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12 hours is the max of what I consider acceptable for leaving a dog with no access to go outside to potty. But springing 9 hours on a pair of small dogs that aren't used to that is a bit extreme.
Thank you all so much for your replies. It seems like the general consensus is not to crate them. This will be a problem in that the only room with laminate flooring is the kitchen and there are no doors to close them in.
They are 9 and 10 years old and the older one is used to her crate, but the younger one is a recent acquisition and isn't fully housetrained. I take them out every 3 - 4 hours to pee and poop, but the younger one does have the occasional "accident" during the night.
I've crated the younger one for brief periods every day during feeding times as she scoffs her food and then makes tracks for the older dog's food and she's been quiet - but I've been home at the time.
I'm thinking I'll still have to crate them and just cut the evening outing down to 8 hrs. I'm picking up this large crate tomorrow evening and I think I'll put them both in overnight as a test......
ETA: Unfortunately I don't have anyone I can call on to drop in on them while we're gone. Wish I did!
Baby gates are pretty cheap if you get them a Goodwill or garage sales..
but you know what
it sounds like you love your dogs and its not a HUGE deal breaker-
its just one night!
(If you figure out a workable solution though, you can go out more often...though...)
IF you crate them together & the pup poops then you will have 2 Dogs to bathe when you get home! Also the older dog wont get any rest if the pup keeps nagging her to play. I suggest you use the big crate the pup. Give her lots of safe toys & a towel.
I would crate the puppy then but not older dog. Practice before the big night out.
Our 3/4 are fine with crates. The chihuahua doesnt like to be contained and she will whine and yip the entire time. We dont crate them though but in case of emergency or something at least we know how theyd do.
Its not that we are telling you " dont crate"- you can but you need to see how the dog(s) do before hand and work out the kinks. Dont go into it with " well, maybe theyll be ok"..no, unless you know 100%, dont do it. I had a beagle who would paw and bite at the crate and almost destroyed it and if i had not tested him before hand, it could have led to an ER visit.
I would never ever crate my dog.... and dont understand people getting a dog if its to be left alone crated while they work etc... I do feel its cruel ,especially if the dogs arent used to being left in the crate for a long time.. I wont even take my dog to a groomers who crate dogs.. Please find someone to sit with the dogs..
12 hours is the max of what I consider acceptable for leaving a dog with no access to go outside to potty. But springing 9 hours on a pair of small dogs that aren't used to that is a bit extreme.
Twelve hours.. a full day.. no way. sorry but thats down right cruel.
Last edited by dizzybint; 10-19-2016 at 04:17 PM..
Crating is NOT cruel -- within reason. We have an 11-year-old Lab mix, and the longest we have ever crated her was for six hours. She probably does not need to be crated now, but when she was younger and "destructive", we would crate her whenever we went out, even for just a half-hour, and now she will voluntarily go into her (large) crate, seemingly just to relax! (She does that especially when there is a lot of noise or activity going on -- it seems as though her crate is her "safe space.")
Now, though, we only crate her if we will be gone between three and six hours -- just because it is easier to clean the crate than it is to clean a carpet in case she has an accident. (Which, btw, has only happened three times since she was house trained.) We also will take her for a walk just before we leave.
If we are going to be gone longer than six hours, we board her at a place with individual "suites" and almost an acre of outdoor play space. She LOVES that because she also gets to play with other dogs, and the human dog watchers are absolutely wonderful.
When I got my dog the vet even said about crating.. I had never heard of it till then... Maybe for short durations it suits some dogs and thats fine.. but not for long periods when they must get frustrated and sad and need to the toilet.. However my dog will never be in one.. I almost had a fit when I rushed back to collect him from the groomers , and found he was in a cage.. I had said to her beforehand that I didnt want him put in one and she said OH no we ll phone you as soon as hes done and you can collect him.. I dont think she realized I was standing outside the groomers shop when she phoned and got in fast to pick him up... she looked embarrassed and rushed to get him out from the back shop.. I didnt see the crate but heard it open .. and wont ever be going back there.
[quote=JrzDefector;45880955]12 hours is the mO
I am concerned since you said one is a new member to your family. I don't think crating them together is a good idea for that length of time.
How about putting the one that has accidents into the bathroom, then you should be able to clean up if the worst happens. Sounds like your older one can handle being lose for the 9 hours. Feed them early and potty them, and don't leave food and water down while you are gone.
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I am concerned since you said one is a new member to your family. I don't think crating them together is a good idea for that length of time.
How about putting the one that has accidents into the bathroom, then you should be able to clean up if the worst happens. Sounds like your older one can handle being lose for the 9 hours. Feed them early and potty them, and don't leave food and water down while you are gone.
I don't think the consensus on the first few replies was NOT to crate. I think the consensus is that crating at this time, for you and your dogs, MAY cause issues. Some folks don't like the idea of them being left alone that long, either.
I don't know your dogs. You know your dogs.
#1: I would be very wary of crating the dogs together.
#2: When a dog is not used to being crated, they may react badly. They might bark the whole nine hours. Literally. They might scratch at the crate incessantly. It is not likely at all, but they could hurt themselves by trying to get out. This is where it is important to know your dogs. You can test your dogs' reactions by crating them and then going outside the house.
#3: If you crate them together, and one gets dramatic, the other may get dramatic also, and they might even fight when they NEVER would otherwise.
#4: The length of time you can crate a dog is completely dependent on the dog. Are they young and strong, and can hold it that long? Are they old, and have a weak bladder? Are they very young and not completely house trained? From what you said, you have one who will not be a problem, but you have another who is old enough to hold it, but doesn't.
#5: On the other hand, you could crate them and not have a problem at all. Like I said in #2, you can test your dogs' reaction.
So, I like the suggestion to put the problem dog in the bathroom with the door closed. And some toys or something the dog likes. You may suffer some damage to the bathroom door from the dog scratching to get out - or you might not. Depends on the dog. I also like the suggestion to hire a "baby-sitter" to come by a couple of times and walk the dogs or let them out into whatever yard area where they normally do their business. I don't think nine hours is an overly long time - my dogs typically don't go outside at night for nine hours or more. But it depends on the dog. And my dogs get to go out in the middle of the night if they need - they can wake me up when needed. So that isn't quite the same.
Good luck, and maybe work with the dogs on some crate time for the next time!
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