the type of crate that you have. And that's a whole nother subject as well that we will get into in a future episode. But in general,

Amy Castro (14:25.394)
You know, instead of thinking about the crate as being something that's gonna make your dog unhappy or upset, think about them as the opposite. You know, it's actually can be a tool that reduces anxiety when they've been introduced to it and when it is used in the right way. Another thing that I have noticed with my dogs is that, yes, they love being with me, but I don't think any of them are truly Velcro dogs because of the fact

that they have gotten used to being on their own as individuals away from mom, away from each other. I feel like that's built a little bit of confidence in them that they can be on their own. They're certainly a lot less whiny when they're left on their own. The other thing I think it does is it builds a little bit of resilience when a dog has to be in a new environment. As we discovered with Bonnie on our travels, she adjusted well to being in the car.

She adjusted well to being in the hotel rooms. As a matter of fact, we hung out outside the hotel room door for a while because we weren't sure if she was gonna start barking or whining or anything like that. I think it made her comfortable overnight. Every time we had to sleep in a different, I mean, we were literally in a different hotel room every night and she was quiet as a mouse because she was in her house with her blanket and her toy. And so I think it has a tendency to help build resilience in new environments because

They kind of already know that that's their space, like we said before, but then I think it also creates the opportunity for them to self-soothe and to be okay in their own presence without constantly being coddled by a human.

So we've talked about the benefits for the dog and for other inhabitants of the household, four-legged or otherwise, but there definitely are some benefits I find for myself in being able to crate the dog. So it's not just for the dogs, it's for me too. In house training, dozens and dozens and dozens of puppies, using a crate as part of that process or a small pen, it definitely makes house training an easier process.

Amy Castro (16:39.172)
Generally, especially as dogs get older, they're not going to potty where they sleep. Now, I do have many exceptions to that rule along the way, but that's their natural instinct. So if you do need to leave a pet unattended for a little bit and you are in the process of house training, they are less likely to potty if they're crated than if you just have them running loose around the house.

I think also crates are management tools for real life. Maybe you don't want your dogs underfoot when you're cooking dinner. Maybe you don't want them shooting out the door. And I can hear the people saying, well, you should have trained them not to do that. You should have trained them to be out of the kitchen. And you know what? You're probably right. But the reality is there's only so many problems we can tackle at one time.

You know, maybe it's you've got people coming working in your house and your dogs aren't good with strangers. So having a place for them to go that is safe for them to hang out for a little while is a good idea. Maybe you haven't adapted your pets to company very well. I will be the first one to admit that I don't have people over a lot. And so therefore, when I do, my dogs go crazy. And okay, that's a little bit of an exaggeration, but they can act the fool for sure.

And when there are three or four of them, that's a lot of chaos happening. And that's a lot of drool on people's pants and fur on people's clothes. And I don't feel like your guests should need to be assaulted the minute they come in the door just because you decided not to train your pet. So I think a crate is a good solution to that. Put the dogs in the crate, let the guests get in, let the dogs settle down and maybe get a little bit used to the fact that there are strange people, especially if your crates are within earshot or view.

of where your company is and let them out once they've calmed down and settled themselves. So there's, I think, a lot of peace of mind and a lot of control of your environment that you have that can be a true benefit for you when you're trying to get things done, when you're trying to have people over, and knowing that your dog is safe and calm and not turning your house into chaos while you're in the shower. That can be a priceless bit of peace of mind, I think. and while we're talking about...

Amy Castro (18:53.255)
practical benefits for you. And actually, this is not just a practical benefit for you, but a practical benefit for the dog as well is a good night's sleep. Now, I don't know about you. You might be one of those people that likes having 15 dogs in your bed, but I don't sleep well with my pets in the bed. Even if there's just one of them, it tends to be a problem. And I think they don't probably sleep very well either because I am a flip-flopper. I am like a fish on a dock.

And so if I've got a pet sleeping with me, they're getting kicked, they're getting rolled over on, they're getting disturbed if I get up to go to the restroom. And so having my dogs in their crates, I think not only gives me a better night's sleep, but gives them a better night's sleep. It also prevents, you know, 2 a.m. zoomies and accidents at night because they're wandering around. And sleep is so important to all of us. So having that...

as being part of the bedtime routine. Everybody gets in their houses, maybe they get a little toy, a special toy that they get put in there and then helps them learn how to settle down and everybody gets a good night's sleep. So let's go ahead and take a step back. So crates are just one tool in your pet parenting toolbox or your dog parenting toolbox in this case. They're not the only answer and they should never be misused and they should never be used without.

proper training and without a process of introduction. But when you use them responsibly for short periods of time or appropriate periods of time, always paired with positive associations, never as punishment, they can transform not only your life, but the life of your dog. And remember that you're not being mean, you're not making your dog sad.

You're giving them structure, you're giving them a safe place that they can call their very own, and you're giving them comfort. And most dogs will show you that they love it by going in their crate willingly, like mine do. As a matter of fact, you may find when it's bedtime and you get up to do what we call lights out, you might find your dog's already in their crate because they beat you to the punch. So what I've covered today are just some of the benefits of creating your dog.

Amy Castro (21:10.963)
And I know that crate training can feel like a really touchy subject. And my goal today was simply to help you see it maybe in a new light, just from my experience. If you still have questions or maybe even doubts, don't hesitate to reach out to me. I'd love to hear what's on your mind. I'd love to hear what's worked for you in getting your dog used to the crate and maybe what hasn't, because we're gonna definitely be talking about this in future episodes. In fact, in future episodes, I'm gonna be bringing on a guest expert

to dive even deeper into crate training. And we're gonna talk about the how-to side of thing that we didn't talk about today. We're gonna answer common struggles and give you the confidence to make a crate a positive part of your dog's life and yours. In the meantime, one other thing I'd like to know is how have you made your dog's crate feel like their home? I'd love for you to comment and share your tips and let's get this conversation started, especially for the benefit of our friends.

who are still on the fence about craving their dog. Your ideas might be exactly what another pet parent needs to hear.

Thanks for listening to the Pet Parent Hotline. If you enjoyed the show, don't keep it to yourself. Text a friend right now with a link and tell them I've got a show that you need to hear. And ask them to let you know what they think. And remember, your pet's best life starts with you living yours. So be sure to take good care of yourself this week and your pets.