I've scanned the other crate topics and none seemed to answer what I needed. We recently rescued a Jack Russell/Rat Terrior Mix (5months) We love her very much and she is a great contrast to our Doberman.(9months 105lbs) The Problem is we can't leave her alone while we are at work. When we get home she has shredded her puppy pads we put in her crate, and won't touch her toys we bought. She sleeps in the crate at night and never has an issue, no shredding no accidents. Yet when we leave she becomes demon dog and pee's and shreads everything within reach. HELP!!!
Another Crate question from another Newbie.
- Thread starter WS6Dobbie
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well we tried that, amd when we came home, she had urine all over her,b/c there was nothing to soak up her mistakes. it's a wire mesh crate with a plastic bottom. I really think she is so people oriented she doesn't know what to do when we're not around, or she does it to punish us, "leave me alone, I'll show you"
My pup never plays with her toys in her crate, we just leave a blanket in there and she sleep in it.
When we hug her and play with her loads and hug her then leave she will cry non stop (i taped her when we left the home) but when there is 30 minutes until we go out we start to pay very little attention to her and then we leave she calms down after 2-3 minutes after we have gone.
you might want to try leaving the tc on or leaving the radio on to get her mind off being alone.
See what works best by leaving a camcorder or a voice recorder outside her crate while your gone.
When we hug her and play with her loads and hug her then leave she will cry non stop (i taped her when we left the home) but when there is 30 minutes until we go out we start to pay very little attention to her and then we leave she calms down after 2-3 minutes after we have gone.
you might want to try leaving the tc on or leaving the radio on to get her mind off being alone.
See what works best by leaving a camcorder or a voice recorder outside her crate while your gone.
She's not punishing you. Dogs don't think that way. She's bored and she's trying to amuse herself. She is a puppy. Be sure she gets some good exercise to tire her a little before you leave her and something to amuse herself with that she can't destroy or get hurt with. A lot of people use Kongs stuffed with peanut butter and frozen.
If you're gone a long time, you might ask a neighbor to come for a little while and take her outside and play a little with her. Then she could go to the bathroom outside too instead of using pee pads. She'll get housebroken a lot better that way too.
If you're gone a long time, you might ask a neighbor to come for a little while and take her outside and play a little with her. Then she could go to the bathroom outside too instead of using pee pads. She'll get housebroken a lot better that way too.
HA! Doberluv, Terriers WILL do things to get even with you, lol! My little Micky was the Queen of Get Even. Nanny did something one day that made her mad, so she waited until everyone was in bed, sniffed until she found the spot Nanny on the floor where Nanny put her foot down out of bed, crapped there, then went to the front door and barked! 
At 5 months, I think the rule is only 6 hours at a time in a crate. Was she housebroken when you got her? If not, maybe wherever she came from, she was not being trained to go outside. She may take longer to get used to a routine of holding herself for certain amounts of time. The idea above about a neighbor or friend letting her out would be good. My stepson's dog is now 8 months old, but he still comes home daily (or his mom or I go) to let his dog go to the bathroom since he's gone a long time for his regular workday.
Try not to think of them as 'her mistakes' or her trying to get even. She is just a puppy. We wouldn't think this of a child would we? And they are not her mistakes. She can't open the door and let herself out when she has to pee.
You were asked some good questions like how long is she alone?
Renee is right that a puppy proofed room (laundry room? bathroom?) or a play pen might work better.
Five months is quite young to be expecting perfection. And if she wasn't house trained before you got her then you will be starting from scratch. If she came from a kennel (depending on the conditions) she may be used to sleeping in her own pee and poo.
If she is anxious about being left alone then try leaving the radio/tv on. Give her a warm bottle to sleep next to. Leave a shirt that smells like you in there.
I think that if she prefers shedding papers to her toys then you should give her newspapers to shred. She's a baby. She needs to amuse herself. It's a mess but, hey, all babies are messy. Try a stuffed kong. That should amuse her for awhile.
So, how long is she left alone? And how often?
You were asked some good questions like how long is she alone?
Renee is right that a puppy proofed room (laundry room? bathroom?) or a play pen might work better.
Five months is quite young to be expecting perfection. And if she wasn't house trained before you got her then you will be starting from scratch. If she came from a kennel (depending on the conditions) she may be used to sleeping in her own pee and poo.
If she is anxious about being left alone then try leaving the radio/tv on. Give her a warm bottle to sleep next to. Leave a shirt that smells like you in there.
I think that if she prefers shedding papers to her toys then you should give her newspapers to shred. She's a baby. She needs to amuse herself. It's a mess but, hey, all babies are messy.
