Obedience Dog Training:
Crate Training Pros and Cons
By Jan Hoadley

Often in the home if a crate is left open, the dog will seek security by going into the crate. This gives him an option. The crate can be used in a multiple dog home to insure each dog can eat in peace, without harassment from the other.

A newer idea for smaller dogs is an end table build so that it has three sides and a door - a crate that doubles as furniture! This, of course, is not portable as the other styles.

Like any tool, crate training can be misused. Leaving the dog in the crate for 22 hours per day is not a good idea, but to keep the dog safe and secure while you run errands for a couple hours is better than a accident or a dog learning bad behavior and destroying things.

It's important to understand that while the crate is useful as a "time out" place it shouldn't be used for punishment. The crate ideally is a place where mostly good things happen - a comfortable place to sleep, a place to hang out and play with toys, a place to eat and to get away from annoying visitors.

Sites such as dog.com have a variety of crates from plastic airline approved crates to fold down wire ones. Some crates have a divider option so that larger breed puppies can be initially confined to half the crate, with the whole crate available as he grows, which saves buying another crate when he's grown.

Generally speaking, crates will range from about $30 to upwards of $150 depending on materials, size and other factors.