Crate training — kindness or cruelty?
Okay, I’ll admit it — I feel terrible about crate training. I got a 9-week-old mini Bernedoodle last month, and every time I put him in the crate, he looks at me like I’ve completely betrayed him. He whines, scratches the door, and honestly, I start to feel like a monster. Everyone keeps saying it’s “for his own good,” but I can’t shake off the guilt. Is it really necessary, or is it just something trainers push because it’s convenient for humans?
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This thread actually made me think of something similar I went through recently — not with dogs, but with our backyard. When we adopted our rescue, I thought giving her full outdoor freedom would make her happy, but instead she kept getting stressed out by all the neighborhood cats and raccoons showing up at night. It felt so unfair to her, kind of like what you described about the crate. I didn’t want to scare the animals away with traps or anything harsh, so we tried one of those quiet ultrasonic things — https://sonic-barrier.us/ I didn’t even realize such tech existed before. It gently keeps other animals out without hurting them, and now she’s calm again in her space.
Sometimes it’s not about control — it’s about helping them feel safe.