Having just finished reading Rande's article on crate training, I'll agree that crate training may be one of the most important deciding factors on whether a dog keeps its home or becomes a rescue. All you have to do is look at the picture of my friends' home to realize that kind of destruction does not endear a dog to its owner. If it happens too many times, the dog may become an abused dog, or is given up. Maureen borrowed two crates and then bought her own.

Crate training can potentially be one of the most important training steps that you take with your dog. It can end up being a lifesaver for you and your pet. It can save furniture, carpet, curtains and just about anything a bored or angry dog can get its mouth on. A dog any age can be trained to go into a crate of its own free will.

I'd like to add a few comments from my own rescue perspective. Some of the dogs I've gotten have been crate abused, having spent endless hours locked in a crate. That isn't what is meant by crate training. Crates make wonderful training aids, if used intelligently. Even people who don't believe in crating, have watched their own dogs go into the nice, cozy crates here! It comes as a surprise that they headed there voluntarily! Oh, and do teach kids and the other dogs that when a dog heads for the crate, their private space should be respected and they should be left alone.

I love Kennel-Aire crates! Their one inch wire grid keeps dogs from getting into trouble. They can't pull those blankets inside or bite another dog. There just isn't the opportunity!

New rescues are kept crated, as the home crew meets them safely. I can see how the new dog reacts to other dogs, yet remains safely out of reach.

When a dog resists being crated, I put their food bowl at the very back of the crate, leaving the door open and keeping the other dogs out of the kitchen. The dog makes the choice of going in the crate on its own, and it usually doesn't take long before they are waiting in the crate for supper. They do this all on their own (no force, no playing catch me if you can). How is that for positive reinforcement? They get a reward for going in the crate … a nice meal! Self reinforcing behavior.

The last comment is that most of my give-ups haven't been crate trained or obedience trained. It is a sad pattern, repeated time and time again. If they had just started out their new pup with a crate… and a little basic obedience, maybe I'd see fewer rescue dogs. One thing is certain, the new owners realize the importance of those two things.