Lisa and I are trying to figure out what to do with Bo now that I will be working away from home. He is used to having someone at home with him through the day. No longer can he pee in the morning, at noon, at 4, again at 7 and then at 11. We have considered introducing a litter box but I am not terribly confident he will use it. We have enough trouble getting him to alert us when he needs to pee that training him to use a litter box might be too much on his little pea-sized brain. Our other idea is hiring our crazy neighbor to come to the house at around noon and let him out a for a little pee break. The other idea is locking him up in the kitchen. The problem with locking him up is he always somehow finds a way out. He must hate it terribly and I couldn’t put him in a situation he doesn’t like. I just don’t know what is the right decision. Maybe there are more choices we haven’t even considered. What do other owners do with their little dogs? I mean, Bo can’t be the only dog in the world who has to spend 8-9 hours alone. Right?
donnaville
sugar and spice and everything groovy
Sounds like a perfect cnadidtate for crate training. Keeps the little whelp out of mischief while unattended, but 8-9 hours may be pushing it for tiny bladders.
Google “crate training” and you will find all the info you need. Best to have someone let little Bo out once during the day, but he should be fine for the remainder. He will be happy, safe and content in his little “den” if given a few toys and comfortable bedding. Good luck!
I second the motion. A crate is a good idea.
I can’t imagine crating Bo for 8 hours. It just won’t work. I am just going to have to get him used to holding his pee. And if that doesn’t work, I am guessing, I will get out the pee pads.
I would have suggested crate training too, but if you are reluctant to keep him in the kitchen for 8 hours, then I knew you wouldn’t like the crate idea. Do you have a back yard? If you do, you might think about fencing it in and installing a doggie door. Otherwise you are limited to crate, kitchen or neighbor. I wouldn’t trust him to a litter box with run of the house.
I can’t install a doggie door or fence in an area since I live in a townhouse. Good idea, though.
Then your options are limited. I know people who do the crate training and it seems to work well, but that is a long time to leave the little guy in a small crate. Kitchen might be your best bet and just put down some paper. Getting a neighbor to walk him you would have to really trust them to do that every day and come in your home and also to be reliable. You could always take him to work with you in a little carry bag and hide him under your desk. In Seinfeld, George had a nice under-desk layout, maybe that would work. Ok, not a good idea with a new job.
Your dog is small, is he not? Just get a larger
crate. If your dog has an “accident” in there,
what’s the big deal? Just wipe it down or spray
it down.
I used to leave my dog inside a bathroom that had no windows. But then I realized that it’s more humane to give a pet a room with a view.
Crate training is wonderful. We have a larger dog, and he actually spends 9 hours a day in the crate without any ill effect. He even retreats to the crate himself when he’s tired or wants to hide out for a while, so I know he’s not traumatized by his daily confinement.
Unlike us monkey-descended humans, dogs don’t go batty when confined in close places. They’re den animals and prefer to have an enclosed place to call their own. Our dog thinks of the crate as his personal space. We never intrude on it, and we never, ever use it for punishment.
Go to your local pet store and talk with their dog trainer. He or she will have loads of information and reassurance about crate training.
I dunno… perhaps Japanese Chins are different because Bo HATES being enclosed. I went through 3 different kiddie gates before I found one he couldn’t traverse over. Then he realized he could squeeze his body underneath so I had to unbolt the kiddie gate and screw it in so it was completely flush with the floor. I just looked at it yesterday and it appears he is CHEWING through it. He is a busy dog and he doesn’t want to be confined especially when he knows there is a window seat in my bedroom where he can watch the world go by and snooze in the sun. Heck, I can’t blame him, I would prefer the window seat too!
Oh, and we have a crate for him, it is all cushy and nice but he never goes in. I can’t imagine locking him in there considering how he behaves when he is locked in the kitchen.
You should put a door on your kitchen..maybe shutter type doors because they take up less space and he will not be able to go over or under….he will have the glass doors w/ a view of the backyard there in the kitchen.
Luna was crate trained…it worked very well…and now she knows how to hold her pee in the house..she doesen’t need teh crate anymore ..and she dosen’t ever have accidents!
But if he dosen’t like the crate, maybe the doors will work.
oh..and there is always Doggie Daycare!! I think there is one in Morrisville….
There is a big difference to a dog between being in a den-like crate, and being locked in an open room with no escape. Dogs view confined crates as a den, and in theory, will not soil them. You will not have to “train” Bo to hold his pee using a crate…he will instinctually do it. Most dogs are annoyed to be locked into an open space like a kitchen because it is just territory to them, territory they can not get “at”. Chins are no different than any other canine in preferring a confined space to call thier own. I strongly suggest going the crate route. One of my Labs chewed her way through a closed wood door once to be free of confinement to a room, but happily accepted the crate as a her very own den and spent 8 hours a day in there with no problem.