Michelle King, of Reseda, California, thought Crystal, her 6-month-old
Golden Retriever, looked so cute snuggled into the pillows on her son's
bed. “She was asleep, so I left her alone and took a shower,” Michelle
remembers. “When I came back to the bedroom, there was stuffing
scattered everywhere. Crystal had chewed up the bedding and even had a
piece of fabric hanging from ear to ear.
A friend suggested that Michelle try putting her puppy into a crate when
she couldn't keep an eye on her. “I resisted because I didn't want to
confine Crystal, and I didn't think that she would cause any more damage.
But I was wrong,” she says. “When my pup chomped off chunks of
mattress one evening soon after, I bought a crate that same day. I wasn't
thrilled about using it, but Crystal's crime sprees were becoming too
expensive.”
At first glance, putting your puppy into the small, confined space of a crate
may seem cruel, but it's actually one of the kindest things you can do for
your dog. Marcus Thompson, a German Shepherd trainer and breeder
