Hi All,
PLEASE HELP! My 10mth Boxer, Vinnie was a model dog till about 2mths ago, he was all i could ever ask for...we have crate trained him and up until about 2 mths ago, he would think about soiling or wetting his crate as he hated being anywhere near it, but when we decided he was old enough to be tried in the lounge on his own, everything changed. We got home on the 2nd day and he had soiled and wetted everywhere! So we decided to get him a bigger crate and train him for a little longer there...since then he doesnt care, he wets in his crate and lies in it all day. He is left with no blankets, only a few toys and treats. We have tried everything from removing his bedding to leaving his food in there as apparently they dont like to toilet by food...he does! There is no problem with holding his bowels/bladder as he has done it before. I have a vets appt booked for the weekend to make sure there are no medical problems and we are going to castrate him as he is getting a bit too big for his boots. Can someone please help me as I am running out of ideas, I hate coming home to a dog covered in his own mess and dont know how long i can tolerate this for. Thanks

I'm not sure i understand the first part of your post?
Have you only introduced a crate within 2months is that what you are trying to say and he hates it?

How long is he left for in the crate?

he is being left for 5-6 hours at the moment
we introduced the crate when he was 10wks old and he loved it and used it as a den, since changing it and letting him be in the house, he hates it!

A few questions first.

How long are you leaving him in his crate during the day?

Do you crate him overnight, if so, is he messing then?

What food are feeding him?

At what time of the day is he being fed?

Here are the answers to your questions...

-He is left for about 5-6 hrs a day
-He is crated overnight but never soils
-He has dry food and some wet on top (its purina food)
-He is fed at 7am and 5pm

Hope this helps...x

Hi, thanks for the reply

The fact he is clean overnight and not during the day makes me think he is anxious or stressed.  Dogs will not always make a noise, infact the noisy ones are actually releasing the stress by barking.

5-6 hours is too long to leave him during the day, bearing in mind how young he is.  Don't forget he has been left in the crate for around 8 hours while you are asleep, which he accepts, then when he is at his most active you are leaving him again for a long period.  Is he having some free running before you go out to work (I am assuming it is work).

Have you someone who can come in and let him out during the day?

If you are feeding his food in equal amounts, it may help to feed a third in the morning and the rest at night.

Changing his diet may also help, try Burns or Nutro without any tinned food.  The poos are usually more solid and smaller on a quality food.

You might not like to hear it, but I would say he is definately stressed by being left confined and for that period.

Another option could be a kennel and run for during the day.  Fill a kong toy with tasty things like cream cheese. (do a search on Kongs on this board, you will find lots of recipes)

I wish you luck, but until you can sort something out for him during the day I can't see it improving.

Thanks Sandrah, for such a helpful reply...

We know we leave him for too long in the day, but due to us living away from our family at the moment, we are short of people to ask, although have thought about looking to pay someone to come in and let him out. The thing we can't understand is why he has only just started? He has always been left for this period of time and has never been dirty in his crate, could his crate be too big perhaps?
He is walked before work for 1/2hr and runs for all that time, so he is tired when we leave, this hasnt helped though.
We will try the food suggestion, and see how that goes...
We do have a kong for him, we will do this everyday from now on.
We have thought about a kennel so he has a run of the garden, but would this be ok for him now the winter months are upon us??

Thanks again for your help...x

Maybe a neighbour could help out during the day so he has a bit of company.  Perhaps you have a retired neighbour who would be pleased to have a little job to do during the day.

A kennel will be fine as long as it is draught proof and the bed is off the floor with cosy bedding in it.  It is only for during the day, I wouldn't like to put a short coated dog in for the night.  You could even get him a cosy coat or dog fleece.  If you are determined to keep him and I understand people have to work it is the probably the best solution in the long run, especially if he is not a barker.

The kennel really needs to have its own run on a concrete or paved base, with a roof of some kind over the run.  If you leave him the run of the garden in this weather he will get wet, cold and muddy, not to mention trying to escape and dig his way out.

