My 2 year old lab has been house/crate trained for 1 1/2 years. He was able to hold his bladder from 7:30 am to 6pm while we were at work with no issues for over a year. Suddenly in December he began having accidents in his crate and it has continued since then. We took him to the vet several times to rule out any medical issues and he was given a clean bill of health (almost $500 later). We even went ahead and had him neutered over a month ago hoping it would help (even though he isn't "marking" the house, just peeing in his crate when left alone). One change that we wondered affected him is that I found out I was pregnant in December but this did not change his daily schedule he's been on since day 1. Our vet and his trainers do not believe my pregnancy has anything to do with his behavior. We began taking him out even more frequently as soon as this problem occurred and it does not solve the issue at all. We even resorted to gating our kitchen in hopes that if he wasn't confined in his crate he would be happier (he never had an issue with his crate prior to this, lays in there to rest even when having full access to the house). But instead managed to just pee all over the kitchen and go lay in the biggest puddle instead. I am at a loss and ready to re-home him as I cannot deal with the constant peeing and him smelling like pee because when he does it twice a day we can't keep him clean. HELP!!!!!
Hi Lacey, I am afraid that 7.30am to 6pm is just too long to leave a dog in a crate, or without the opportunity to pee. Check out this article for advice on keeping a dog when you work full time.
Am I right that you are crating your dog (or were crating your dog) from 7.30am till 6pm?? It sounds to me like he was forced repeatedly to toilet in his crate and lie in it, which has broken down any natural inhibitions about doing this and his instinct to be clean. Dogs should not be crated more than about 4 hours. Until you can ensure he is with someone who can take him out frequently throughout the day, reinforcing him for toileting outside, you will not be able to address the house training problem.
He managed to hold his bladder for those same work hour for over a year, with 0 issues. My Chihuahua can do the same and always has for the 5 years that I’ve worked at my job. No one can only leave there dog in a crate for 4 hours when they have a full time job, that’s completely unrealistic.
Your article refers to puppies under the age of 6 months. Our dog is a little over 2 years old and has had the same schedule of crating since he was completely house broken at 6 months old and we never had this issue. My tiny Chihuahua can do the exact same and has never ever had these issues.
Well, no, but those of us here who work full time make arrangements for our dogs. When we (my OH and myself) are both at work for a whole day (only 2 days a week at the moment now that we can do some work from home, and our dog is not crated!) We have a walker come over in the middle of the day. Even if the dog *can* hold it for that long it isn't good for them, just as it wouldn't be good for human. Furthermore, being confined and alone for that long just isn't fair for an innately social creature. Besides which, they need to move and stretch every few hours. We aren't saying these things to be mean to you, but out of concern for your dogs. It is certainly possible to work full time and have a dog, but I don't think it is fair to expect the dog to be crated all day with no breaks, and I suspect most people here would agree with me.
So Lacey, you're planning on day crating your lab for his entire life? Unconscionable. Do your dog a favor and pardon the beast. Peeing in the crate will be the least of your problems down the road. He doesn't deserve the life you're giving him. Yes, I'm being judgmental.
I appreciate the input from every just making sure the history is clear. Where I live we don’t have anyone available to let the dog out and again it was never a problem until recently and it’s never been an issue with any of my dogs I’ve before. We want the best for him so just trying to find a solution to stop the peeing and him be happy.
Absolutely not he would not be crated his entire life. We were ready to begin letting him have free reign in parts of our home as he was matured enough to be trusted until this issue occured. We have spoken to our vet, multiple professional trainers and we’ve never been told he’s being mistreated by being crated while we are at our full time jobs. I also noted we stopped putting him in his crate and allowed him free reign of our kitchen. And that did not resolve the issue. He only pees when we are either at work or at night sleeping. He is happy in every other aspect of his life and gets LOTS of love and attention. He’s glued to us always.
I work full time and have never crated my dog for long periods. It is not unrealistic at all. I organise my shifts around my partner and have used my annual leave at times to go home at lunchtime when my partner is away. I stopped closing the door on his crate anyway after we'd had him about a month and immediately noticed a huge improvement in his behaviour. I take it you're cleaning up the area with an enzymatic cleaner. Can you take him to day care or get someone to take him out during the day to break this habit?
For some it may be feasible but for me it has not been. I have to travel 50 minutes each way to & from work, I do not have the option to come home during lunch, nor does my husband who works 12 hour shifts. Yes using the best recommended cleaner recommended from training professionals. We live in a very rural area where day cares and or dog walkers are not available unfortunately. And again I cannot stress that from 6 months old until just before he turned 2, he NEVER had an issue with this schedule.
Regardless of the rights or wrongs of this situation. And regardless of your dog's previous ability to remain clean while denied access to a toileting area for ten or more hours a day the answer to your problem is here:
Sadly, and taking into account your working hours, it sounds as though both you and the dog might benefit from parting company. It's important for his welfare to go the right way about rehoming. I hope you find this article helpful: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/dog-rehoming/
If you live in a rural area, do you have a fenced yard? Could you do a pet door so your dog can come and go as he needs? It works great for us in a suburban area.
