Crates are not the solution to your dog's behaviour challenges

There are several considerations while looking at crates and dogs:

1.     Underlying premise that dogs are den animals

2.     Impact on control and agency

3.     Impact of spatial restrictions and consequences on sleep

4.     Crates as a way of dealing with separation anxiety

Let's explore each of these to discuss how crate training could actually exacerbate stress and consequent challenging behaviours in dogs.

Dogs are den animals?!

Dens are burrows or holes that are build in the ground by ground dwelling animals. Ground dwelling animals include moles, gophers, mongoose etc. These are animals that create dens to protect themselves from hungry predators and extreme temperatures.

Dogs are NOT ground dwelling animals. For one, they live above the ground, do not need to protect themselves from hungry predators themselves per se. Occasionally will you see a dog dig the sand, create a pit and lie down there because it’s cooler? Sure, but you will see dogs taking refuge under cars, in stores, next to homes to protect themselves from extreme temperatures.

Look at these sleeping spots for free living dogs, very comfortably sleeping in open spaces, with company and sometimes in the hustle and bustle of things:

Dogs sleeping on top of cars in a bustling market

Dog beds laid out for streeties in a bustling market

Free living dogs resting on a parapet

Free living dog catching up on sleep in a pub

A study by Majumder et al (2016) talks about ‘denning habits of free ranging dogs’. For one, I find the title very misleading because when you read through the article, you find that the focus really is on pregnant dogs who are using ‘dens’ to give birth to their litter. Which makes complete sense because pregnant dogs will seek out a space that’s seemingly safe and secure to give birth versus giving birth to their litter right in the middle of a hustling bustling road. Secondly, the article does not feature any images of these ‘dens’ because it would have been helpful to compare how similar or different they look to the crates we use for our dogs.

In arguments made in the favour of dogs being den animals and consequently encouraging the use of crates, the common verbiage is “dogs need a safe space to go to when they are stressed”. I agree with the premise of this but I don’t understand why that must be a crate. It’s like saying that the next time I’m stressed, I should go and put myself in a crate because that’s the only safe space option I have.

Remember a safe space is a place or environment in which people can feel confident that they will not be exposed to any emotional or physical harm. So while there is a physical component to this space, there's also an equally important emotional and psychological component. And psychological and emotional safety is built through the quality of attachment between dogs and humans.

If you are having to train the dog into using a crate as a safe space, then that's not really true choice, is it?

When we consider aspects of control and agency for dogs, a study by Taylor et al (2007) looks at the effect of the kennel environment on the welfare of dogs, especially in shelters. One of the discussion points raised in the study is how dogs may experience a lack of control while being caged/kennelled/crated and how this could a massive source of stress for the dogs.

For all individuals, including dogs, control and agency are critical. The lack of these could induce a state of apathy or what we understand as learned helplessness, a state where dogs “give up” because they don’t believe or can control the environment or specific outcomes. It's also important to note that often learned helplessness is seen as calmness or adjustment when it absolutely isn't.

You can check out the full study here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233508753_The_effect_of_the_kennel_environment_on_canine_welfare_A_critical_review_of_experimental_studies 

Spatial and social restrictions also contribute to significant stress and even chronic stress in dogs. A study by Beerda et al (1999) found that dogs that were subjected to social and spatial restrictions exhibited signs of chronic stress. Not only did these dogs have high cortisol levels but they also exhibited behaviour changes after 5 weeks of spatial and social restrictions.

Check out the full study here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10336150/ 

Let's not forget how these restrictions negatively impact physical development for puppies and contribute to significant muscle stress and tensions, leading to potential chronic discomfort. Which by the way, could be another contributor to behaviour challenges with dogs.

It's also important to remember that dogs engage in multiple sleep behaviours. These include changing surfaces where they sleep owing to constantly regulating body temperature, changing positions during sleep – from lying on their sides to curling up, to sometimes even lying on their backs – again a result of regulating temperature but also indicative of sleep stages that they are in and the extent of security and safety they experience in a specific environment.

We know that it’s not just the quantity but also the quality of sleep that impacts wellbeing.

Crates don’t allow for that movement and choice for dogs to seek what they need to be able to sleep well. It restricts to one kind of space, often with limited to no opportunity to stretch or move into the multiple sleeping positions they need to be able to get quality sleep. For dogs to access quality sleep, they need 3 Cs - comfort, choice and company. And crates don't allow for any of that.

Lack of quality and quantity sleep is a huge contributor to chronic stress, with not just behavioural implications but also detrimental effects on health and physical well-being.

And now, let's talk about using crates as solutions for specific behaviours like separation anxiety, destructive behaviours etc.

Often crate training is used as a blanket solution to treat separation anxiety in dogs. But this isn’t true. Some studies have shown that confining dogs to crates or cages can significantly increase stress levels in dogs (in a particular study, lip licking was studied as a stress response), and in some cases, dogs could also injure (self-harm) themselves while trying to get out of the crate.

It’s important to note that for a lot of humans who struggle with anxiety, behaviours that are commonly displayed include pacing around, leg tapping, and doing something with the hands – restricting this movement does not help calm the individual down. It exacerbates the anxiety.

The same is true for an anxious dog – there’s a need to cope with that anxiety by moving around, having access to free space – by crating dogs at a time like this, we are only exacerbating their anxiety. Their need for movement is an involuntary one, resulting from the adrenaline and cortisol in their body because of the activation of the sympathetic response. Anxious or stressed dogs need to move and they also need to pick things up in their mouth. That's because oral behaviours are self-soothing behaviours and are coping mechanisms for dogs. Inhibiting that response only exacerbates stress levels for them.

This isn't to say that you should let your dog destroy your furniture - but by understanding why your dog is engaging in these behaviours, we can find room to empathise with them and support them through those periods of distress, as opposed to using crates as a quick fix. I mean, of course, if you confine the dog to a crate, the dog has no opportunity to engage in behaviours that one finds difficult or problematic. But the dog is still feeling anxious, still feeling stressed. The dog's needs haven't been met, just because they are put in a crate. And it's important for us to consider that as we learn to support our dogs and navigate through these difficult contexts/situations.

I want to be clear - physical boundaries can be helpful and part of support for the dog. I continue to use baby gates in my house and recommend them to clients as well. Those are ways to exercise physical boundaries and ensure safety for everyone (I work with a lot of bitey dogs where safety of family members is often compromised). But even these rooms, dogs have freedom to move around and engage in the physical space as they deem. Based on the context of the dog, gates as a management strategy are either put in temporarily or used very situation specifically in the long term and is always accompanied by comprehensive support to improve the dog's emotional and behavioural well-being and welfare.

Your thoughts?