My dog has urinated in her crate the last 2 days at some point in the day. I don't know if it's because of the heat, she has been drinking more water, and maybe can't hold it as long? My dog walker will usually come between 1130-230, and has been coming at 3pm and 2:50 pm the last 2 days, so i don't know if that has anything to do with it. i wrote her a little note and asked her to come a little earlier to see if it would help.

the other problem could be an anxiety issue. she does have separation anxiety, so what i have been doing over the last several months or so is put her in the crate with her food/kong when i go to work, then dog walker comes to let her out, and leaves her out of the crate the rest of the day.

she is not CRAZY about going in the crate, but will go. she does go in with her tail down, and i have recorded her before to see that she still does get a little upset when in the crate, although i think it's better than leaving her out completely.

anyway- i am not sure what to do. i am going to see how it goes tomorrow (hopefully the dog walker will come earlier) and i think i will set up the cam to record her and see if i can tell at what point this happens.

if it IS an anxiety issue, what should i do? yesterday i tried playing with her around the crate, telling her to go in and stay and then getting a treat, throwing treats in there, etc. she didn't seem to see it as a "bad" place and would hop right in there, yet i can't imagine why she is having accidents in there all of a sudden!

ughh sorry this is so long, any suggestions?

I would definitely look at the heat/water consumption/late going out as the cause of the problem, especially because it only happened the last 2 days.

I had this happen with my Shepherd pup a few weekends ago, it was super hot. We were outside relaxing and she had free access to water (of course). She only needs to be let out ever 4-5 hours and can go from 9pm-7am with no bathroom break at all, so I never even thought about the excess water. So I put her in and two hours later went to take her out and found one unhappy puppy standing in pee. So I took her out, cleaned it up, and then let her out, and she had another huge pee.

So now I try to be more aware of letting her out more frequently when she has consumed more water. I really try not to limit her water intake during the day when it is so hot, but I do not let her have water after 8pm.

RE: urinating in the crate. How old is she, what time does she go in the crate in the AM and is the urine there when the dog walker gets there or when you get home? I would start by having vet check a urine sample on her first.

 Quote: aimee pochron

RE: urinating in the crate. How old is she, what time does she go in the crate in the AM and is the urine there when the dog walker gets there or when you get home? I would start by having vet check a urine sample on her first.

Hi

She is about 5. I take her out around 8 am and put her in the crate to go to work. I think that she goes in between the time that I leave and the dog walker comes because when she is let out, she stays out of the crate for the rest of the day, and I doubt she would intentionally just go into the crate to pee.
I don't know that I will check a urine sample just yet. she has had random peeing problems in the past (which thankfully have stopped for now) where she would pee in the middle of the night for some reason, and there was nothing medically wrong. I think i will just see what happens tomorrow, assuming walker will come earlier, and check out what happens on the video, and then go from there. thanks!

 Quote: Niomi Smith

I would definitely look at the heat/water consumption/late going out as the cause of the problem, especially because it only happened the last 2 days.

I had this happen with my Shepherd pup a few weekends ago, it was super hot. We were outside relaxing and she had free access to water (of course). She only needs to be let out ever 4-5 hours and can go from 9pm-7am with no bathroom break at all, so I never even thought about the excess water. So I put her in and two hours later went to take her out and found one unhappy puppy standing in pee. So I took her out, cleaned it up, and then let her out, and she had another huge pee.

So now I try to be more aware of letting her out more frequently when she has consumed more water. I really try not to limit her water intake during the day when it is so hot, but I do not let her have water after 8pm.

thanks. it could definitely be this. i will just have to see if it improves with the dog walker coming at an earlier time. hopefully it will! i hate to cut her water off during the day too, because i do cut it off at night a bit as well because she used to have accidents at night for a while. nothing was medically wrong at that time so i don't think that's what it is right now either, but will just have to monitor it for a couple more days.

My dog, Buster, also pees in his crate... or should I say, pees against the bars. He suffers from separation anxiety, and also anxiety over certain noises, such as weed-eaters. I keep his crate in the garage, as it is easier to clean up his urine from the concrete floor.

I have noticed that he has less issues since I started giving him Calm Shen (sold via Leerburg).

The video cam is a great idea. I dont think the heat is the issue. Of course if she is drinking excessively due to the heat then that would make sense. A 5 year old dog should be able to hold it and the fact that she is going in the crate is very unusual.

How much room is in this crate? She should have only enough room to stand up and turn around. Dogs instinctively wont go where they sleep MOST of the time. If she can pee in a corner f the crate and not lay in it I would make the crate a little smaller. AS LONG AS SHE CAN STAND AND TURN AROUND TO STAY COMFORTABLE.

If its separation anxiety I would try leaving her alone on days you're not working and come back in a short time. If she pees a short time after being let out and then left alone it is probably an anxiety issue. That requires some special work.

helping her feel more comfortable about you leaving is not that complicated. First thing is don't make a big deal when you leave and when you come back. They should be non events for the dog. My dogs are sometimes left for 5 hours in their crates and when my wife or I return we ignore them until they are calm and relaxed. Then we let than out and greet them. We never say goodbye and fuss over them before we leave.

You want it to be a very natural event so it desensitizes her. I like the idea of leaving a Kong in the crate to keep her busy while you're gone. You want to try to avoid the concept that your arrival home is all she lives for. Thats what creates anxiety. So her having some stimulation while you're gone is good.

My dogs are 3 and 4 years old. They are 75lb Pit Mixes. They both still stay crates when no one is home to watch them and the crates are their place. If am relaxing in my living room watching a little TV they will go to their crates or each others crates to lay down. That means they are comfortable there. Use the crate for her when you are home...leave the door open and make it a happy place...treats and toys, etc.

Good Luck and let us know what happens

well, it looks like it's definitely an anxiety issue. i recorded her today while i went to work. at about 5 minutes she starts the barking and trying to open the crate with her teeth, panting etc, at 16 minutes i see her pee. at about 40 mins she calms down.

crap! i have tried so many things over the last couple years, this was the one system that was finally starting to work. now i am not sure what to do.

the other thing is, when i first got her (a little over 2 years ago), we had gone to a behaviorist, who put her on fluoxotine/prozac (i now kind of wish i had not done this). but anyway, just recently, i had started weaning her off it. we have been going realllllllllllllllly slow (i've been on those kinds of meds before so i know you have to do this slow).

SO it could be that too, maybe. i don't know. i don't make a fuss when i leave/come home. i have tried the going in/coming right back in thing, gradually extending the time of my departures. some times (esp in the evenings) she is much better about going in the crate and being alone, but it's like she KNOWS when i am going to work in the morning, she knows. i don't know how but she does!

i dont know what to do now.

update:

i've started leaving luanne in the bedroom and closing the door when i leave. she goes completely nuts as soon as i shut the door, but because i have been trying some yummier kong recipes, it seems like she will calm down a little quicker to go after the treat. sometimes she will eat a little but of the treat and then start up again.

Here is the thing, i would prefer to leave her in the crate like i was doing, but am not sure how to do this now.

I've been reading "I'll be home soon" again, and have been trying to do what this book says. IE: put the kong down, then while the dog is immersed in kong, pick up keys, then put keys down, pick up kong.

i've been using REALLY really enticing stuff in there (ie roast beef and cheese), but she still gets distracted by me seeming to get ready to leave. if roast beef is not good enough for her to be distracted i don't know what is???

any other tips?

Make sure your dog walker is on the same page when it comes to coming and going. I have a feeling my dog walker created a lot of anxiety by bringing a lot of excitement. Since I let him go it has gotten so much better.