Anything to do with dog training seems to kick up a bit of a controversy on the internet.
And I’m positive that someone will disagree with this post. But Damnit, crate training our French Bulldog, Pepper, has been the single BEST thing we have done with her. I honestly don’t know how we would have coped throughout her puppyhood without this.
It’s hard to start with, but totally worth it! Here are the main benefits:
1. They have a little den of their own
Creating a nice, cosy space for them is a great idea, and it will become somewhere they associate with being safe and quiet. While Pepper won’t put herself to bed yet, she went straight in there to curl up when she broke her leg because she knew that was her special place. Putting a blanket over the crate made it nicer for Pepper, and she adjusted to it much quicker.
2. They understand when to sleep and have quiet time
If your dog doesn’t have a crate, and you are out of the house, they could be whining and pining for your return. When Pepper is in her crate, she stays quiet and snuggled up even if she hears the door shut as I leave, because she knows that it’s her time to sleep (we know this because N works from home and listens out when I leave).
3. They are safe from harm
Puppies are inquisitive and can get into all sorts of trouble. Even if they’re confined to a ‘puppy-proofed’ room, you never know what could happen. Pepper actually broke her leg just by jumping onto the sofa – so imagine if she’s done that when we weren’t there! Having her secure in her crate means we don’t have to worry about her hurting herself.
4. You don’t have to worry about them causing damage!
You know what else they can get up to while you’re out? Destroying your house. Whether it’s scratching carpets, chewing skirting boards, ripping up the cushions or tipping over bins, I’ve heard of some horrific things. But if they’re in the crate whenever you’re not there, you don’t have to worry about that happening!
This post has moved to my French Bulldog blog!
To read the full post, click the image below:
Leo has a crate and he loves it, it is his space which he will happily go to when he wants to be left alone. Funnily enough we started letting him sleep upstairs with us for a while and he become quite naughty, thinking he could get away with everything! I think dogs need clear boundaries or else they start thinking they run the place, he always has to sleep in his crate at night now. Luckily, we didn’t have to toliet train Leo as even as a puppy he seemed to know to go ask to go outside – we were lucky! xxx
Awh haha cheeky thing :) and yeah we were pretty luck with toilet training Pepper too – the breeder had them going outside from an early age so that really helped! x
I love how well prepared you are, I wish all dog owners were like this! Also, those shots, SO CUTE. I wish I had time to have a dog again.
xx -n
Naomi in Wonderland
Haha thank you! And yes, it is ridiculously time-consuming….I dread to think of all the things I would have achieved in the past 8 months if we didn’t get a puppy Dx
Worth it though :) x
I completely agree, we have two dogs one is 8 and the other is 4. We crate trained the 8 year old and then removed the crate when he was old enough not to need it any more, when we then brought the crate back for the new puppy he immediately reclaimed it as his bed! He definitely prefers it to sleeping anywhere else despite being a rather large irish setter and not really fitting in it anymore!
Awwh that’s so cute :) Bless him! x