My Greyhound Is Still Messing In Her Crate After Two Months

[Guest sbtoney66]

I rescued Lucie about 2 months ago, she has not stopped peeing or pooping in her crate since I got her, although she only poops once an awhile. She hates the crate, but when I am home she is a perfect girl, no accidents. If I leave her out and go to work, she messes in the house. I don't know if she needs to be with a family that is home all the time. The rescue place will take her back and work on finding her a home where she can be placed with someone that is home all the time, but the thought of taken her back hurts and most of all I don't want her to feel like I just left her, I know it sounds silly. Any suggestions?

[FountainLady]

Just how much time is this dog spending in a crate?

 

Some dogs do not have the physical ability to hold it for over 6-8 hours (a dog door, going to a fenced in area solves this problem for most).

 

What feeding schedule do you have her on? You can regulate when she has to poop by when you feed a dog.

 

Could you let us know what her schedule is like for feeding, walks and turnouts?

[Roo]

I don't have much experience with SA, but you could be dealing with that if she's perfect while you're home and not so perfect when you're gone. Have you worked on alone training? It can take a while but once you acclimate a pup to being alone, they typically do alright. There are some individuals who just have to have company, but you won't know until you give alone training some time to work. Start small. Make the crate a happy place (a tasty treat whenever she goes in, awesome treats that she only gets in the crate, some in-crate relaxing time when you're home, etc).

 

What's her daily schedule like?

 

If she's alone for too long during the day, that may also be the problem. Can you have someone stop by midday to take her out?

 

As an aside, you didn't adopt Lucie from PRH, did you? We adopted out a pup named Lucie (and her favorite Snoopy toy) not too long ago, so the name caught my eye

Edited May 18, 2016 by Roo

[GeorgeofNE]

First question: if she "hates the crate" why are you putting her in it?

 

My first dog did too. My adoption group INSISTED I do it. Every instinct told me not to. I thought about returning him. They asked me to speak to a behavior specialist before I did, so I did. I was sobbing on the phone with her, and she said, "Sweetheart, if you know he hates the crate, why on earth do you keep putting him in it?" I explained about the group's policy. She said, "All these groups mean well, and do the best they can, but there is no "one size fits all" solution for a newly adopted hound. If your dog hates the crate, it isn't a "safe space" for him, and neither of you will be happy until you stop using it."

 

Problem solved.

 

I folded the "wirey box of torture and doom" away, slid it under my bed, and never put the dog in it again. He stopped howling. His chronic "happy tail healed, and I no longer thought about returning him.

 

Sometimes your gut knows what it's talking about!

[Guest MnMDogs]

My sister had the same issue with her new grey. She got a webcam and one day saw her trying desperately to get out of the crate. She rushed him to find the crate broken, and since then no crate.

 

She has SA, and being out of the crate along with medications (clomicam and a beta blocker I think) have solved the problem. I'd look into meds and no more crating.

 

Good luck.

[Hubcitypam]

Can you baby gate off an easily cleanable area like the kitchen? If it's big enough put the crate in there with the door open. If not, then just her bed.

[Guest sbtoney66]

I don't have much experience with SA, but you could be dealing with that if she's perfect while you're home and not so perfect when you're gone. Have you worked on alone training? It can take a while but once you acclimate a pup to being alone, they typically do alright. There are some individuals who just have to have company, but you won't know until you give alone training some time to work. Start small. Make the crate a happy place (a tasty treat whenever she goes in, awesome treats that she only gets in the crate, some in-crate relaxing time when you're home, etc).

 

What's her daily schedule like?

 

If she's alone for too long during the day, that may also be the problem. Can you have someone stop by midday to take her out?

 

As an aside, you didn't adopt Lucie from PRH, did you? We adopted out a pup named Lucie (and her favorite Snoopy toy) not too long ago, so the name caught my eye

Yes I did adopt Lucie from PRH with her snoopy. She is a sweetie

Just how much time is this dog spending in a crate?

 

Some dogs do not have the physical ability to hold it for over 6-8 hours (a dog door, going to a fenced in area solves this problem for most).

 

What feeding schedule do you have her on? You can regulate when she has to poop by when you feed a dog.

 

Could you let us know what her schedule is like for feeding, walks and turnouts?

I am normally gone from 6:45 to 3:45, and I take her out twice before I leave in the morning. I feed her first thing in the morning and then around 5 in the evening. She goes out a couple times after I get home and before I go to bed.

[Roo]

Aww, cool! Are you a member of the group on Facebook? You can also post this there and probably get even more good advice There are links on our homepage for the page and the group (if you want to post questions, you should join the group, not the page).

[Roo]

I talked to a couple of our really experienced volunteers today and they suggested either meds to help the anxiety or melatonin to help calm her.

 

Does she get a good long exercise walk in the morning? If she doesn't, you may try adding one to the routine. A fast-paced walk more than half an hour, or even a jog if you're a jogger (I'm not! It's walks for me). That'll help tire her out. Also give her plenty of potty opportunity before you leave for the day - make sure she pees enough to empty her bladder, and be sure she poops. If you're leaving water down for her, stop for a while and see if that helps. If you're putting water in her food and giving her access while you're home, she'll be getting enough water so restricting access while you're gone isn't bad.