Dog Hilariously Takes Himself Back to Crate When He's 'Done Socializing'

The way one dog lets everyone know he's had enough of socializing has left the internet laughing.

Cheddar the Shih Poo captured hearts when he was caught on camera taking himself back to his crate when he was done being adored for the day.

With more than 975,000 views the video shared by @cheddar_shihpoo captures the moment Cheddar skillfully uses his paw to open his crate door, subtly retreating to the cozy space. The clip, aptly captioned "he's here for a good time, not a long time," is accompanied by a clip of someone saying, "People know I don't go everywhere. I'm not interested in talking to people."

Commenters on the video expressed their admiration for Cheddar's self-awareness and the significance of crate training in providing dogs with a safe haven. One user, Veri, said: "This is exactly why crate training is important, so they have their own safe space to retreat when they wanna be alone."

TikToker Sam Li agreed and said: "Yes!! Crates are a safe space not a punishment."

Crate training is a method used to teach dogs to spend time in a crate cage, and to consider it their own personal space.

The training method utilizes a dog's natural instincts to have their own safe and comfortable environment while offering support with other dog care elements, including housetraining and preventing destructive behavior.

Not all dogs take to the method, like the sassy pup who was caught "barking back" at his owner during crate training.

Some owners disagree with it, too, arguing that crate training has the potential to cause separation anxiety and restrict a dog's natural behaviors.

Other commenters found themselves relating to Cheddar's desire to take himself away after too much socializing.

"I understand," said one commenter, while another person joked: "When I saw I got that dawg in me...This is what I mean."

Some fellow pet owners said that their dogs also use their crates as a safe space, often taking themselves off to bed.

"Mine does the same! She has two crates, and I'll be looking for her, and she won't answer," said Ntombi. "I turn around and she's staring at me from the crate."

TikToker Kat said: "My German Shepherd Dog is like this! She has her crate and a hideyhole under mine and my husband's desks so she can decompress away from our other dogs."

Newsweek reached out to @cheddar_shihpoo via TikTok for comment.

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