By John Cipollina
http://www.bealenet.com/~maestro/

To all pet owners who do not believe in crating:

One of the biggest myths believed by many pet owners is that dogs should not be crated or put in pens. Many of them are under the erroneous assumption that ALL dogs should run free. While this noble sentiment comes out of love and the desire of the pet owner to do right by the dog, it is based on fervor of belief as opposed to a working knowledge of canine behavior.

What many people do not realize is that dogs are pack animals and when in groups, they exhibit pack behavior. While the average pet owner may have only one to 3 dogs, and in most cases they are spayed or neutered, they can be left to run freely throughout the house or a fenced in area even when the owner is not home with hardly any adverse consequences. 

However, in the case of those of us with hobby kennels, this is not feasible and could prove to be detrimental to the wellbeing of the dogs. Accidental breedings would occur regularly. Imagine the problem it could cause if there were more than one breed? I have both Chihuahuas and Chinese Cresteds. I have separate runs and living areas for my dogs and bitches
to try and prevent these types of accidents. I also! separate them by breed when out in the runs.

Another possibility is kennel fights. Anyone with experience in these matters know that in the a kennel fight, it usually starts between two dogs and the rest of the pack usually take the side of the one that is winning and gang up on the other. This can result in the death of one of the dogs. This is not just behavior among males. In my 30+ years in dogs I have learned that males fight for dominance but bitches fight to kill. They don't call them bitches for nothing.

Another issue with those of us that have more than one breed is the size discrepancy. My males have a tendency to argue, especially when there is a bitch in season. When they are of equal size, they generally don't hurt each other in these little tiffs. If I were to let my Cresteds run! with my Chihuahuas, these fights could result in the loss of life of a dog which would more than likely be a Chihuahua.

While addressing myths, another common misconception is that kennel dogs are not as well adjusted or as happy as someone's house pet. I am licensed in King William County, VA to have 40 dogs. I have not reached that limit but I do have a lot of dogs. Even with my numbers I can tell you that my dogs are well adjusted and happy. Each one gets handled at least once every day. It is really easy to see how my dogs respond very positively toward me. A number of people on this list have seen and had their hands on my dogs and in some cases even been to my home. My dogs are friendly and outgoing. They have a reputation for having good temperaments. Each year I do a genetics seminar for 7th graders in the school system I teach
in and the neighboring school system. At the end of the presentation, my dogs are passed around entire 7th grades. I teach in an inner city school system with a high percentage of street smart kids. 

Probably the biggest myth is that the dogs don't like being in the crates. My oldest is a 13 1/2 year old Chihuahua. Because of her age I let her stay in the house while the others are outside. She can go wherever she pleases ! and by her choice goes into her individual kennel in my kennel room. She is not the only dog in my kennel that will willing go to an open
traveling crate and curl up and go to sleep.

I do have my pets. There are four of them that sleep in my lap every night and I have some that do get time to run in the house, but to not kennel my dogs would be neither practical nor responsible. I am in no way advocating that dogs should spend their entire lives in crates, but discretion is in order for those of us breeder/exhibitors with more dogs than the average pet
owner. 

My suggestion to those who like to get on their "soap box" when it comes to issues of crating dogs or putting them in pens is to learn more about what is truly in the best interest of the dogs before standing in judgment over those of us who do kennel our dogs. There is more to it than you may realize.

Mis dos centavos.