The use of dog crates and dog cages has always been a moral question for dog owners. Some of them consider the use of these tools as being cruel to the pet. While others consider it as something normal and necessary. This dilemma actually has an easy solution. The question itself does not have a white and black answer. What truly matters is the purpose for which you use these tools. The tools themselves will not affect your pet negatively. But if you use them in cruel ways, then that will be your fault. Not the fault of the cage.
So, the right question that any pet owner should ask is in which situation should you use a crate or a cage and in which situations should you not do that. Only by answering this question can you ensure that you will not be cruel to your dog, and you will protect and take care of his needs instead. Most of the time, there are only two uses for a crate and a cage. But you must also know how to use them for these purposes.
You Should Use Dog Cages and Crates Only for Travel and Stay at Home Alone Situations!
Traveling with your dog can be an enjoyable experience. But you are still responsible for its safety. It is a bad idea to let it free in the car without anyone or anything to keep him from making any mistakes. So, you only have two alternatives. The first one is to always hug him while inside a vehicle, or the second alternative is to use dog cages to make sure that it does not jump around. But how can you make him enter the cage without feeling trapped?
There is an easy solution to this problem. All you have to do is to provide it with food to convince it to enter. Also, until you enter the vehicle, make sure to interact with it from time to time. This will comfort it and prevent any negative feelings from arising. And while you are inside the vehicle, you should place the cage in a position that will allow your pet to see the view on the window. This will keep it entertained along with the ways.
The second situation in which you need to use a crate is when you let your dog alone at home. Two problems may arise from letting him free around the house. The first one is the possibility of him wounding himself while playing around the house. And the second possibility is that of him damaging some precious object from your house. To prevent both cases, you can train your dog to stay inside the crate while you are gone to work.
The beginning method is the same. Use food to make it enter the crate and stay around it to ensure that it does not feel down. And slowly you can increase the amount of time letting it inside the cage as well as the time you stay in the room with it.
Whys Should You Not Use Dog Crates and Cages for Non-Mandatory Situations?
As mentioned above, there are only these two situations in which you should use dog crates or cages. There may some exceptions, but you should reduce the use of these tools as much as possible. Keeping your dog locked for too long periods is not good for it. The first and main problem is that keeping it locked for long periods regularly will slowly affect its health despite the good nutrition and food that you provide. So, if you leave the house for more than 8 hours, then you should find someone to take your dog for a walk and take care of him.
And the second problem is the feelings of the dog. If it can’t play and move around, then it will start to feel sad. Your dog may use that time to eat and sleep. But those are the only things that it can do while it is closed inside the cage. Keep in mind that you are responsible to ensure the happiness of your pet. Otherwise, you should simply not get a pet in the first place. If you still do, but you do not treat it good enough, then you can consider yourself a cruel person. So, even if you have to use crates and cages, make sure to limit their usage as much as possible.
