*sigh* Last December we adopted Murphy just before Christmas. I knew it would be a great time to introduce a puppy to the family because the girls were out on Winter Break and we would all be able to get a schedule set before school started back.
From day one Murphy has loathed his crate. For 3 weeks straight we put him in it at night and he would whine almost the entire time and pee/poop in it…every.dang.night! -_- Yeah that got old pretty fast so I ended up letting him just hop up at the end of my youngest’s daughter’s bed at night. We all needed sleep and can you believe that little stinker slept all night without any accidents. I know all the experts and everyone and their momma is like “I’m not letting some dog in my room…let alone my bed”. When you haven’t had a good night’s sleep in a while, you say screw all that and do what works…LOL!
When I discovered that Murphy could hold it all night I was like this is awesome and just knew he’d be like give me my blanket so I can chill! Now he’ll be able to stay in his crate when we need to and won’t have to worry about him having accidents. Boy was I wrong. We now lovingly refer to him as Bubble Guts when he has to go in his crate. Oh and it’s not just the crate that sets him off. If he thinks you’ve left and he’s all alone…yep the bubble guts kick in.
Luckily for my sanity (and senses) I work from home so Murphy isn’t crated that much. When I’m home I take him out for walks, we play, he naps ( A LOT) and I’ve even tried putting his food and toys in there. He’ll just take out his toys and then look at me like WTH. I leave him in it for a few minutes a day then take him out…and always the same issues. His crate also had a divider so from our understanding dogs don’t like to shat where they are gonna lay or sleep. Yea that’s a dang lie! So I took out the divider to see if that would help and give him a bit more room. If you’ve been keeping up with the way things go…you pretty much know the outcome.
Other than his gastrointestinal issues, he’s a good puppy and there aren’t really other issues or concerns. Do you have a pet that has separation anxiety issues or loathes their crate? Please for the love of all that is good in the world feel free to share your comments below. Or join me for a drink because you all know who ends up cleaning that crap up, right?
Poor Murphy!!! I have no advice – we never used crates with ours but we never had the separation anxiety issues. Hopefully you all find a happy medium soon!
LOL! Dogs have their own personalities I swear! I have two fur babies, one a dachshund and the other a dachshund/yorkie mix whose a little smaller. The full breed loves the crate and she’s always in it even when she doesn’t have to be. The smaller one will tolerate it but she prefers to be curled up in someone’s lap 24-7. They both are in the crate when I go to bed and when I leave for work, otherwise they are peeing and shatting all over my house! Murphy has it good!
The struggle with Murphy’s separation anxiety and his aversion to the crate is a scenario many pet owners can relate to. It’s interesting how you’ve managed to adapt to his needs, especially in terms of sleeping arrangements. However, I’m curious about whether you’ve tried any behavior modification techniques or consulted with a professional trainer to address his crate aversion and anxiety. Sometimes, expert guidance can offer alternative solutions that might be more effective in such cases. Have you considered this approach?