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house' frequently contained things she wanted, and that after a brief time in her house' something wonderful would always happen. One hot, hot, hot summer's day at training, after she had run her little heart out and been rewarded with a splash in the team's portable pool, she voluntarily ran back to her house, threw herself down on the mat and immediately fell into that deep sleep that only a tired dog can achieve.I stood there in astonishment and finally grasped that what people had been telling me about crates was true: they become a portable, personal space that can help your dog understand where they should rest in a new location.

Today, four years later, we've graduated from an indestructible hard crate to a soft folding canvas crate and I never take a trip without my girl's house neatly packed in the car. If we go somewhere new, where there is potential for her to be frightened by new people or new objects, the first thing I do is unfold that house and show her where it is. She will always, without fail, go to her house when asked, and will often choose to go to her house and remain there with the door wide open, if she becomes overwhelmed by circumstance.

Sadly, this happens more and more frequently, because I have recently learned she is going blind. Her need for a safe place' is growing and I thank the sport of Flyball for encouraging me to provide that portable safe place. My dog will never be locked in her house' for more than an hour at a time, but she will always know it is there if she needs it.

No, crate training is not cruel.

Learn more about this author, Ilona Van Galen.
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