Is This A Terrible Idea?

[brody_smom]

My brother is getting married in two weeks, and I don't know what I am going to do with Brody on the wedding day. Everyone I know who could possibly take Brody for me is going to be at the wedding. The few people outside the family who have met him are not comfortable with him, nor he with them. My two options, as I see them, are overnight boarding or leaving him crated at home. The wedding is over an hour away and is scheduled to run from 2:30 to 8:30, and we will have to stay to the end because we have been asked to help clean up and remove decorations. So he could be crated for more than 10 hours. He has been crated for up to 6 hours once before with no problems. He is quite content in his crate, and always goes in without a fuss. It is used for sleeping at night, occasional time-outs or cool-offs with the gate shut, and he goes in there a few times each day on his own just for alone time. Even if he is not happy the whole time, I think this might be less stressful for him than boarding with people he doesn't know. As a one-time only thing, is this a really bad idea?

 

[southerngirl]

Well the thing is if he can't hold his bladder that long so he pees in the crate, then he will have to be in there with his pee. Could you lock him up in your bathroom with a potty pad or in a bedroom that doesn't have carpet? You could leave some kongs and other toys with him to play with.

 

[blacknym]

The crate is not a bad idea..but yeah he might have an accident. I tend to lean towards what Southerngirl suggested...

 

[brody_smom]

I have never left him alone and not crated him. I'm afraid of what he might get up to , even in the bathroom. In his crate, he's usually happy, but sometimes before he falls asleep at night, he chews on his bedding. I've had to pull it out completely once or twice. I was thinking I would keep his bedding out, because if he started eating it, which he has done before, it could be a bigger problem.

 

[jackienmutts]

Asking a dog to stay in a crate for 12 hours without a break is asking a lot. How about having a petsitter come over a couple times during the day to give him a couple breaks, maybe take him out in the yard to go potty and play ball or just hang out for 15-30 min each time?

 

[brody_smom]

Asking a dog to stay in a crate for 12 hours without a break is asking a lot. How about having a petsitter come over a couple times during the day to give him a couple breaks, maybe take him out in the yard to go potty and play ball or just hang out for 15-30 min each time?

That would be ideal, but everyone I know who could do it will be at the wedding. Anyone else who has met Brody has not had a positive experience. I would hate to imagine what could happen if someone he doesn't trust has to come in and let him out of his crate to do potty. Even if he pees in the crate (it is an XL sized, belonged to my brother's Leonberger) it would probably be better than having him totally freak out at a person. I am planning to take him out for a good long fetch session in the morning and get in some training before we have to leave, so hopefully, with some frozen peanut butter bones, he won't be too bored.

 

[southerngirl]

What could he destroy in a bathroom? I never crated Missy when she was younger. I always left her in my bathroom and she was a chewer the only thing she chewed in there was toilet paper.

 

[Pawbla]

I'm going to be pro-bathroom here. I always lock foster puppies in the bathroom. They can't really chew anything besides toilet paper. Remove any house cleaner you may have in your bathroom, though.

 

[brody_smom]

Cabinets, curtains, base boards. I guess we'd have to take out all the towels, shampoo bottles, soap. If he managed to open the cabinet doors, there's a potpourri of things in there to get into for a young dog with nothing else to do. I would have to pretty much empty the whole room. And it is a very small bathroom. The crate is a giant-sized one, probably about the same square footage, minus the bath tub.

 

[Linda A]

If you dog is good about being in the crate for extended periods of time I would suggest you get what are called "create grids" or 'floor grids." Most people who travel to dog shows have them in the crates in case of accidents. They work great!!

I have a friend who makes some that look very similar to this.

 

[brody_smom]

If you dog is good about being in the crate for extended periods of time I would suggest you get what are called "create grids" or 'floor grids." Most people who travel to dog shows have them in the crates in case of accidents. They work great!!

I have a friend who makes some that look very similar to this.

View attachment 2624

Those look like a great idea. I only plan on doing this the one time. I knew when I got Brody that the wedding was coming up, and had it in the back of my mind that I was going to have to figure out what to do with him. It's just that he has become more fearful of people in the last couple of months, and is even reacting to some people who he was fine with in his first couple of months with us. I had always thought I might try a daycare or board him over night, but that seems like something that would be really stressful for him at this point.

 

[brody_smom]

Just an update, in case you care: The wedding was yesterday afternoon. I had taken Brody out in the morning for a good game of fetch, did a little training with him here and there with some tug mixed in as much as we could. One last trip outside to empty his bladder, then we left him at 1 pm with 2 frozen peanut butter bones and some dried sweet potato jerky in his crate. We were back by 9:30. His crate was dry and he was quiet when we came in. He actually didn't bark or get over-excited or anything when I let him out. He was great. I took him out right away, and he did his potty in the yard before we walked over to the school yard for a bit of a run before bed. I'm so glad it's over; I've been fretting about this ever since we got Brody.

 

[blacknym]

Good to know!! Glad everything went well.