A crate cannot be too big if you are leaving him for that length of time.  Personally I feel it is unfair to leave him in a crate for that period of time, however large.

Make sure the time you spend with him is quality time to him, join a training club and learn how to train him or get him to do tricks so his mind is being used.

I know he used to accept the separation, but don't forget he is growing up, he is now the age of an adolescent teenager and will not accept what he has in the past especially as he will not sleep a lot now he is older and no longer a young puppy.

Hi Vinnie2005, please don't just think about getting a dog walker for him, you must do it, it is not right to leave a 10 month boxer shut in a crate for this length of time,  I think he has been an absolute angel to put up with it for so long. And don't change it for a smaller one!

I know in this day and age people need to work, but he needs a toilet break, walk if possible and some company for at least a good hour of your time away.  You are asking an awful lot from your dog.  You can even pop him in a local kennel whilst at work, many people also do this.

Hi there,

Is the dog stressed whilst being left on his crate. Is he anxious, does he howl? Animals will soil whenever they are very stressed or anxious, so this is a factor that you also need to take into consideration.

However, you are doing the right thing by getting him checked by the vet first.

Cheers,
Patty

We dont think he is stressed...we have never heard him howl in his crate. He sometimes has a kong when we leave him.

Let me get this right you crate your dog for 5-6 hours alone during the day & then again for another 6-7 hours pver night  So your dog is in a crate for 11-13 hours every day during the week ?

yes, thats right. We both have to work during the day and at the moment, its impossible to get to him at lunch time. We want him to have the run of the house so he has all the room he wants, including the garden but thats proving impossible at the moment.

Sorry you should not have a dog crated  alonefor half it's day No wonder he is acting the way he is

You should seriously consider a dog sitter/walker to break up his obviously very boring & uninteresting day

Thanks for the advice

Boxers are a social breed and don't tend to do too well being left on their own for long periods.
It's a long time to expect Vinnie to last without going to the toilet, he's only a baby still.
Although he may have days where he can last the whole day whilst left, there will be some
days where he can't (this is perfectly normal).
My youngest Boxer will be 2 years old this January, she still had the odd accident when she was 12 months old plus.
Vinnie is coming into the 'teenager' stage which can last until about 18 months old.

If you can it would be better to get someone in that can walk him and let him out etc.
I'm lucky in that I have 3 Boxers that keep each other company and I come back at lunchtime.

Hi vinnie i can only agree with Boxacrazy,boxers love human company also they do tend to get bored very quickly so if you are considering leaving him out of his crate whilst you are at work make sure he can be trusted not to chew.I would try and find a dog walker for a hour or so a day. so he can go out and relieve some boredom.I wouldnt reccomend leaving him unsupervised in the garden all day as there are lots of dogs being stolen.What are your reasons for thinking about castration?  I have three boxers here my youngest is 15mth although he is house trained i cant leave him for several hours a day as i know he would find something to chew. please persevere with him boxers are wonderful once we get them through teenage years.....
regards poly_45

As another Boxer owner( 2) leaving him in the crate for for that lenght of time during the day....is far to long........ I have nothing against crates I have always used them, my youngest is still in hers and she is nearly 3rys( as she will torment my 17 yr old cat if I am not there)........... I would never leave her in her crate for longer than 3hrs in the day and if Icant go home my hubby will go home and let her out of her cage and take both of them out for a leg stretch............ I would look into a dog walker for your boy, even if they only come in and let hin go to the toilet  and 1/2 hr play........... He is  coming into his "Kevin" ( teenage)  stage and your lovely well behaved Boxer is going to start to test you on all sorts of things......... so the last thing you want is a bored /stressed boy  on your hands........... you sound like you are trying to do the best for him .......and I think even if you kennelled him in the garden for that amount of time, without him seeing anyone ,is going to help ......... Like the others have said Boxers dont do " being left on their own/to their own devices".............good luck!

I agree with the others that leaving a lively young boxer in its crate all day is not being kind.

If he is getting covered in feaces it is always possible that he is having epiliptic fits whilst you are absent, as he would void himself and thrash about during these.