Dog training: Kenneling Your Dog

In Naughty Dogs, I discuss many philosophies behind dog training and training methods. One topic I did not cover was kennel or crate training. There are two basic schools of thought surrounding crate training. One is that it is a useful tool, the other is that it is cruel. So which school is correct? Depending on how the crate is used, it falls into both camps. I will lay out the different arguments and you, the dog’s person, can make an informed decision about what is best for your dog.

Reasons to Kennel

My dad had always had ranch dogs and kenneling was not a huge part of dog training for these hardworking ranch hands. When I got my first dog, I had no intention of using a kennel. My dog Dax soon taught me the importance of having a kennel and changed my opinion about using one. Here is what I have learned from owning opinionated dogs.

Kennels should be your dog’s safe place

Our dogs use their kennels as a place to go when things get too hectic, or they want a quiet napping place. Because they are within earshot, they still have the option of joining us. Our female pit, Tira, uses her kennel a lot as a safe place. Her puppyhood was spent in a very chaotic environment, and she loves the quiet and security of her kennel.

Our dogs’ kennels are placed in a room on the same floor where we spend most of our time and are within earshot of the kitchen and the bedroom. They are comfortably padded with easily washable blankets. The kennels are covered with an old sleeping bag to keep the heat in and provide privacy. We leave the doors open and the dogs can go in and out as they like during the day.

Diesel, our male pit, is not fond of kenneling – I think he was left for long periods in a kennel as a puppy – and he wants to be with us. He will occasionally kennel voluntarily, but he prefers napping on our recliners.

Our children were taught from a very early age that the kennel was the dog’s, and they were not to bother the dog when it was in the kennel. The two dogs we had while the kids were little knew they could easily get away when they felt overwhelmed.

My sister’s rescue dog, Bear, kennels well, except that somewhere in his life, someone tortured him while he was in a kennel. As a result, he will enter the kennel and turn around to snarl and snap. Closing the kennel door without losing a finger can be an exciting proposition. Bear does not view his kennel as a safe place, but as a place where he must be aggressive to stay safe. If the dog is kenneled, the dog must be kept safe!

2.   Kennels keep your dog safe while you are gone

A kennel is a safe place for your dog when you are gone. However, your dog should not be kenneled for exceedingly long periods of time (eight to ten hours a day). This is when kenneling crosses the line into abuse.

Dogs get into mischief when they are not supervised, like getting into places they should not. Electric cords seem to be very appealing to young dogs, with sometimes devastating injuries. Garbage can surfing can be a sign of boredom or separation anxiety. Putting your dog in a kennel when you leave can keep your home and dog safe. 

Dogs, even the best of freinds, get into fights. Squabbles can quickly deteriorate into full-blown fights. Leaving two dogs alone and unkenneled can be a good way to come home to a dead or badly injured dog.

One of my friends came home to a horrible scene after leaving his dog to play with the neighbor’s dog. One dog got his jaw trapped in his buddy’s collar. In trying to get free, he strangled the other dog. The scene was a very awful experience for everyone.

The issue with long kenneling is that dogs need to be able to move around, eat and drink, and burn off a little energy. Trapping them in a kennel for long periods is not fair to the dog. Holding urine for that long can lead to health issues. If you want to develop a neurotic dog, one of the quickest ways is to kennel them for hours at a time.

3.  Kennels can be a good place for training or a time out

Kennels can be used as a training tool. People use them with good effect to work on house training since dogs do not like to soil their living spaces. We use the kennel as a time-out when the dogs get too excited when guests are over, or when Diesel decides to be a jerk. A short time (ten minutes tops) allows the dogs to get over the excitement of company or gives Tira a break from Diesel’s relentless attitude.

4.  Kenneling at night can keep dogs out of mischief

Kenneling at night is similar to using the kennel while you are gone. Leaving a kenneled dog alone for hours is hard on a pack animal. In addition, if your dog needs to go out, they should be able to let you know.

Because of Diesel and Tira’s puppyhoods, neither are reliably housetrained at night. We kennel them within earshot of the bedroom, and they let us know if they need to go outside. We rarely secure the bottom of the kennel doors and both dogs know how to worm their way out. They choose not to.

5.  Kenneling while traveling keeps your dog safe

Securing your dog in an anchored kennel in the car while traveling can keep everyone safe. First, your dog is comfortable in his kennel, and it offers security. Next, the dog will not become a missile in the event of a car accident.

I-80, one of the busiest interstates in the US, runs through our town and, thanks to winter driving conditions, has a lot of accidents. We routinely see posts about dogs who were ejected during accidents and then ran away. Sadly, these dogs are rarely recovered alive. First responders routinely take pets of accident victims to the local animal shelter to keep them safe until their family can retrieve them. Having an upset dog in a kennel makes it easier for first responders to transport them without incident.

We recently realized we needed to have our dogs restrained while they were traveling (Tira took exception to a dog in a car we were passing and began rocketing around the car interior). As we do not have room for two large kennels in our car, we got a harness seat belt system for our dogs. They adjusted immediately. If we could fit the kennels in the car, I would have no issue with kenneling them while we are driving.

6.Kenneling in a hotel is a good idea

Kenneling your dog when you are in a hotel can help the dog be less bark-y and keeps it from rushing the door. If housekeeping opens the door, the dog could escape or frighten an unsuspecting person with unpleasant consequences – like being evicted from the hotel. In addition, the hotel room probably has a lot of interesting smells and keeping them confined except for walks, helps to limit the damage your dog might do.

7.  Kenneling is a good skill to have in an emergency

Finally, in the rare chance that you need to evacuate due to a natural disaster, having a kennel for your dog increases the odds you can keep it at the human shelter. Your dog in its familiar kennel will be far safer at an animal holding site.

Summary

Like all training tools, kenneling can be both good and bad. Using a kennel to represent safety to your dog can help it be more comfortable or better behaved. Using a kennel to warehouse your dog for long periods of time is cruel. If you are not certain how best to use a kennel, talk with your vet or get a recommendation for a good dog trainer.