To crate or not to crate?

[susanh43]

Hello,

I have had my new greyhound for about a week now, and am trying to figure out what is best for him when we leave for work. We leave around 8:00 am, someone will return at lunch to walk him/potty break, and then we are home by 4:00 at the latest. Have tried crating him, but he hates the crate. He generally uses the bathroom in his crate if we leave. I am worried about him injuring himself while trying to escape his crate. I am not opposed to letting him out of the crate during the day, but I am worried about destructive behaviors. He has peed inside the house once. Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks in advance. 

[Hubcitypam]

I only use crates for medical purposes and think crating is the most misused overblow topic in the greyhound adoption world.  A crate is far smaller than a track one  so   "they are used to being crated' doesn't hold water.  Have actually curled up in a track kennel to see how big they are.  I'm 5'9".

If you have a destructive dog there are baby gates . People say greys will jump baby gates.  I have used  unextended ex pens  to block doors .  Depends on the layout of your house but if you can do in block him in the kitchen during the day with a bed or his crate open that might work.

 

Edited December 4, 2019 by Hubcitypam

[BatterseaBrindl]

I agree with Pam. 

Muzzle him (what's his name?!)  and baby-gate / X-pen barrier a safe area.  

We only ever crated Nixon when he first arrived as he seemed to feel very safe in there.  Ruby was bounced to us and was terrified of the crate. Same with Nigel.  Kibo has never been in a crate. 

Our Sid can jump a babygate from a standstill, but none of ours are destructive so they are usually have free run of the house. 

 

[HeyRunDog]

5 hours ago, Hubcitypam said:

I only use crates for medical purposes and think crating is the most misused overblow topic in the greyhound adoption world

I agree. 

12 hours ago, susanh43 said:

I am not opposed to letting him out of the crate during the day, but I am worried about destructive behaviors

Has he been destructive? It's probably the stress of being in his crate that is causing him to use it as a bathroom

I was also advised to crate her when left alone but Grace hated being put in her crate so I left her bed in there and the door open so she could come and go as she pleased. I used a trail camera so I could see what she had got up to when left alone. It was the most boring viewing imaginable. A bit of wandering around after she had finished her Kong then back to the serious business of sleeping on the sofa.

[Hubcitypam]

I believe in innocent until proven guilty.  Dozens of greys that had never been in a house in their lives literally walked out of a hauler into my living room and didn't touch a thing.

[LaFlaca]

Crates are overrated. If he's soiling his crate, that says separation anxiety to me,  None of the three Greys I've owned have tolerated being crated. Baby gates and dog-proofing the house are key.  

[cleptogrey]

i agree if he is soiling in his crate he may have anxiety. but i am a firm believer in using crates.when i travel i know i can leave my dog at someone's house and go out for dinner and not worry. when i am at a show setting up my dogs are comfortable and safe in a crate. when there is a medical reason there is no problem leaving them in the crate.

 it's entirely up to YOU. if you wish to have a dog who crates start of as if this is a new experience for him. positive use of the crate, a place to eat, sleep(near you in the bedroom), a place for treats, etc. a little at a time and make it comfortable. 

remember he is in a crate in a new situation. no dogs around him, out of the kennel, in a strange house. it sounds like you may be able to get away with baby gates, etc. but if you wish to have the security of knowing that your environment and dog are safe then do some research on crate training. yeah, they are big, eye sores etc. but they do have a function.

it's your choice. 

[susanh43]

Thanks for the responses, everyone. They have been very helpful. Today I was gone for about 2 hours and came home to a mess in the crate. He peed and destroyed all of the blankets, etc that were inside the crate. Another weird thing I have noticed... If I give him a kong outside of his crate, he plays with it and eats the treats inside. If I give him a kong in his crate, he won't touch it. I think we are going to try the baby gate method and see how that goes. The next few weeks I have quite a bit of free time, so I am hoping we find a method that works well for us. 

[Hubcitypam]

Ditch the crate.  period.  Some people have used double baby gates but an unexpended ex pen is more expensive but way easier.

 

Edited December 4, 2019 by Hubcitypam

[Toffeesdad]

We never crated our boy, like yours he was pretty distressed when we left and wanted to chew when he first came.  We gated him into the utility room where his bowls are and there is a full view door to outside and no door into the great room which we gated.  Put his bed, a Kong and a toy in with him and he learned to feel safe and that we’d return home.  We used a belly band for marking, he occasionally had an accident but soon got into the routine.  Mine is very much a creature of habit and soon adjusted and was comforted in the routine.  Good luck 

[MerseyGrey]

We never crated ours. He has free run of the downstairs of the house excluding one room which he really likes the smell of and tends to pee in there. But I wouldn’t call that separation anxiety and like Toffeesdad once we established a routine our boy settled. One week is not a very long time so one accident is really good. Giving him a room with a view is an excellent idea as they are such curious dogs (surely a sign of high intelligence!) that it gives them something to do during their five minutes of wakefulness between naps. Good luck!

[2greyhoundMINI]

We were crating our new girls but one day Carmen destroyed hers from the inside and scratched her head up pretty good trying to burrow out. We stopped using them after that. They are both fine in the family room (gated in). Once in a while Carmen will jump the "extra tall" gate we bought. When she does she just goes into the living room and lays on the couch. 

To be safe we lock the kitties upstairs when we aren't home, but the girls are fine with them. Just an extra precaution since they are still new. 

My opinion is if the crate causes stress and anxiety it's lost the point and ditch it. 

Edited December 5, 2019 by 2greyhoundMINI

[susanh43]

Just an update. Tried baby gate and Milo was equally stressed in that environment. No real changes compared to the crate. Also, he has actually started voluntarily going in his crate sometimes. I think his behavior appears to be improving. When we leave him alone, he doesn't poop anymore and only pees a little compared to how it was. I'm hoping that his behavior will continue to improve as he adjusts to our daily routine. We've only had him for about 2 weeks, so everything is still very new. 

[2greyhoundMINI]

5 minutes ago, susanh43 said:

Just an update. Tried baby gate and Milo was equally stressed in that environment. No real changes compared to the crate. Also, he has actually started voluntarily going in his crate sometimes. I think his behavior appears to be improving. When we leave him alone, he doesn't poop anymore and only pees a little compared to how it was. I'm hoping that his behavior will continue to improve as he adjusts to our daily routine. We've only had him for about 2 weeks, so everything is still very new. 

Sounds like he just needs time to figure out the routine and realize you will be back for him.

Hang in there!