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Originally Posted by slcsgh  "QuickSilver" I just dont agree on keeping a dog in a crate all the time. Its just no way for a dog to live... We all have our ways of doing things, And I can honestly say that I dont feel guilty for my little girl Haleigh, atleast she has a life. |
My husband and I felt the same way with little Hiro! We tried to limit his area (so i had less to clean up) to just the kitchen, but it didn't work. Every morning I was cleaning up messes... every afternoon........ every night. Whatever I was doing (I look back on it now and wonder 'what WAS I trying to do?!') it wasn't working out for us.
I decided to start crate training because I wanted Hiro to have a good life where he could tell me what he needed and could abide by the rules of my house. I most certainly was NOT going to be chasing after him all day - keeping an eye on him like a hawk and stepping in his mistakes - for the rest of his little life and at the same time pretty much telling him that it's OK to make my house uninhabitable.
He spent a lot of his time in the crate. This is true. And no matter how many books I read that told me a dog will take to a crate and look at it as his own personal 'den' or living space, I didn't believe it and I felt bad about it for the first little while. I WANTED him to be able to run around free as bird in my house! I WANTED him to have freedom and to come greet me at the door! I WANTED to believe that he could learn good potty manners all outside of the evil, space-encroaching, metal grated door crate! My heart wept for him! How terrible! ...
...
THEN I went over to my in-laws house. They have a Pomeranian. This pom has NO rules. No boundaries. NO limitations. She does whatever she wants, humps what she wants, growls at whoever she wants, has food aggression, spacial agression and PEES AND POOPS where ever she wants!!!!!! My husband I went over there for dinner. I stepped in her mess. I was SO mad.
I decided that I never wanted to be upset like I was at my in-laws dog at Hiro. I decided that *I* would set the rules of the house and I would enforce them. Proper potty training isn't just about a bleeding heart and a decision that you'd rather give your dog a 'life' than subject him/her to a crate for a couple months out of their entire existence. It's really about being a pack leader. It's about giving your dog rules and boundaries and limitations - not just affection. (Gosh I love Cesar lol) An animal (like a human) needs to be taught what is acceptable behaviour and what is not acceptable behaviour. They need to listen to you, as a pack leader, and respect the boundaries you set out.
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Originally Posted by slcsgh So i felt terrible always being upset with her, and cleaning up pee pee spots. I feel terrible about it and like I failed her |
If you want your dog to run your house, cool.
If you want to clean up after your dog when it leaves presents where it shouldn't, ok.
If you want to keep buying your dog diapers, all right.
It's really your decision.
Your dog wants nothing else than to please you.
When he/she messes on the floor or somewhere you don't want them to mess, do you not get agitated, aggravated, irritated, or stressed out?
If you think she's happier, I think you're kidding yourself. You still feel bad about the fact that you 'failed her' and she knows it....
Now, to the point of my post.
I appreciate that you don't agree with crate training, slcsgh, but this thread is discussing crate training along with other methods in order to provide options to the original poster. There's LOTS of people who don't agree with crate training. Your dog isn't trained. Read the plethora of posts here dealing with training - crate, or not, (whichever way you may agree with) and try again with your own pooch before you criticize someone else's method.