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We're going out on Saturday night and will be gone for about 9 hrs. I have 2 miniature poodles and have borrowed a huge crate from a friend and intend to crate them while we're away.
I've never left them alone for more than 2 hrs at a time and they usually have the run of the house with no problems. I'm crating them because I don't want any "accidents" to occur during our absence, but I feel crappy doing it.
The reason I'm posting is to get your opinions as to whether I'm being cruel to them and if their little bladders will be bursting when we get home. I know if I didn't crate them one of them would have no problem squatting and doing her thing - the other one has more control
What do you think? Is it OK to leave them so long in a crate? Am I being concerned for no reason?
people do it all the time when they are working BUT the difference is its a pattern of normalcy.. yours is a one time thing and they are likely to not like it. In that, you need to get them used to it prior or you may have barking, whining, messes, fighting.
Dogs generally love their crates and feel safe but if they arent used to it, it could cause issues.
Youre not the only one to crate but im not sure why you need to crate them really. Just let them out prior, put them in a safe room, then come straight home and let them out.
Can you hire a teen or someone to dogsit? If I were your neighbor I'd do it and I'd take great care of them. That's a long time to crate them. Can you ask a friend or a neighbor to help you by watching them?
How old are they? If they're adults and they are used to being in a crate, 9 hours on a very occasional basis is OK. If they're not used to the crate, I wouldn't try it for that long a period.
i know people crate but I, personally don't do it and never have (and I have had a lot of dogs, both city and in a 3 rd floor condo in the city with no yard).
(I did try it with one puppy that had been acclimatized to a crate prior to coming to us- she never went into it on her own and her crate ended up being a sort of coffee table in the corner we threw her toys into)...
I guess crating for a few hours vs dying in a shelter is a better option for many dogs...
But, thats not the issue here I know...
I agree with the above poster that it being a one time thing when they aren't used to it could be an issue...
How old are the dogs? DO they routinely hold it over night with out difficulty? Could someone come over and let them out to use the bathroom once?
Some dogs are much better with crates than others, I had a pair of boxers that would whine and cry so much we didn't want to get complaints from the neighbors so we never followed through with it and learned to gate off a room for them...
So you might want to consider that...
Or your dogs might just nap... (but probably not for the whole 9 hours)-
people do it all the time when they are working BUT the difference is its a pattern of normalcy.. yours is a one time thing and they are likely to not like it. In that, you need to get them used to it prior or you may have barking, whining, messes, fighting.
Dogs generally love their crates and feel safe but if they arent used to it, it could cause issues.
Youre not the only one to crate but im not sure why you need to crate them really. Just let them out prior, put them in a safe room, then come straight home and let them out.
How old are these dogs?
Agree with this, and I was going to ask their ages too.
When we leave our dog for longer periods of time, we just make sure he has ample attempts to go out before we leave. We only use his crate for night time sleeping.
I would also add, instead of closing them off in a room using the door - try getting a few baby gates instead.
I agree with ohky about normalcy. They are not accustomed to having to hold it for so long. Do you have an enclosed room with laminate flooring? My master bath is the only room I haven't remodeled and it is my "dog room" as needed. If one of my fosters has an accident, it is very easy to clean up. There's plenty of room for a comfy bed, water bowl and pee pads. Just a thought as it would be unpleasant for your little ones to be stuck in a crate if one of them couldn't hold it. All said and done, it wouldn't be the end of the world. It just seems like you really care about your 2 babies.
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!
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