With much Frustration!

[gotstyles]

I could not keep my boxer in any size crate all day long where they could not walk around and play, why not have a kennel outside, that way they are safe but can walk around and play.Then when it is bedtime they may just be tired and go to sleep at night in there crate.

 

[DEGLOWS]

chew crazy

we wanted to write and give you a few suggestions that we found that work with our 6month old buffy. she too gets into anything and everything while we are gone and at night and we don't like the idea of crating our puppies,(our other one is an 18 month old dobermanpincher). we found that if we throw cardboard boxes, old beer, pop, and machinery boxes, and old paper towel rolls, and old toilet paper rolls, on the floor, and they chew them to death. it creates quite the mess, but it's better than the house being eaten! good luck.

 

[o_valmama]

Thanks So Much!

Thank you so much, for all of your suggestions. I plan on trying them by trial and error. Unfortunately, like children my fur-babies play a lot on my emotions, but I think if they whine for a night or two from the crate I will survive. Thanks again, and I will let you know how we make out!

Sincerely,

Oz, Roo, and Mom too

 

[apollosdad]

good luck.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

This may or may not be a good suggestion, but this is what I would try to do. Since I always felt guilty about crating- sometimes I am home all day, sometimes I am gone for 5-8 hours. I stopped crating around 1 year.
If the destructive behavior is triggered by each other, then could you not try alternate crating? Maybe whoever is crated during the day is not crated at night, and alternate. Then possibly in the future they could both be left out at night or even during the day. Good luck whatever you do.

 

[siris'mom]

I work nightshift. Twice a week my dogs need to be kenneled for 6 hours during the day. We bought a 6X6 kennel, made out of cyclone fence material, and put that in the garage. We have toys, bones(Nyla), pillows, blankets and a water bowl out there for them. They don't mind it a bit. We also put them out there when we will be gone for more than 20 minutes. At night they sleep in their crates. In the 6X6 kennel they can play with each other. We are going to make a dog door out to the backyard for this summer. I hope that helps. There is room for one small car in the garage, but something's gotta give. Better the car than the honeys.

 

[AnnieHazel]

try adding something personal

we used to have a problem with Annie tearing apart the house if we left without her. I used to leave cardboard boxes out for her because she would feel like she was destroying something to let me know that she was unhappy about being left home alone (and i was going to tear them down to throw them out anyways....it made sense). After a little while... she got bored with boxes and started finding other things (bread left on the counter, cans from my pantry, toilet paper, paper towels and tissues were her favorite)... I even came home one time to a brand new bag of birdseed all over my burgandy shag carpet!!! Much to our dispare, we couldn't even crate her in the crate we had spent almost $200.00 on - because being a VERY SMART BREED... she figured out multiple ways of getting free from it.

WHen we rescued Hazel... she came with a different type of crate (ANNIE PROOF)>>> we started to crate them together because they would go into the crate and lay down (they like to sleep on top of each other). At first I thought it was too cramped for them .... but they continued to go into it on their own... but crating them all night was not so easy..... THEY CRIED FOR MORE THAN 2 weeks.

Finally, My mother-in-law (they know her as MEMERE') - their FAVORITE person that doesn't live in our home thought she could help out. She brought them 2 comforters from her house.... I layed one outside the cage and one inside (they smelled like memere') my girls love these comforters and have NOT complained ONE NIGHT since they got them.

maybe something personal in with them would help.... i know it did here.

GOOD LUCK

 

[Angie K]

Just a suggestion but if they are up during the night maybe they need some more activity before Bed. I usually take my girl for a short walk and potty right before going to bed. She comes in and goes right to the pillow. She does not like the crate so since she was 13wks old she has slept on a pillow next to my bed. We close our bedroom door and the door to our bathroom. She has only ever gotten up in the middle of the night if she needs to go potty, and then she will nudge me if I don't hear her get up. Try a good play session before bed or a walk etc. Good Luck

 

[Shakira's Ma]

My boxer is crated at night also, I would never be able to trust her just yet alone in that house, she loves to get into everything. Shakira has always been in a crate at bedtime and when we go away so this is something she just expects. I am a in-home daycare provider, so she is never crated during the day, unless I need a break. BTW is there any particular reason why your female is not spayed yet? I think this could make a difference also.

 

[buffym]

We also only crate during the day when we are not at home. At night, Diesel gets put into my sons room to sleep and Daisy goes with my daughter with the doors closed. If for some reason they do come out of the kids rooms, they are put in our room with a baby gate blocking the doorway. This way they can't get into to much trouble. There have been instances where Daisy will chew on Jessica's stuffed animals or barbies, however, as long as they are not left on the floor Daisy won't chew anything.

Daisy is the only one that really needs to be confined in a crate or a bedroom at night. For some reason she just is not trustworthy yet. Diesel does not get crated because he goes nuts in a crate and drools like crazy and eventually always gets out. He does not chew anymore (knock on wood) so he gets run of the kitchen, dining room and living room along with our 12 year old Golden Retriever.