Can You Move A Dog Crate From Room To Room?
April 1, 2021 2024-06-20 2:21Are you a proud puppy owner and ready to crate train your new family member? As you are going through the process of getting your pup used to the crate and having him sleep in there for his naps and overnight, you may wonder if it is ok to move the crate around your house.
The quick answer is that yes – it is absolutely ok to move a crate from room to room!
However, this may not always be the most convenient solution, depending on your setup and household. Let’s look at how you should plan out where to put your pup’s crate.
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Should you move your puppy’s crate around?
In general it is a good idea to move your pup’s crate around and thereby teach him that no matter where his crate is – he can rest and relax in it! However, this comes with one caveat: Your dog should always have a quiet and calm spot to sleep.
If you have small children, then moving your puppy’s crate into their playroom is not the best idea. If you have a big party planned with a lot of people over, your dog’s crate also should not be in the room with all the commotion. As you are moving your dog’s crate around, always keep in mind that the place where you keep it should be one that is quiet and lets your puppy to rest.
Typical scenarios
Many families may have one crate that they use in the bedroom at night and in the living room or home office during the day. In this case it is absolutely fine to move the crate during the day. Your puppy will be more likely to fall asleep without whining if he is close to you and not by himself in a different room.
Creating routines
Dogs are creatures of habit and they learn best if they have a structured routine. There is absolutely no benefit to randomly moving your puppy’s crate around from room to room (or even within one room) simply to give him novel experiences. Some dogs that are on the nervy side (such as Poodles or many herding breeds) will be irritated if their crate is in a new spot every day.
You should always strive to create routines that your dog can understand. Moving the crate from the bedroom to the office during the day and back to the bedroom at night is easily understandable for your dog. Moving it from one end of the living room to the other then to the dining room and to the hallway, then to the bedroom and the kids’ room however makes no sense and will only confuse your pup.
Should you get multiple crates?
If you are using your crate a lot, it makes sense to get one or two more so you do not have to constantly move them around. Many owners have one crate in the bedroom (or wherever the puppy sleeps) and another one in their living or working space.
If you are planning to crate your dog in the car (which is a very good idea from a safety perspective), you may want to get a crate specifically for your vehicle as well.
Of course, how many crates you purchase will depend on the specific kind you decide on. Some specialty crates (such as indestructible crates or crates for Pitbulls) can be expensive – having several of them will require quite a big budget. If you however decide on basic crates (that you can also get in thrift stores or through Craigslist), you can probably acquire several for not too much money.
Once your dog grows up and becomes less destructive, you can stop crating him and donate any crates you no longer use.
Will your dog be confused by having the crate moved?
If you get your puppy used to his crate being moved right from the start, he will not be confused if you move it around. However, if you have a dog whose crate has always been in the same place and suddenly you move it around, he will very likely be irritated and perhaps could even refuse to go in. As with many issues in dog training, this comes down to habits.
Once dogs have formed a habit, they are hard-wired to repeat it. You can make it a habit to move your young puppy’s crate around – then he will easily adapt to seeing it in a new place. On the other hand, if your dog has had the habit of sleeping in his crate in exactly the same spot every day for years, he will probably refuse to settle in it if you suddenly move it.
The Bottom Line
It is absolutely ok to move your puppy’s crate from room to room. As you are doing so, you want to watch out for a few key aspects however.
Do not suddenly move a dog’s crate that has been in the same place for months or even years. This will irritate your dog very much and could even result in him refusing to sleep in the crate in the new place. You should also not randomly move your dog’s crate around all the time – there is no point in having it be in one corner of the living room and then the other, then the hallway, then the office, then the bedroom …
Dogs thrive when they are raised with predictable routines. You should always strive to provide these routines for your pup.
As you are moving the crate around, of course watch out that every room that you move it to provides a calm and quiet resting spot. Your kids’ playroom is probably not the right choice for putting the dog crate.
If you are using the kennel a lot for your pup’s naps, it may be worth getting an additional crate or two. That way you do not have to constantly move them around. This especially applies if your dog is riding in a crate in the car – it is no fun to have to carry a crate to the car and back every time you want to take your pupper somewhere.