No, your dog is not a den animal
Before you panic, let me clear up a few things. First, let’s define “opinion.”
“Opinion: a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.”
Why bring this up? Because many trainers, websites and organizations refer to dogs as “den animals.” But are they? Or is that just popular opinion?
At last count, there are over 900 million domestic dogs in the world, with only about 17%-24% of them living as pets. That’s a lot of free roaming dogs! So we know quite a bit about dogs and denning habits. Primarily, dogs use dens when giving birth and raising puppies, defense against predators, and protection from bad weather. It’s important to note that these dens do not have a door, and the dogs are not confined to them.
What about wolves, dogs closest ancestor? Wolves use their dens primarily to whelp and rear young, and do not use them for sleeping/resting areas (wolves are known to rest and sleep in wide open areas). Moreover, recent studies show that free roaming dogs usually choose their dens based on proximity to humans (for food and water sources) and can be above ground, and/or in open spaces - not enclosed. References are included below.
OK, so experts agree the current science does not support the idea that the domesticated dog is a “denning animal,” but will use dens seasonably for puppy whelping and rearing. Translate that to modern dog training: Where does the argument that confining a dog/puppy in a crate promote well being and satisfying a dog’s “denning instinct”? come from? This, my friend, is a matter of a popular opinion.
And what about the idea that dog/wolf pups are born and whelped in a den, so the close confinement of a crate will feel more comforting? Doesn’t that make sense? I don’t know if it does, or doesn’t. But I do know it’s a statement of opinion, not fact.
The reason I want to focus on the den animal fallacy is because it is used so often when recommending crates for dogs with SA. The logic is: dogs are den animals, they feel comfortable and safe in small spaces, like a crate. Following that logic, a dog in a crate must automatically feel comfortable and safe. So many owners are genuinely bewildered when crates do not soothe their dog/puppy. Buying into this fallacy wastes precious months of training time, chasing after something that is based on inaccurate information.
Let’s break down some points as it relates to crates and SA:
Not all dogs will automatically take to a crate.
Dogs and puppies should be taught to enjoy their crate through repeated positive associations over time, and a strong training plan.
Putting an untrained dog and/or fearful puppy in a crate may be detrimental.
A dog that “calms down” in a crate may actually be experiencing learned helplessness.
A large majority of dogs with separation related issues also experience confinement distress, which may make matters worse.
Dogs and puppies that sleep in their crate overnight with no fuss may not be able to tolerate being in their crate at other times.
A crate does not change how a dog feels about being left alone.
“Free-ranging dogs showed considerable variation in the selection of their denning sites, from open fields to highly protected shelters, small and dark holes to large and well-lit spaces...free-ranging dogs routinely chose sites of high human activity like markets, railway platforms and residential buildings for dens.”
I am not anti-crate. I am very much PRO crate training. Crates are not a cure for puppy teething/biting or potty training, but they can come in handy with both. Proper crate training takes some time and effort. Good breeders will often start this process before the young pup goes to their new home. New pet parents: consider how terrified a baby puppy is going from the comfort of mom and siblings to a new home with strange sights and sounds. I encourage clients to make alternative management and sleeping arrangements while their acclimate their new puppy to their crate and home. This is the same for any new dog adoption. Confinement is not the panacea you’ve been told it is.
Convincing pet owners that dogs are den animals that love being confined in small spaces is harmful to dogs, and their confused humans. No matter how good something sounds, take a moment to look at it critically and do a bit of background checking. Even your trainer may still believe this to be true. And, why not? A quick Google search produced many reputable websites that promote the idea that dogs are denning animals that benefit psychologically from being confined. OPINION, not FACT.
Here’s something we can all agree on: Let’s do better for dogs because they’re worth it.
“Contrary to the popular hype, the crate is not a “home,” nor is it a “den”: it is a place of confinement. In essence, the crate mechanically suppresses a dog’s behavior, restrains the dog’s freedom of movement, and imposes a loss of control; as such, crate confinement is a condition of punishment (loss of reward) that can be highly aversive and stressful for a dog reactive to such restraint. ”
Excerpt from the Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training, Volume 3, page 118
References and Further Reading
Borchelt PL (1984). Behaviour development of the puppy in the home environment. In RS Anderson (Ed), Nutrition and Behavior in Dogs and Cats: Proceedings of the First Nordic Symposium on Small Animal Veterinary Medicine. New York: Pergamon.
Borchelt PL and Voith VL (1982). Diagnosis and treatment of separation-related behavior problems in dogs. Vet Clin North Am Symp AnimBehav, 12:625–635.
Clark JD, Rager DR, Crowell-Davis S, and Davis DL (1997). Housing and exercise of dogs: Effects on behavior, immune function, and cortisol concentration. Lab Anim Sci, 47:500–510.
Hubrecht RC, Serpell JA, and Poole TB (1992). Correlates of pen size and housing conditions on the behaviour of kennelled dogs. Appl AnimBehav Sci, 34:365–383.
Voith VL (2002). Use of crates in the treatment of separation anxiety in the dog. Presented at the AVMA Annual Convention, July 13–17.
Lindsay, Stephen R, Handbook of Applied Animal Behavior Vol 1-3 Pub 2005 Blackwell Publishing
H.R. Høgåsen, C. Er, A. Di Nardo, P. Dalla Villa, Free-roaming dog populations: A cost-benefit model for different management options, applied to Abruzzo, Italy, Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Volume 112, Issues 3–4, 2013, Pages 401-413
Gompper, Matthew E. (2013). "The dog–human–wildlife interface: assessing the scope of the problem". In Gompper, Matthew E. (ed.). Free-Ranging Dogs and Wildlife Conservation. Oxford University Press. pp. 9–54.
