Pet Relocation Blog

This is a guest post from our Domestic Pet Relocation Specialist, Marcus:

Dear Marcus:
I am thinking about moving my dog soon but he hates his crate. Any advice?
-Martha & JoJo the Lab Mix

Marcus's Reply:

Crate training. It's been discussed before, and I will discuss it again as it is that important. It is the #1 thing you can do to help your pet to be more comfortable on their trip. So if you know you are going to be traveling, even if it's not until six months from now, go out today, this weekend, or the next chance you get, to your local pet store and pick one up. The sooner you acclimate your pet to this carrier the better. Your pet needs to see this as a safe place, their "comfort zone", in order for it to work properly. Simply placing your pet in a brand new crate the day before travel is not the way to go. I speak to many clients who are understandably, and rightly so, worried about their pets, but yet want nothing to do with the crate. To me, it naturally begs the question: why would a pet owner, one who is justifiably worried about the safety and comfort of their pet, choose to avoid the most important step in providing for that safety and comfort? Some people may say, "my pet simply will have nothing to do with the crate, they hate it!" Well, to that I ask "when do you actually use the crate?" The #1 answer is "when we go to the vet." Well of course they hate it, and rightly so. When they go to the vet they get poked and prodded and, just like going to the doctor is for us, it's a miserable experience for them. And yet even though we know our pets dislike the vet, we take them anyway, and without hesitation. Why? Because we know, as their owners, as their caregivers, that going to the vet is necessary. Going to the vet keeps them healthy; it keeps them safe. Which brings me to my point -- that even though our pet's may hate their crate/carrier, it is there only to protect them, to keep them safe, and to keep them comfortable. Now I am in no way recommending that you purchase a crate, shove your dog or cat in, shut the door and leave them be. Not all, that's counterproductive and that IS mean. I highly suggest visiting the travel crate page of our web site. It contains a wealth of information on not only crate training you pet, but how to select, purchase, and prepare the crate itself. If you don't find the answer there or just want to talk to somebody, feel free to give me or any one of my associates here at PetRelocation.com a call or shoot us an email, we would be more than happy to assist you. After all, it's all for the pets.

Just as a side note, as I have been in the same boat when it comes to crate training. My dog likes to pretend he hates his crate, but that is only to aggravate me. If I want or need him in his crate, he doesn't want to go in, but again, it's only to give me a hard time. It's a game for him, he is stubborn and likes to laugh at my expense. That's my boy, and that's why I like my dog, he helps keep life fun. But the truth of the matter is this, when I am not paying attention or can't seem to locate my dog directly under my feet as usual or its bedtime, he is tucked away in his crate on his own accord. He doesn't hate his crate, he just hates giving me the satisfaction. After all, he is a Blue Heeler. (Editor's note: What do you have against Blue Heelers!? You're the one who adopted one!)

And remember this, proper crate training combined with a professional service such as PetRelocation.com can pretty much guarantee that our pets will have a more pleasant travel experience that we their human owners will, given the state of affairs at our airports these days. Don't forget to remove your shoes at security! :)