# Affectionate dog gets mad and pees in crate when we leave.



## akhenat3n (Nov 24, 2010)

My wife and I just rescued a 2 yr old terrier mix from the local shelter. He peed inside a couple times, but now he frequently uses the doggy door. We put him in a crate at night in our bedroom. At night he's been fine. When we leave the house, we move the crate to the living room and put him in it. Whenever we come home, he has peed in his crate. We don't leave him for very long.

So we did an experiment. We took him outside and encouraged him to pee. Then we put him in his crate and pretended to leave. My wife got in the car and actually left, but I never left. Our dog whined and cried for a few minutes, then I heard him knock over his food dish (in his crate, because we heard that dogs won't pee where they eat). I opened his crate and he had already peed.

It seems to me like he's just mad about being left alone in his crate. He's ok in his crate at night when he's in our bedroom with us. He doesn't cry or anything. But when we leave he cries and pees almost instantly. What should we do? His crate is the right size, but just to make sure we got an even smaller one where he can barely stand up and he still peed when we left. It's too cold to leave him outside. Help?


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## Pynzie (Jan 15, 2010)

The first thing you should know is that dogs do not do things out of anger or vengeance. They just are not programed like that. He is probably peeing out of nervousness or anxiety, so try not to get mad at him. It sounds like he could have a bit of separation anxiety. I am no expert in that area, but I know it can be a difficult thing to change. Hopefully someone else will have more advice.


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## amavanna (Nov 20, 2010)

I am no expert in crating but wouldn't a place to be stuck for any length of time in something so small be rather stressful? I mean I am sure crating has it's purposes..but I just don't see how that would be helpful to a dog already stressed to be locked up and unable to get out even more so when he thinks ur leaving him.

My lela is really bad whining and pawing the door when someone my husband or daughter leave even if I am here, I have tried everything from comforting to ignoring to distracting, and it only gives her comfort for a moment then she is back at the door whining but after a few minutes she settles down. I think with any dog that has been through more then one owner kind of goes through this for a while.

Separation anxiety can range from moderate to severe and there is a thread on it stickyed, but I wouldn't assume she has it just cause she gets upset when you leave there are lots of other symptoms and is best that a vet actually make that kind of diagnosis 

The best I could suggest is if you know your gonna have to leave spend some time with her first, toss the ball, pet her, go for a walk, then right before you leave and you put her in crate always talk calmly and maybe try putting her in a room she can't actually see you leaving . You could also try leaving something with your scent in the crate with her like one of her chew toys and maybe if u can spare the bill a tv for background sound so she doesn't feel lonely.

if its any irony my husband and daughter just left the house and I am dealing with a poor sad pooch right now and mine won't quite fit in a crate so she is taking her sadness out on my door T_T But alas she will find her bed and settle down soon enough. Just give the pup some time to adjust a few weeks at least and if things don't start to get better bring it up at your next vet visit

Oh and on the peeing in the crate any animal in stress or discomfort can lose control of their bodily functions regardless if food is there or not. It sounds like simple fear urinating or stress related . The wonderful thing about dogs is you really don't have to "guess" at what is wrong with them in terms of emotions, for the most part they are either stressed, afraid, or content . They don't feel anger and they don't hold grudges but they do react to their primal instincts which case fear is a natural reaction to being left alone. In order to control her urinating in the crate your going to need to find what is the underlying cause of her fears of being in the crate or you leaving. 

If i could ask what is your reasons for crating the dog


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

Most people that crate their dogs when they leave, it is for the safety of the dog. If they are not housebroken, they never will be if they are allowed free roam to go where they want. There are also so many dangerous things a dog can get into.

Sometimes an exercise pen works just as well for some dogs, especially the small ones when they are very young and must be left for any long period of time. Eventually, though it does not hurt any dog to get used to being in a crate as you never know when they will have to be for travelling or at the Vet.


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## akhenat3n (Nov 24, 2010)

Right, he's not completely housebroken yet, so leaving him roaming around isn't a good idea (also, for the reasons Kyllobernese pointed out). The crate isn't a problem when we're home with him. It sounds like he's just scared to be alone, but there's not much we can do about that when we need to leave. We're worried that if we put him in an exercise pen he'll still get scared when we leave and he'll pee.

And how do we NOT punish him when he pees in his crate? Wouldn't that send the wrong message?


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## Pynzie (Jan 15, 2010)

akhenat3n said:


> And how do we NOT punish him when he pees in his crate? Wouldn't that send the wrong message?


You have to fix the underlying problem instead of punishing the result. That would be like punishing a kid who can't read when he gets bad grades on a test. It's going to be a gradual process, but he needs to gain some confidence and learn that it is ok to be left alone. It really seems like it's not the crate that's the problem, its being alone. You also could work on making the crate a lovely place though. He might be too anxious for it at the moment, but a kong with peanutbutter in the crate when you go could be helpful. Licking is calming and the kong will keep him occupied for a while. (But like I said, he could be too anxious to eat at the moment, so just throwing a kong in there probably won't solve the problem alone.)

Here is a video that might help. You can probably generalize it to the crate if you want to keep using that. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGxhcb-itO4


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## doxiemommy (Dec 18, 2009)

How long have you had your dog?
Yes, lots of people crate or confine in some way when they're at work. It's safest for a dog who is new to the home and isn't housetrained yet. You can "dog proof" your house and think it's safe, but a bored, anxious dog will likely find something to get into that you didn't think of.
We started with an ex-pen with a crate in it (comfy for naps) , and water and toys. Later, we used a baby gate to confine our pups in the kitchen with their crates and toys and water.
If your dog is peeing out of anxiety or nervousness or stress (it sounds like this is it) then it might help to condition him to like the crate. Start by luring him in with treats, maybe even the kong stuffed with peanut butter. Shut the door for 1 minute, and then let him out. (If he whines, wait for a break in the whining, no matter how brief, before you let him out). Try this several times a day, just as if you were training him to sit or lie down. 

Then, when one minute is easy, try three minutes, several times a day. Then, when that's easy, try 6, then 10, then 14, etc. You get the point. Be careful not to increase too quickly. And, take your cues from your dog; if 5 minutes is easy, but 10 makes him freak (or pee!) try 6 or 7.

The point is that you are trying to get your new guy to see that he's safe in the crate, and you will always come back to let him out.

The reason he's ok in the crate at night is because his body processes slow down when he's sleeping, he's relaxed, the family is sleeping and quiet, and there's no need for him to want out.

BUT, once everyone is up and around, he doesn't like to go in the crate. Dogs live life as it happens, and all he knows is he gets put in a crate, and doesn't know when or if you'll return.

As far as punishing him for peeing, please don't. That would be the same as punishing your kid for wetting their bed when they have a horrible scary dream.
Also, if it's after the fact, and you yell or scold or smack your dog, all he will know is that you're upset. He won't make the connection that his behavior is what made you upset. No matter HOW guilty he looks, or if you think he knows he's done something bad, HE DOESN'T KNOW! 

Dogs don't think like humans. They see nothing wrong with pee and poop, it's natural, and they feel better with empty bladders and bowels. So, if you get angry and punish him, he will likely think you just seem to get mad when you see pee or poop, so he will try harder to hide it, or not do it in front of you. It could set you up for many more problems.


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