Crating Opinion

[Guest joviemom]

I posted about this a week or so ago, but my girl got off her schedule and started having accidents in the house when I am not home. I havent had to even use my crate in about 5 months (and when I used it before she HATED it).

 

She had gone over a week since her last accident so I got my carpets cleaned on Saturday. That day she had an accident. It happened when I went out for a few hours (not my normal schedule or hers). My opinion is that she went right at her normal time (10pm) and I didnt get home until midnight, even though I was only gone for 4 hours I think she was keeping to her normal routine.

 

She has never messed in my house when I was at work, and I think she has that routine down pretty well.

 

Now, here is my question for you all.

 

I am thinking about only crating her when I do go out/do things that fall outside of her schedule but leaving her out during the day (when I am at work). What are your thoughts on this?

 

Any other suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated!

[a_daerr]

I'm thinking that might not work. The idea of using crating for housetraining purposes is that the dog establishes their "den" and is responsible for a small area they need to keep clean. Then, you gradually expand their privileges into larger areas as the dog becomes more reliably housetrained. I'm not sure that concept would translate if you were only selectively using the crate. Also, given the fact that she has/had an aversion to being crated, I would not just crate her only when you're gone. Dogs are social creatures and they love their humans. So if she begins making the association of crate = mom being gone, she is more likely to hate being crated. You can inadvertantly create separation anxiety or crate anxiety that way. The key to crating is to make the area a desirable place, one where she can feel safe and comfortable. In order to do that, you will have to have regular periods where she's crated, both when you're home and not home. If you decide to start crate training again, my vote is to do all or nothing.

[Guest Clawsandpaws]

^ I agree with a_daerr. I tried crating my guy when I first adopted him, and he also hated it. A few months later, I tried crating him, out of the blue, because I had maintenance guys going in and out and around my apt, isolating him in a room wasn't an option. Even with me there, crating him like that was a bad idea, he had diarrhea in his crate after 5 minutes and became extremely stressed and agitated. I felt so bad I did that to him it would be much better to baby gate her in an appropriate room, and do it all in baby steps!

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

I think you are over-thinking it. If you need to crate her, then do it. Dont worry about what other people think. Now if you said you need to crate your girl for 10 hours a day, every day of the week, there might be a problem there. Do you have a secure yard? Maybe think about the possibility of a doggie door and that would be another option. I have 3 hounds, and I always have a foster. I have a doggie door, that my three use, and the foster is always crated when we are gone. Sometimes 4 hours a day, sometimes 6-8 (maybe 2 times a month), it works out just fine.

[Guest BlackandTan]

I think you are over-thinking it. If you need to crate her, then do it. Dont worry about what other people think. Now if you said you need to crate your girl for 10 hours a day, every day of the week, there might be a problem there. Do you have a secure yard? Maybe think about the possibility of a doggie door and that would be another option. I have 3 hounds, and I always have a foster. I have a doggie door, that my three use, and the foster is always crated when we are gone. Sometimes 4 hours a day, sometimes 6-8 (maybe 2 times a month), it works out just fine.

 

Agreed...

[JJNg]

The problem isn't what people think about crating, but the idea of crating only when the owner is away for non-routine outings. I'd agree with a_daerr that it's not a good idea, especially with a dog who already has a history of hating the crate. IMO, to teach a dog to like the crate and be calm when crated, it needs to be incorporated as a part of their daily routine and associated with good things.

[FountainLady]

Where is she having the accidents? Is it in the same area of the house?

 

Can you try walking her to empty her out before you leave (and to help tire her out)? I would also try to baby-gate her away from or close the door to the room(s) where she has a history of urinating in. I'd also leave her with a frozen peanut butter kong/marrow bone stuffed with kibble.

 

My dogs can't wait for me to leave if there is a filled frozen marrow bone in it for them.

 

Crating a dog that doesn't like to be crated may actually be more stress on the dog that just you leaving her in the house by herself, at odd times.

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

Jjng, the reason I didnt really address the "hate" the crate issue is because as we all know so very well, greyhounds love to act like things are killing them. How many times have you seen a greyhound that rubs the muzzle on walls, chairs, people, anything around? They act so pathetic. I was thinking the same issue with the crate. They act like it is something they have never had to do in their life. If the OP said that the hound was destructive in the crate, thats a different story. But just because the hound complains a bit about the crate, I dont think thats a big deal that needs a lot of concern, especially if the hound is only going to be in the crate for a few hours every now and then.

[Fruitycake]

If she urinated in the same spot that she had done before, there is the possibility that the re-wetting of the spot with the carpet cleaning encouraged her to potty there again because of the increased smell again (especially if it had been used multiple times before). It could be an "it smells like a bathroom, therefore I'll use it as a bathroom" kind of thing.

 

Any possibility of blocking that area off from her for a while, if it is an area where she seems to think is her indoor bathroom and keeps going there? We had our front room/sunroom blocked off for about two months to break that routine with ours, and when we took the barricade down at first we started doing treats-and-training in there and blocked them off when we weren't home, and moved a dog bed in there on the exact spot that had been used multiple times when it became a "free" room again. It was a serious hassle having that room blocked off (we used an open X-pen in a crazy configuration because the cats needed to get by to get to their litterboxes), but that and doing a really good clean and blocking it off until it was completely dry seemed to do the trick.

 

Good luck! You have my sympathies!

[Guest joviemom]

Thanks for the suggestions guys! I will try to answer all of the questions you all asked. I hope I didnt forget anything!!

 

- She has never peed in the same spot twice, once in my bedroom, once in my guest room, and once in the upstairs hallway (the only consistent thing is its always been upstairs and always been on carpet)

 

I have of course been closing all my doors when I leave, I could look into a way to close off my upstairs from her, not sure how I would do that yet.

 

- When I say she doesnt like the crate, its not like she cries or freaks out when I put her in there. Its more of a "I am sad now and I am not excited about this" reaction.

 

- I could try the kong treats, the only problem is she has so many allergies that I am not sure what I could give her (I will ask her vet for options)

 

- I really wish I had a secured yard but I dont, so I cant do a doggie door

 

-I do take her for long walks every time before I leave and make sure she is empty, she will on occasion do a "half pee" because its cold, so I always make sure she goes for a while or goes twice.

 

The last time she peed it was about 2 weeks after the first time, my first thought is she could have already been stressed because the carpet cleaners were there earlier that day (she is very spooky) so maybe that caused it? IDK this is all so out of the blue for her (I did take her to the vet, she checked fine), and this all started when I took her on vacation with me.

[JJNg]

The OP's first post said the dog HATED the crate. Especially given that it was emphasized with all caps, I interpreted that to mean a significant stress reaction, but I see from the most recent post that that's not the case. I would still emphasize the importance of associating the crate with good things and not only using it when the dog is left alone at non-routine times. If there's any component of anxiety related to the accidents during those absences, it could get worse with time, and she could develop a real problem with the crate.