Peeing In Crate While Looking Right At Us

[liamsmom]

Hi all.
it's almost as if Moby has decided to pee in his crate whenever he feels like it.
we wake up in the morning.....dogs go right out to pee/potty.
they eat........play.......go out again. come back in...play some more or lay around...whatever they want to do. then i go take a shower. when i put them in their crates.........Moby will pee in his crate WHILE LOOKING RIGHT AT ME.
another scenerio.......on the weekends if we are going out somewhere...we will shower and then let the dogs out for pee/potty/play. when we bring them back in and put them in their crates so we can leave......Moby will pee in his crate WHILE LOOKING RIGHT AT US.
behavioral????? i don't know what it is. is it stress because he knows we're leaving?
by the time he goes into his crate he's been in and out of the house more than enough times to empty his bladder.
i don't know what to do. i feel like i am rewarding him when he does this because i immediately take him back out of the crate to clean up after him. but i can't let him lay in pee while i/we go out!!!!! he tries to lick it up, too. (sorry for being gross)
anyone have any suggestions?

 

[SkooterIsMe]

Hmmm...I'm not sure why he's doing that, honestly. I can see the predicament in feeling like you're rewarding him...

My grandparent's vet told them that if you cover a dog's crate with a blanket, it makes it more like a den, and they feel more secure. I tried this with Harley, and it didnt work, but it worked wonders with my grandparent's dog. I think it depends on the dog.

But you could try covering the crate with a blanket, so he cant actually see you leaving. And cover it when you put him in there while you're showering, too. I have no idea if this will be any help, but it's the only thing I can think of.

Ask your vet or a trainer, too. They'll be of more help.

 

[Joe Beam]

If I covered Chance's crate with a blanket, that blanket would get pulled inside the kennel and chewed up!

Chance never peed right in front of me while in his kennel. How do you put him in there? with a treat, command or by the collar? I give Chance a yogurt and wet dog food mix and he'll run and wait inside his kennel for the treat.

Also, if he's peeing right in front of you, that's the perfect time to let him know it's wrong with a firm NO or whatever you say to correct him. He wouldn't feel rewarded then!

btw, Chance used to lick up his pee also. I'm not sure, but it I think they just want to clean it up for their own comfort? or maybe cover their tracks? Hey, if Bear Grylls (Man vs. Wild) can do it, why not our pups? .

 

[liamsmom]

Moby willingly goes into his crate...and then he gets a treat. we don't have to push or pull him in. he doesn't seem to associate bad things with his crate. although he does whine sometimes but that is a whole other chapter of Moby's life as soon as we latch the crate closed.......he pee's right then and there. but it doesn't happen all the time....just sometimes. but it has happened almost every other day for over a week now. it's getting worse. he did it yesterday and then again today.
i brought a urine sample into the vet's office this morning to make sure Moby doesn't have any kind of an infection and i just received a call with the results and Moby's specific gravity is a little low so the vet wants to put him on antibiotics because he thinks there might be a slight infection going on. i'm not totally convinced that it's just the infection that is causing this but i will give him the antibiotics for the prescribed duration just to be sure.
with Moby..it's not an option to cover his crate.........he'll yank the cover into the crate and eat it all and then i'd have to worry about intestinal blockages.
we've been very consistant with the crate training. i just don't understand what is going on. we've successfully crate trained 3 other dogs and I just don't know what we might be doing wrong with Moby. he's over a year old and we've had him since he's been 12 weeks old.......so i would think he would be fine with our routine by now. don't know what else to do. any suggestions are welcomed!!!!!!!

 

[lucasmum]

Just a thought but are you absolutely sure that when he goes outside, he is actually emptying his bladder and not just playing?

 

[liamsmom]

Yup!!! Hubby and I thought of that, too. so now we actually stand out there with the dogs and make sure everyone empties their bladders.
thanks for the thought though. sometimes even the most obvious things need to be pointed out sometimes.