10/28/2026
About Crate Training and Why We Believe It Matters
BeFreegle has been finding homes for former research beagles for over 12 years. More than 500 have come through our doors. Without a doubt, we support crate training. Based on our years of experience, we believe a crate or xpen can be an essential tool in helping retired lab beagles transition to life in a home.
Before you criticize us, please take a moment to understand why.
Understanding Their World
Lab beagles are typically housed in groups in kennel environments, with arrangements varying by facility. Their surroundings are controlled, and their daily lives are structured around the routines of the lab. For much of their lives, this is the only environment they have ever known.
This next part is important.
Until the day they come to us, that has been their world. They don't know about the outdoors, passing trucks, birds, leaves blowing across the yard, the vacuum, or a thousand other things we take for granted. Almost everything in their new home and the outside world is completely foreign to them.
And then, in a very short period, we ask them to navigate an entirely new life. They must learn to go outside, climb stairs, walk on a leash, ride in a car, visit the vet. Even routine experiences like vaccinations and microchipping can be overwhelming.
It's no wonder some shut down when they first arrive.
Imagine traveling to a foreign country where you are completely alone. You don't speak the language, you don't understand the customs, and everything around you is unfamiliar. You don't know where to go, what's expected of you, or what might happen next. Now imagine that this is your entire world, overnight. That's what transitioning from a lab to a home can feel like for a research beagle.
Why a Crate (or xpen) Can Help
Years ago, a behaviorist helped us understand something fundamental about these dogs, they have had very little opportunity to make choices for themselves. Their routines and environments have largely been determined for them.
When they leave the lab, they're suddenly introduced to a big, unfamiliar world. Some embrace it, while others find it frightening and overwhelming.
That's why we expand their world a little at a time. We meet them where they are and offer gentle support and encouragement. We allow them to explore at their own pace, rather than expecting them to adjust on our timeline.
A crate or xpen can provide a safe, familiar space that belongs to them alone. A place to retreat when the world feels like too much. It gives them the opportunity to rest, decompress, and begin exploring their new surroundings on their terms, not ours.
It's not about restricting their freedom. It's about helping them feel safe enough to embrace it.
We all know and love Eva, Our Chief Freegle Ambassador
She loves her crate because it's a place where she feels safe and comfortable. The door is always open, and she willingly chooses to nap there, even though she has plenty of other dog beds available. (She does sleep in the exact middle of her humans bed at night. Such a beagle thing.)
That's exactly what we want, a dog who sees her crate as a safe haven, not a place of punishment.
Meet Them Where They Are
Please keep all of this in mind when adopting a former research beagle. You've been chosen to help them discover their best life, and that means accepting them for who they are today, not who you think they should be or how quickly you believe they should adjust.
Give them time. Offer patience, love, and gentle encouragement. Celebrate the little victories, and respect their limitations and understand that this may be the best they are capable of. Love them anyway.
A crate or xpen isn't the only tool these dogs need, but in our experience, it can be an important part of helping them feel secure as they navigate their new lives.
You are so very lucky to be their person. Give them the time, space, and the love they need to discover just how wonderful life can be. đź’›
