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Do Not Crate Your Dog Through Anger Or For Selfish Reasons
A crate should only be used for the benefit of your dog, not for your own selfish reasons.
This means not punishing them or getting them out the way so you don’t have to care for them.
Do not crate your dog just to get out of the way.
This isn’t an excuse for you to crate them if you’re tired after a hard days work and you find your Golden Retriever vying for all your attention, being a nuisance and just will not chill out and relax.
Puppies are sometimes demanding of you, they can take up a lot of your time, they can sometimes pester for attention, but this is what you signed up for when you brought a Golden Retriever puppy into your life.
Crating your puppy just to keep them out of the way is negligent. If you are having a bad day, it is your responsibility to interact with, play with and train them.
Do not crate your dog as a punishment.
If you crate your dog as a punishment, you are using it as a prison and not for any benefit to your dog.
If your dog does something wrong and you feel the need to punish them, you are actually punishing them for their own mistakes.
A dog has no idea how to act other than being a dog. You can’t train them to behave in ways that are acceptable. The mistake is your lack of training them. Being mean is punishment for your dog.
If you crate your dog as a punishment, they will start to hate it instead of seeing it as their own special place to escape to. They will try to avoid the crate.
To maintain your dog’s love for the crate and for them to enjoy the benefits it has to offer, you have to make sure your dog only ever has happy, positive experiences with it.
A Complete Guide To Crate Training From Totally Goldens
You can find more information on crate training in our articles.
Everything a Golden owner needs to know about crate training will be contained in this series.
There is a There are benefits to crate training a dog or puppy.
Is crate training cruel?
There is a How can I use a dog crate?
There is a There is crate training. There are times when you shouldn’t crate your dog.
There is a What size dog crate do you need? Which type is best?
There is a What is the best place to put a dog crate?
There is a A step-by-step guide for crate training.
You Cannot Crate A Dog Longer Than They Can Hold Their Bladder
Dogs have an innate instinct not to soil in their den and crate training convinces them their crate is their den and it should be kept clean.
If we put our dog or puppy in a crate when we can’t watch them, they will stay clean. A lot of help during house training.
If they are kept in a crate for too long, they will lose their instinct to keep it clean, and you may find they start to potty inside your home where they didn’t before.
If a house trained dog is forced to soil inside when they know they shouldn’t, it will make them feel anxious and unhappy with themselves, as they know they will have done wrong. It doesn’t make sense to put them in this position.
They will try to hold it as long as they can, which is very uncomfortable, as I am sure you can identify with having had to do this yourself at some point in your life.
The age of the dog or puppy will affect how long they can hold their bladder. To make sure your Golden retriever is able to potty frequently, it is a basic part of caring for them.
Never Crate Your Dog Longer Than 5 Hours (Except Overnight)
Golden retrievers need lots of social interaction and mental stimulation to be happy. It can lead to depression if they don’t get this.
If you crate your Golden for more than 5 hours, try to keep it at a minimum. It is unfair to ask your dog to hold their bladder for longer than this. An adult Golden can is uncomfortable and unfair.
If you have to crate your Golden during the day, you should make sure a friend, family member or dog walker comes by to let them out, interact with and exercise them half way through the day.
It is possible to crate them a full 7 or 8 hours while the house is asleep.
Never Crate A Dog That Suffers From Separation Anxiety
The majority of dogs learn to love a crate and see it as their own special place and den, but this often isn’t the case for dogs that suffer from separation anxiety. Crating such a dog can make things worse.
There are cases of dogs with broken teeth and claws trying to escape after being left alone in a crate. God doesn’t know what state of fear and blind panic they must have been in.
If your Golden retriever shows any of the following signs when you leave them alone, don’t ever crate them and speak to your vet to ask for professional help in curing their issues: Non-stop barking and whining, scratching and chewing doors and windows trying to escape, pottying in.
If you see any signs of separation anxiety, please seek help.
