Need advice re crating nemo when we are out and at night .

hi everyone

well im feeling a little down as we think we may have to look at crating nemo when we are out and at night
he has started weeing in his bed, not just occasionally but all the time and its making the kitchen stink
also he has started chewing the door frames again and he wont leave bonnie alone, he seems to be developing a dominance issue,, he stands very strong and proud barking his head off at her every time we try and leave them alone together its not fair on bonnie and not fair on our neighbours, im at my wits end

any advice will be greatly appreciated

kimberley and lil bean x x x

Crating a dog need not be such a bad thing I crate ours when need be, they love it!! Gives them a sense of security. Especially Keisha she loves being on her own from time to time. Kai is crated when he has problems with his leg and Ice is crated for her own safety as she is still a baby!! As long as you provide water and toy or 2 he will be fine, may even help calm his buzz down a little

thanx saz

bonnie used to be crated as we couldnt get her to stop doing the loo inside the only reason i feel bad is bacause nemo has NEVER been crated and i dont know how he will react
i feel bad that i didnt crate him from the start as if i did it would be normal to him, him being a terrier i dont want him to develop a dominance issue, we almost had that already with him barking every time anyone came near ME, OH couldnt even hug me .
thanx for the advice hun, will let you know how we get on and what we decide.
i didnt think dogs where ment to wee in their beds so its kinda baffling me a little

Hi Kimberley How old is Nemo now? it is quite unusual for a dog to wet it's bed...is he drinking more..he could have a bladder infection particularly if the urine is strong smelling .

Here is Shadowboxers article on crating ,it may be of help to you.
If introducing a crate you need to do it gradually ..start by leaving the door open and putting Nemos bed in there

Kimberly,

Don't feel bad about not crating from the start. A friend of mine has a beagle who was never crated apart from in the car, then he broke his back and had to be crated and he was fine.

On the other hand, Takara has always been crated and hates it! The only time she doesn't mind is night time, any other time and she's chewing the bars, crying, jumping and making a show of herself.

So don't feel that what you did earlier will make any difference

Is this an adult dog? If not what age is it as to start to wet his own bed is not a thing that would normally happen without something happening to cause this.

nemo is 9 months old,, he has wet the bed before but its been the odd time, recently he has started to do it quite a bit
he has also learnt to c.o.c.k his leg when he pees could this be anything to do with it??

Can symathize with this one as Ozzy went through a similar phaze at around the same age - with him I figured out it was linked to separation anxiety. Oz would piddle when I left the house and he was alone, even if for a short period of time. I found out (by accident!) that he wouldn't do this if I didn't shut him into the kitchen, if I left the door open so he could access the rest of the house he remained clean indoors, not sure why? Perhaps it is worth a try?

The fact that he is chewing and urinating says to me this might be separation anxiety and not just a bladder problem - it just reminds me exactly what Ozzy was like. The good news is that if it is sep anxiety that you can cure the problem, even if it takes time.

Here is an article about separation anxiety and urination which can manifest -
http://www.thedogscene.co.uk/article...on_anxiety.htm


Know where you are coming from being worried about crating Nemo, but if you get him used to it gradually and don't let him think of it as a punishment he will grow to love his crate. Ozzy actually goes in his crate of his own free will, he treats it like a den and happily goes into it and has a kip! I was worried about having to re-crate him for long periods because of his operation but he's taken it very well, gets a little fed up at times but I always give him a stuffed kong or ragger and the odd pigs-ear to keep his mind occupied.

Give crating a go - I have a feeling this is just an adolescent thing and he will grow out of it just like Ozzy did. Good luck!

I have to say I am having slightly similar problems - so any advice we also be welcomed here!!

Bodhi has been crated over night since she was small, and making a HUGE mess of the kitchen over night. I couldn't expect her to hold her bladder a full night then, so there were accidents, on paper, in her crate.

Over xmas, I visited my parents. Not one single wee. Not one! I, being soft, decided she could jump in with me over night whilst at my parents - not a whine to even go out over night. Just up in the morning, and straight out! Since I have been home, I thought, since she was so good, she can stay with me again. Not only did she ask to go outside for the loo - when she was returned to her crate, there was a wee in there in the morning. So she has had TWO wees in the night (it is a big crate, there is room to wee - I honestly think she would go even if we made it smaller).

I KNOW she can hold her bladder now overnight. I am not sure of the reason why she isn't.....

She is only 4.5 months. What should I expect by this age, with regards to accidents - ie how long should she be able to hold for?

When you were at your parents was she left for a similar amount of time to when you got back home and she had urinated in the crate? Was there anything different about the way she was crated/the amount of time/placement of crate/with or without newspaper? Just trying to ascertain if there was ANYTHING different that might have altered her behaviour pattern? :smt017

If so and you know she can hold herself for the same amount of time, she is seemingly choosing to urinate in there for some reason. Has she ever been clean in her crate before this Christmas or was this the first time at your parents house?

If it is just spasmodic that she is doing this perhaps she will grow out of it, if it is all the time I would reconsider her training. Some dogs are inadvertantly taught that their crate is where they are supposed to empty, they sometimes associate the newspapers with being clean and piddle on them. Also reducing her water allowance within one hour of going to bed will help, if her bladder isn't too full she should hold it for longer.

It is a frustrating thing to teach them sometimes - Ozzy was the worst dog for learning to be clean and took an age! He used to urinate right after being let out sometimes and also when left alone as a sign of separation anxiety - but even he got it in the end. I am sure if you peservere you will get there with Bodhi too, best of luck xx