Risk Of Your Dog Overheating – Especially Brachycephalic Breeds
Covering a dog crate with a blanket creates a small, enclosed space with limited air flow. While in winter months this may be beneficial as it is cold, all dog breeds, especially brachycephalic breeds have the risk of overheating as dogs can not sweat like humans to lose body heat. Brachycephalic dog breeds are at a higher risk of overheating as they have short noses and smaller air passages.
Creates A Dark Area Which Makes Sleeping Easier
If your dog struggles with falling asleep due to an active household with many lights on, covering a crate with a blanket is not a bad idea as it will create a dark area that is much easier to sleep in. The darkened crate will send signals to your dog’s body that it is a time to rest due to the absence of light.
You can even use a dog crate cover set to increase the darkness levels in your dog’s crate!
Read Also: How To Keep A Dog Warm In A Crate At Night
Covering your dog’s crate with a blanket can help calm down your dog and ultimately reduce anxiety by limiting visual stimuli. You can even further help your dog during anxious times by putting a calming dog bed inside the crate!
Is It Safe To Use A Blanket To Cover A Dog Crate?
The main concern when using a blanket or anything else to cover a dog crate is if your dog will have enough airflow. In addition, you want to make sure that your dog can’t pull the blanket inside their crate and possibly ingest it.
You also want to avoid any possibilities of the blanket catching fire from an outlet or any other heat source near the crate. As long as you take these precautions into consideration, using a blanket to cover your dog’s crate is perfectly safe.
We cover more of the risks involved with covering a dog crate with a blanket below.