What is Better for your Dog : Chain or Kennel

There has been a great discussion on the use of kennel and chains, and many dog owners are unable to make the right choice. Many owners are under the impression that dogs can be better handled if enclosed in a kennel. They believe that a kennel is safer and restricts the dog from running away or from making their home a mess. However, if we look at it from the dog’s perspective, we would understand that caging dogs in kennels is cruel and has no effect in keeping the dog from misbehaving.

So, what do you think is better for your dog? Do you think your dog feels more comfortable in an enclosed space or an open one? Let’s find out what is better for your dog.

The Kennel Theory

There are a lot number of people who prefer to put their dogs in kennels. The main reason behind this preference is that kennels are more spacious. Therefore, dog owners believe that their dogs will have enough room to move around, relax, and play. However, the thing that they fail to realize is that kennels make dogs uncomfortable and aggressive. 

When you lock up a dog in a kennel, you make it feel insecure and alert. The dog feels that it is in trouble or forced to live in a small space. This feeling makes the dog hyper and aggressive, and the dog tries to find ways to escape. Just put this scenario on yourself and imagine you being locked up inside a small room. So, would you sit and relax or would you try to find ways to escape? 

Kennel interferes with a Dog’s Needs

Dogs are social animals and they love to make friends, run around the house freely. Therefore, confining them into small cages is never an ideal scenario. Moreover, they have physical needs that get disturbed when they are caged in kennels. Dogs also need mental stimulation and lots of exercise, which it doesn’t get due to being caged in a kennel.

There are many dog breeds that are calm by nature and do really well in a kennel. However, it is morally wrong to confine dogs in small spaces that deprive them of their most basic mental and physical requirements. Although it might seem like a good idea to put your misbehaving dog in a kennel, but the consequences to that may be detrimental. 

Dogs are not made for kennels. They are extremely social and affectionate. They also love to move around in the house freely, which is impossible when put in a kennel. Another disadvantage of putting your dog in a kennel is that it will try everything to break free from it. The dog might scratch, bite, dig, and chew the kennel to escape, which is a red sign that tells you that the dog is losing its mind. 

The Chain Theory

Seeing your dogs in chains might be the most horrible sight, but in all honesty, it is far better than putting the dog in a kennel. Many dog owners do not like to chain their dogs because they believe that it is cruel. Instead, they put them in kennels so that they get enough space to play. As appropriate it might sound, there are many reasons to not to put your dog in a kennel. So, why are chains better and doesn’t make the dog feel suffocated in them? 

Many might say that chaining dogs is inhumane and cruel. However, if you compare and contrast a chain to a kennel, you will come to a realization that chains are better than kennels. Chains are better as they do not restrict the dog’s actions and movements. They provide more freedom and room to the dog to run, jump, and play. Moreover, chains keep the dogs in control and are used to keep the dog in its limits. 

However, there are certain rules that dog owners need to follow in order to keep the dog calm and comfortable in a chain. The chain that you choose for your dog should be of proper length. The dog should be able to move freely without getting hurt. The material of the collar also holds a lot of importance as a bad material will suffocate or hurt the dog. The preferred collar material for a dog is leather or nylon. When putting your dog on a chain, make sure it is not wearing a choker collar. Chokers are tight on the neck of the dog and if the dog tries to struggle or run with a chain attached to a choker, it might injure its neck or choke itself. Therefore, to avoid any disastrous situation, make sure you never pair the choker with a chain.

 Dogs in an Open Yard

There might be some dog owners who would try to find a third option of  open yard. Of course it sounds right to have your dog in your open yard, but it has its own pitfalls that you must be aware of. If you want to provide freedom to your dog by  the yard fence or in an open space, you will drive it crazy. Dogs won’t do really well with that much freedom and will try to escape through the fence. 

The open environment is like a freedom call for the dog and it will exhaust itself by trying to break free. Therefore, if you think that going with this option is better than kennel and chains, you need to reconsider.

The Final Verdict!

Max von Stephanitz was a German dog breeder who did not believe in dog kennels. He criticized the organizations and people who promoted the concept of kennels without knowing the effect that they have on dogs. He also attacked humane societies and kennel clubs in his criticism by saying that the name ‘kennel clubs’ itself should be an eye-opener for the people that want to associate with them. 

The reason that he did not support kennels was that they deprive dogs of their basic necessities. Although kennels are used to manage dogs and control their behavior, they have nothing to do with any of it. A dog in a kennel is helpless, scared, and defensive. Putting such affectionate animals in kennels is injustice to them. Therefore, if you want to leave your dog at home or in an open space, go for chains instead of kennels.  Read more www.ccprotectiondogs.com

Around The Kennel : Change in the Season

Springtime around the kennel is the most exciting time of the year. It means warmer temperatures and longer daylight hours. This translates to more time spent exercising and training our dogs, more hours practicing agility on the course and extended bite work time.

Although we have an indoor training rink, we prefer to work outside. The Great weather also allows us to perform aquatic exercises. The dogs will be deployed across the pond, engage the target suspect and are then commanded to release and return to the side of the handler. Giving our dogs challenges like this prepare them for any situation they may encounter in the real world.

