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Crate training


Elle
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Hello, hope this finds everyone well.
This will be my first post as a first Border Collie owner. :)

I have had Maggie (now 6 mos) for about 2 months now, and it has definitely changed my lifestyle (for the good!). Training has been great, I'm amazed at how quick she picks up everything I teach her and am excited about the prospect of her being a super awesome companion.
I have been going back and forth about crate training her. She knows 'Place' and we have her in our room for when we're away and/or when we go to bed where she has her own bed. What I'm wondering, is it more advisable to crate train her especially for when she gets older?

Thank you in advance! 

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  • 3 weeks later...

My advice is that if she’s already really good at going outside ect it’s okay to not crate train however if she starts having frequent accidents I would start her on crate training. Though you might want to do some work with her going in her crate for if ever she gets overstimulated she’s got somewhere to go to quickly cool down. However your already teaching her place.

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  • 1 year later...

Our Alfred was really good at crate training since he was 2 months old he liked to go in at bed time. When we leave to go somewhere he is a little skeptical about going in but he still does. We keep his favorite blanket in there. Now that he is older we just leave the door open. When we say bed time he goes on our bed for 15 minutes then off and into his crate, same with we are going bye bye and shower time. His is bath time and he knows the difference. He will stay in the crate Intel he gets thirsty but comes right back or intel we walk away or call him. When he does not feel good he goes in there as well. He did at first have a few nights where we heard him walking around like he was looking for a spot to potty and we said his name and got up to let him out. It is hard when we leave even though he has not done it for short time away we don't trust him yet to not find a spot if we are gone longer then an hour. We also bring home a treat or new toy with us though as incuragement to be good when we get home and say look you were a good boy. He is not good when company comes over however so we still have to shut his door intel he calms down. It's nice he has what we call his safe place and he thinks so to. When In the crate no one is aloud to bug him or reach In to get him. Other animals is not aloud to do this either.

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First of all, this particular forum is "for those engaged in training their border collies for livestock operations and ISDS-style trials." That's why you haven't received many replies. It would be better reposted in the General Border Collie Discussion for greater readership.

That said, I'll add to the answers anyway. While crating is often recommended to make house training go more smoothly and quickly, IMO and many others' a dog's ability to be happily left in her crate is a very useful skill to have. You never know when you might have to crate your dog -- for traveling, if someone else has to watch the dog in your absence and would need to be crated, and most importantly in the event of an accident or illness. There's no reason on earth that a dog who's sick or hurt and has to spend time at the vet's or at home on crate rest should be exposed to the additional trauma of being put into a crate when she's not accustomed to spending time comfortably in one.

Besides that, many of them love their crates and choose to spend time in them. I currently have 3 dogs with 2 open crates (i.e. doors left open) available for their use. There's almost always at least one dog in a crate, often one in each of them and sometimes 3 dogs in 2 crates. . . . by their choice.

 

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