Crate-wetting help!
I've been browsing through all the questions and answers (all very helpful and informative!) for the past few weeks since getting a 6 month old male sheepie (2 1/2 weeks ago). He came from a woman who breeds shihtzus and she had bought him on a whim over Christmas because she had had oes's growing up but found that he was too big for her delicate little dogs. She said that he was "mostly" potty trained. We've been having big problems with this. During the day while we are away at work, we put him in the crate. I come home at lunch to play/let out (he's been in about 4 hours) and usually he has not wet his crate. But the second half of the day is another story. Usually by the time we get home (between 4:30 and 5:30) he has wet his crate. We have tried removing his cushy pad, replacing it with only a towel, and now we are down to him in the bare crate. The thing is, he can make it all night (up to 9 hours) no problem. We make sure he uses the bathroom before we put him in the crate. We don't put water in the crate, but obviously has water when I let him out at lunch. I am afraid of not letting have enough water since he only has certain times of the day that it is available to him. He seems to go crazy for the water when I let him out of his crate. How much water is enough/too much? Any suggestions? |
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| We had the same problem with Truman. He's 2 years old and had begun peeing in his crate during the day. Usually during the 2nd half of the day also. We tried everything we could think of and finally consulted a behaviorist. She had us keep a daily log of activity regarding Truman and his/our activities, basically a diary of what happened during the day, evening, weekend, etc. Also, we videotaped him while we were gone during the day and he was confined to his crate. We finally got a video of him during one of the episodes where he peed in his crate. Long story short: Truman was peeing in his crate due to episodes of panic. She thought it was due in a large part to the fact that he would be stimulated by something (a noise, doorbell ringing, trash collectors, etc.) and was not able to investigate. This led to anxiety which escalated to "panic attacks" and then he would pee in his crate. The videotaped episode occured during a time when we had workmen in the garage fixing the door opener and he could hear the door going up and down.
The fix: We now leave Truman out of his crate during the day. We started with confining him to a particular part of the house that has tile floors (just in case...) He could see out of the rec room windows into the back yard and out the glass panel by the front door into the front yard. The behaviorist also gave us what she called a calming and relaxation protocol which consisted of behaviorial exercises for Truman. If you would like, you can e-mail me and I will send you the protocol. Maybe this will help you with your problem.  |
| I actually have an IDENTICAL problem with my 6 month old Clyde. Oppositely though, he'll make it all day while we're at work fine, but it's at night that's the problem. However, controlling and limiting his water has made all the difference. We aren't at 100% success yet, but we're very much improved. Like your boy, Clyde is absolutely CRAZY for water. If I give him free reign over water, he'll drink until he throws up. (Several times on our poor other dog) Before we started limiting him, I saw him suck down 2 full 4 quart bowls (I have 2 dogs). It's ridiculous. After a thorough examination and testing by the vet, he has no physical problems-- the vet says he's just one of those dogs that loves water.
Our vet said that there's a range for water needs and most of it depends on weight. If I remember correctly, when he was at 35 pounds or so, the range was 2 cups on the low end to just over 5 on the high end. (Just found where I wrote it down: The actual formula is 90ml of water per kg of body weight.) Now at about 60 pounds, he gets about 8 cups a day. However, timing is everything! We give him 2 cups in the morning before we leave for work, 3 cups as soon as we come home between 4:30 and 5:30 most days, then we exercise, 1 cup at the dog park, and 2 more with dinner. Water absolutely stops by 9:30 p.m. If we stay up later, he gets ice cubes, which he loves as treats. Lame as it sounds, I literally measure EVERYTHING. It's just safer that way because I know what he's getting. And, as you probably know by now, sheepie fur absorbs urine very well. The only good thing that has come out of this is that he's really comfortable with baths and grooming now because we've had to do so much of it! I would suggest either skipping or limiting the water at lunch. Even a cup would be enough to satisfy him until you get home in a few hours and then he could have more. Although Clyde still loves water, the tight schedule has helped and he knows when he gets his water so he doesn't go so crazy anymore. I met a lady at the dog park today that said her dog was like that as a puppy too but he grew out of it. I know that's what I'm hoping for! |
| "Long story short: Truman was peeing in his crate due to episodes of panic."
I would also pee in my pants if I had to be caged in and if I were a dog who's natural instincts are to investigate etc. " She thought it was due in a large part to the fact that he would be stimulated by something (a noise, doorbell ringing, trash collectors, etc.) and was not able to investigate. " I do not get how a crate can be good when there seems to be so much problem and stress for the dogs. I would also think that the dog get stressed from not having water all the time and it seems backwardly weird to me to reduce the water intake in order to have the dog in a cage. Can you please explain the logic? |
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