# IPO Dogs: Crate/Kennel or House Dogs?



## zetti (May 11, 2014)

What are you all doing with your IPO dogs? Does anyone subscribe to the old "drive through confinement" theory? 

Do you keep your IPO dogs crated or kenneled to build drive or are they allowed to be house dogs? Assuming, of course they're capable of being house dogs.

I don't mean crated because they aren't trustworthy in the house (yet); but, crated or kenneled specifically to create boredom and increase drive.


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## Blitzkrieg1 (Jul 31, 2012)

You can do it at points in the training and it definitely has an impact. However, if you have to do it nonstop then you need to look at your training or the dog itself. Generally one or both of those things is were your problem lies. 
If I am training a certain peice of the routine that the dog is having trouble with or not showing the correct level of drive for I will put him away between sessions but thats more to focus him then anything else.

I see a lot of people trying to train their dog that is medium / low drive like he or she is high drive. Obviously that is a training methodology issue locking him up wont make a difference there.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

IPO is something we do with our dogs, not our entire life with our dogs. Living in the house I tend to do little snippets of Obedience throughout the day. My boy has only medium drive and I doubt spending a day in the crate will do anything to build that drive. 

They do need down time, though. I did basic recall drills this morning and afterwards it was downtime. My boy settles himself to relax. My she-pup I ignore when she comes to ask to play. I want them to have some quiet time to absorb what we just practiced. If we go from one interesting activity to another the first lesson might be overshadowed by the next. 

I don't know if this is a proven idea or not but it makes sense to me.


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## mycobraracr (Dec 4, 2011)

zetti said:


> What are you all doing with your IPO dogs? Does anyone subscribe to the old "drive through confinement" theory?
> 
> Do you keep your IPO dogs crated or kenneled to build drive or are they allowed to be house dogs? Assuming, of course they're capable of being house dogs.
> 
> I don't mean crated because they aren't trustworthy in the house (yet); but, crated or kenneled specifically to create boredom and increase drive.



When I first started, I had a WGSL. I kept her crated majority of the day on Friday's to get her energy and drive levels up for Saturday training. Did I need to do this? I don't know, but I was told to and it seemed to really help her at the time. Fast forward a couple years and I ended up washing the dog out. Not so much because of drive, but because of work ethic. What I found was she worked good enough for me at the time, but only if she felt like it. 

With my current dogs, I don't do anything of the sort. They are everyday house dogs until it's time to work. Then we just load them up and go. For the most part they don't skip meals before training or anything crazy. Just when it's time to work, it's time to work. This works for them. 

I also agree with Blitz. I do use a crate a lot as a place for the dog to think and focus. So I may teach something, then put the dog in a crate for a while then bring it back out to continue training or do it again. I do this weather at home or training.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

I have never believed in creating drive through deprivation. My dogs are crated more than I like since I have females that hate each other, but I do not use this as a way to create drive. If anything it tends to give me too much drive. They are crated, though, on the days we train and sometimes in the kennel as a matter of convenience. I have always found that my dogs that hang with me where I can throw in little bits of obedience whenever I get the urge have better obedience than my dogs that are brought out specifically to do obedience.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I think some dogs get a bit neurotic from too much containment. Spinning, constant barking, lower threshold sets in as well as barrier aggression or dog aggression if the dogs are in kennel runs or crated more often than not, is what I've seen often. They may perform on the field ok, but not one that I'd want to be my partner/companion on a daily basis.

As far as being drive building, either it is there or it is not...but I do have to say that my dogs probably get too much freedom as far as 'sport' dogs go. But I don't have goals for the podium or National level.


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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

My dogs have always lived with me....yes, rotating a bit for free time in the house, the seniors only crated when youngsters are loose if they can't live together....at one time I had 3 females and a male who all were fine together - even to the point of driving a Hyundai Tiberon places (including training!!!) with 3 females in teh back seat and my male riding shotgun.....the two that I trained and trialed always rode together and lived together....now I have to rotate with one female who is not female friendly....I have actually seen that with my dogs, when someone does deprivation either as a training tool or just management it is detrimental to their relationship with the dog and/or the training


Lee


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## astrovan2487 (May 29, 2014)

My pup gets free roam of the house and fenced in backyard most of the time, sleeps on the bed, can be on the couch when she wants, goes everywhere with me when possible, very spoiled house dog. She is crate trained but really don't use it much except at training. Lately she's been crated a lot more than usual because she's in heat and I have not noticed any difference in drives when we go to train. I honestly don't do anything different to prepare for training and she always does well.


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## zetti (May 11, 2014)

It looks like we have consensus. Nobody here thus far is strictly confining their dogs.

I'm glad to hear that, since mine are house dogs as well, crated only as necessary.

I'm also inclined to agree that if the drive is there, it's just there. My two best working dogs were excellent house dogs, bullets on the field.


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