Try a stuffed kong. That should amuse her for awhile. So, how long is she left alone? And how often?
Thanks for all the great responces. Our ScheduleShe sleeps in her crate fine at night my wife gets up @ 6:00 and takes her out. She does her business and comes in to play while my wife gets ready. I get up at 7:00 she is in the crate 10 min while I shower. I let her out to play when I get out and she sits next to me while I get ready. I leave the house exactly at 7:15 and we both are teachers, someone is home between 3:00 and 3:30 everyday. We take her outside for a business walk, and she is outside the crate till I go to bed @ 12 or 1 What kind of toys do you suggest? We've tried Nylabone, busy bones, rawhide, etc. and she wants nothing to do with them while she's in her crate. I'm not expecting perfection, but I don't want this habit to continue., I'd really like to break this very early.
So she's alone for at least 8 hours? Well, she's going to go inside until she learns to have more control.
I suggested using a kong for her amusement, giving her papers to shred since she likes doing that, trying a playpen or puppyproofed room, leave a radio/tv on for company and background noise and if possible start coming home at lunch for a quick potty break. I know it's tough. My parents are both teachers. But if you add that to your routine she should learn to hold it until lunchtime.
Also, I give my dogs frozen soup bones, the big ones, and they spend quite a bit of time cleaning them out and then chewing on them. That might be a good thing to keep her amused and clean her teeth!
You're lucky that you and your wife are able to get home at 3:30. My mom did that when we were kids but when she went back full time (and my dad was always a principal) they would be there forever. LOL Of course my dad always made sure every kid got on the bus or picked up and they had their mitts and whatnot. And then went about finishing his work and closing the school. And mom, well, she's just a workaholic now. No wonder she couldn't do it fulltime when she was raising us!
What do you teach? I taught ESL overseas for a few years but it got tiresome.
I suggested using a kong for her amusement, giving her papers to shred since she likes doing that, trying a playpen or puppyproofed room, leave a radio/tv on for company and background noise and if possible start coming home at lunch for a quick potty break. I know it's tough. My parents are both teachers. But if you add that to your routine she should learn to hold it until lunchtime.
Also, I give my dogs frozen soup bones, the big ones, and they spend quite a bit of time cleaning them out and then chewing on them. That might be a good thing to keep her amused and clean her teeth!
You're lucky that you and your wife are able to get home at 3:30. My mom did that when we were kids but when she went back full time (and my dad was always a principal) they would be there forever. LOL Of course my dad always made sure every kid got on the bus or picked up and they had their mitts and whatnot. And then went about finishing his work and closing the school. And mom, well, she's just a workaholic now. No wonder she couldn't do it fulltime when she was raising us!
What do you teach? I taught ESL overseas for a few years but it got tiresome.
She will probably cry more if you make a big deal about her before you leave. Have playtime a little before you leave and then leave without making a big fuss.
I agree with the frozen bones. I also soaked rope toys in low sodium chicken broth and froze them. Good for teething and for keeping them busy. Wes gets his kong every morning when we leave and I'm getting better at "packing" to keep him busy longer.
Good luck!
I agree with the frozen bones. I also soaked rope toys in low sodium chicken broth and froze them. Good for teething and for keeping them busy. Wes gets his kong every morning when we leave and I'm getting better at "packing" to keep him busy longer.
Good luck!
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how big is the crate? i have a 4 month old Shih Tzu that is fully crate trained. he stays in it all night, and from about 7:45 till noon, then 1 till about 5:15 or so. its been that way since we got him at six weeks old. the crate is only supposed to be big enough for him to stand up, turn around, and lay down. we keep a couple towel folded up to cover the floor and one of those oval shped doggy beds, and a few small toys. he love the ones that sqeek.
but if the crate is too large, they will relive themselves in a corner and play in the other corner. so, if you eliminate all the "extra" room, he might not pee in there.
but if the crate is too large, they will relive themselves in a corner and play in the other corner. so, if you eliminate all the "extra" room, he might not pee in there.
We have 2 crates one for the Doberman, to come in if it's cold or just if he decides to come in. and a little smaller one she seems to do better in the smaller one. So that's where she's probably going to go from here on out. I hope she does well enough we can let her have free run of the house one day. I'll certainly try the Kong and the other stuff, thanks guys.
You might think about finding a local doggy day care or hiring a pet walker to come in the middle of the day. In my opinion, that's too long for a puppy to be kept cooped up. Also, the physical and mental exercise she got in the day care would keep her out of trouble at home. Like I always say, a tired dog's a good dog. Daycare is just such a great resource for a developing puppy.