To use the crate or gate properly, always have the dog enter after plenty of exercise. A dog’s crate is a sanctuary for unwinding, resting, and relaxing. It is not a place to put a dog unattended for hours at a time. A dog’s adjustment period will take a couple of weeks, beginning with ten-to-fifteen-minute sessions while the owner is present. Once the dog is crated, owners should go out of sight as they do their business. As time is added, and builds to an hour or more, it is generally safe for an owner to leave without concern. Should a dog whine when an owner leaves the room, try making a phone call so the dog can hear your voice. Place the dog in the crate or gated area whenever he appears sleepy, in order to capture a positive association. As a dog gains comfort in the new space, open and close the door to your home in order to desensitize the dog to the sounds of leaving. It is not uncommon for a dog to be gated or crated overnight. In the case of separation anxiety, keeping the crate in the owner’s bedroom is acceptable at first. Since autonomy is the goal for the dog and human, the crate should be transitioned to another room in roughly a week.
With the exception of dogs that are comfortable being crated overnight, I recommend that adult dogs not be crated or gated longer than four hours, and in the case of puppies, two hours. This is not a hard-and-fast rule, as some dogs willingly spend long periods of time in their crates.
Tail Wagging
While much has been studied on the subject, there are a couple of cues that are commonly misread, particularly the idea that a wagging tail is the sign of a happy dog. While a dog’s tail tucked between the legs is a sure sign of submission, depending on the breed, dogs will carry their tails at different heights and wag them at different rates. A tail’s height is an indicator of mood. A tail at mid-height means the dog is relaxed, while a high tail is a sign of a dog attempting to threaten and establish dominance. It is not a perfect indicator, as beagles and terriers naturally walk with their tails held high, while greyhounds have naturally low-slung tails. It is necessary to determine the average height that an individual dog holds its tail before determining if the tail is telltale. The speed of the wag lets one know just how excited the dog is. How much the tail swings determines a dog’s emotional state. There is a lot to this, and endless combinations, but here are some common tail movements and their meaning:
■ A big, wide wag is friendly, not challenging in any way, and is the origin of the “wagging tail means happy dog” stereotype. When the wagging tail is accompanied by swinging hips, that’s one happy dog.
■ A vibrating tail that moves speedily is a sign that the dog is about to go into fight or flight. If the tail is held high, it is most likely ready to attack.
■ A slow-dragging wag with a low or half-slung tail speaks to an insecure dog that is not feeling terribly social or particularly good.
■ Small wags at an average speed are humble greetings. The dog is saying, “Hi, are you sure it’s okay that I come in?”
In a recent study conducted at the University of Trieste in Italy, a neuroscientist and two veterinarians tracked the angles that a dog’s tail would wag. They discovered that dogs feeling positive will wag their tail with a bias to the right side, and when they are experiencing negative feelings, they will wag their tail more to the left. Interesting stuff.
Smiling
Dogs can smile. That happy-looking, partially open mouth accompanied by a slight tilt of the head and relaxed ears is indicative of a good mood.