PETS IN CRATES

I'd like to strangle whoever it was who came up with, and popularized, the idea of keeping dogs in carriers or crates inside the house as a way to house train the dog.  The idea being that since the dog won't soil his crate, you can buy/adopt a dog today, put it in a crate tomorrow when you go to work, and force the poor thing to hold it until someone comes home and lets it out to relieve itself. 

This "training method" pisses me off for several  reasons:

    1.  People are abusing it.  They are keeping the poor dog in the crate even when the family is home because: 
         a.  they don't want dog hair in the house and on the furniture.  Then why did you get a dog?
         b.  They don't want to take the time to socialize and train their dog.
    2.  It's lazy dog training.  You can house train a puppy by adopting it before a weekend and putting it outside every hour to teach it that it needs to go outside to potty. Then, on Monday, you lock it in the bathroom or utility room with some bedding and disposable potty pads so the puppy doesn't have to suffer.  A puppy can't hold it for 8 hours.

People have been training dogs without crates for as long as humans have had dogs as pets.  Crate training is a new (last 10 - 15 years) thing.  I used to recommend the obedience training classes at the pet store, but now I think they are the ones teaching this crating business. It's the most easily accessible obedience classes available to the masses.

Your dog is a member of your family, not an accessory.  If you can't be bothered to socialize and interact with your dog, then you have no business owning one. It needs to go outside and play.  It needs to be taken for a walk every day. It needs to chase a ball (stick, Frisbee or whatever) to burn off excess energy.  Dogs are social companion animals.  They need to get and give love.  They need to lay at your feet, and follow you from room to room. They want to be part of your life, not trapped in a crate.

If you don't interact with your dog, it doesn't learn how to get along with people, children, guests in your home and other animals. It breaks its spirit, or makes it cranky.  Then it's your own fault when it snaps at you. It's your own fault if you think that you have to keep it in a crate when guests come over or the kids have friends in the house because it snaps or barks. Heaven Forbid if the poor thing wants to be petted and loved, or run around the yard with your kids.