by Kayla Griffin

Created on: February 07, 2009

As smart as your dog is, they are not smart enough to know something is poisonous or unhealthy to them, and they are not smart enough to know that when you come home and see the hole they chewed in your couch you are going to want to kill them.

Lets face it as troublesome as your puppy or dog can be, we love them and want to keep them safe just like our children. They rely on us to feed them healthy food, keep them in good shape, and keep them safe from chemicals and all things that can bring harm to them. I have heard of dogs swallowing whole socks, Christmas balls, toys and many other things that can be very harmful to them. These are things that can usually be found around our house. And it is important to ensure they cannot have access to these things when we are not there to supervise them.

I have also heard of dogs who chewed wholes in the walls, dug up floors, ate holes in pieces of furniture, chewed through support beams on outsides decks. These are just some of the damages that your dog can cause that can be very costly to you, and harmful to them.

Our dogs are important to us and just like our children or anyone we care about, we want to do whats best for them. So how can we keep our dogs safe when we have to go out? This is actually very simple and easy. Get a kennel (also known as crate). For those of you who consider this to be mean or cruel, consider this. Dogs in the wild find themselves a den this is a place with a roof that allows them to feel protected from predators and weather.

So now you may be saying there is so predators or weather in your house, so why would your dog want a kennel. This is because your feet become predators, and large crowds can be like weather. Some people say that kennels are too small for the animal they have inside, that the dog can barely turn around. Dogs like to curled into themselves. My dog looked to big for her kennel and we bought it for her same of dog, but then I noticed that when ever she was in laying down it looked huge! This is because she sleeps curled into herself, therefor the kennel is actually big enough for her. Take this in to consideration as well as your dogs natural instincts to want a safe place to sleep and a kennel suddenly does not seem so cruel anymore.

This does not mean your dog is going to want to be in the kennel from the first day you bring it home. However if you use your kennel when you are out regularly you will not only keep your dog safe but will also get your dog use to his/her "bed". My dog after a couple weeks of using it would go in there on her own if she wanted to take a nap, or the house was really busy.

If you don't think your dog will chew it you can place a dog bed into the kennel for a more comfortable bedding. However if your dog will chew it this can cause them to choke and make them very sick, if they swallow some of the bedding it may even require a trip to the vet.

We can all agree we want to keep our pets safe when we are out, as well as our house, clothes and furniture. The most effective way to achieve this is by kennel or crate training your dog. It is not cruel and it has many benefits to your dog and yourself. You will soon notice that your dog likes to use their kennel even when you are not going out. So keep your dog safe, and your house whole and use a kennel!

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