Spring is also whelping season. Cindy, one of our top Belgian Malinois, just whelped five strong, dense pups. Our newest litter still has a few pups not reserved; please feel free to contact us with any questions.

Lastly, CCPD has started a series of landscaping projects, including ingenious dens on the westside of our 5 acre state of the art facility.

We’ll keep you posted. To see more visit www.ccprotectiondogs.com

A Guide To Canine Communication & Body Language

Dogs are able to communicate with each other irrespective of breed and their country of origin. For example, a collie from Wales will have no problem conversing with a poodle from France. Did you ever wonder how that’s possible? The answer is simple: Dogs are equipped with this universal canine body language that scientists and researchers have been studying for years.  When dogs communicate, they do so, primarily, to reduce or resolve conflict. The rich visual language they use, therefore, is predominantly aimed at communicating their intentions to one another.

But here is the thing: Dogs do the same with us humans. We just don’t know what to make of the signals they send our way because we don’t understand canine language. Sure we all know that when a dog starts growling, that’s not a good sign but canine language encompasses so much more than growls, barks and snaps. Dogs also do all sorts of things with their eyes, mouth, ears and tail. They also do the whole body shake-off and the downward dog looking stretch among other things. Understanding what a dog is trying to convey can go a long way in improving how dog owners communicate with their canine companions.

So let’s dig into the basics of canine body language. Hopefully this will help you become a better listener to your dog and a better communicator as well. If you understand what your flurry companion is trying to tell you, you will be able to reduce any stress or anxiety in their lives and help their seamless integration into your family.

Some things your dog may be telling you

1. “I’m relaxed”

When a dog is relaxed and reasonably content, it has a natural body posture and looks neither bigger nor smaller than its actual physique. The ears are up, head high and mouth slightly open with the tongue exposed. The tail is down and may move from side to side or in a circular motion.

2. “I’m alert”

 When a canine detects something of interest or is threatened by something unknown, it stands upright, looking intense and focused. The ears are up and slanted forward, eyes wide, mouth closed and the overall body posture shows a slight forward lean, as the animal stands tall on all fours. The tail rises to a horizontal position.

3. “I’m offensively aggressive”

A dog that’s angry and confident enough to be on the attack shows his social dominance by looking large and aggressive. The ears are angled forward, the nose is wrinkled, the lips are curled, the teeth are visible and the animal exhibits an overall stiff-legged stance leaning slightly forward. The tail is raised beyond the horizontal and bristled.

4. “I’m defensively aggressive”

 In contrast, a dog that’s feeling defensively aggressive will adopt a combination of fearful and offensive body language. Typically, the dog will lower his stance, the ears are pulled back, the lips are slightly curled but teeth are barely visible and the tail is tucked. The animal is frightened but will attack if pressed. The hackles are raised.

5. “I’m distressed”

A dog that’s distressed does its best to look small. Typical signs of this state include a lowered and hunched body posture, ears that are pulled back, rapid panting, exaggerated yawning, sweating through the foot pads and a tucked tail with little or no movement.

6. “I’m beat”

A dog in complete submission conveys the message that he accepts his lower status by groveling.  It will do so by rolling onto its back, head turned to avoid direct eye contact. The tail is tucked, ears flat and back and the eyes partly closed.

7. “I’m playful”

Last but not least, anyone who owns a dog will know the typical signs of playfulness. Ears up, tail up, mouth open with the tongue exposed, front end lowered by bent forepaws and body movements that are bouncy and jerky. That’s a clear invitation to play!

For more details on our training and dogs, visit www.ccprotectiondogs.com

It is all in a days work at the Kennel

The work that we do is very special, unlike many dog training videos you may see on YouTube, we don’t use any food, balls, or tugs for reward. The training concept that we use at CCPD is very simple, it’s called communication. As humans, we have a tendency to talk when we shouldn’t and don’t talk when we should. We work our dogs at a very young age, in fact, we start are pups at five weeks. We feel that this is the most important time of the pups life, from the age of five weeks to eight weeks, this lays the foundation for the pup for the rest of its life.

This weekend we did a marathon training session with all of our dogs, from all age groups from thirteen weeks to three years of age. We started at 6 a.m. with basic obedience, then moved on to advanced off leash training. After a short break, we were on the agility course to get the dogs use to different environments and surfaces. A good Protection Dog has to be confident in any situation, whether they have to swim across ponds or climb a ten foot wall.

After taking time out for lunch, we then worked our dogs doing article searches. We were extremely proud of our new KNPV German Shepherd puppies; Max (thirteen weeks) and Tina (six months of age) had no problem doing a 100 yard article search for the key and cone. We then loaded up the dogs into the trucks and drove across the Kennel to have the decoys getup to do the bite work. We role played as many scenarios as possible, using many props, such as guns, knives, baseball bats. These props help to condition the dogs to take out the weapon hand.

As a daylight fell we gathered the dogs for man scent tracking in the deep woods. All the dogs did extremely well including the two female German Shepherds that were in heat.

This work that we do is all in a days work. Not a day will go by that all our dogs are doing some form of training, even if it is merrily walking on a busy street we will take that opportunity to develop their street smarts.

For more information about our training  principal and philosophy visit our website at, http://ccprotectiondogs.com