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I have no problem with a crate; I think they are wonderful; I have a problem with your comment, "He needs to learn that if he urinates in it he will have to marinate in it." Sorry, but most authorities say the dog doesn't make the mistake the owner makes the mistake; I disagree strongly with your advice on marinating in his own pee. We are teaching our dog things all the time, and if house breaking were your only goal, perhaps your method would be considered a good one. However, I don't believe this method establishes a good long-term trusting relationship between a dog and a human. Puppy mill dogs are often more difficult to housebreak because they have learned to live covered in pee. Could you give me one source that recommends you method of discipline?
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Sure, why not?
I don't see how teaching your dog not to pee in his crate creates a lapse in the human dog bond or makes you a puppy miller. If he pees in his crate intentionally, he will see the consequences from those actions and refrain from repeating the action. I never said you should force the dog to pee in the crate, keep the crate dirty or anything of the sort. If he pees he will have to deal with it until you clean it up. That's the math. You urinate while I'm out you deal with it until I get back. Most dogs don't want to deal with that so they simply don’t do it.
Here's the a source about crate use and choice.
“The Evans Guide for Housetraining Your Dog” by Job Michael Evans. Chapter 13. Pages 89-90
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Some leg-lifters, however, if crated in open-air crates will simply shoot their urine out of the sides of the crate, keeping their own area clean and still being able to indulge in their favorite pastime. It might be necessary to get a plastic crate )the kind the airlines use) so that if the leg-lifter lifts his leg, he will urinate on his own premises, which might discourage him from the habit.
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This is an excerpt from
"People, Pooches, and Problems: Understanding, Controlling and Correcting Problem Behavior in Your Dog" by Job Michael Evans a Co-Author of the Monks of New Skete's book
"How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend." Chapter Twelve "Creative Avoidance" Page 102 Quote:
"Twinkles was an unaltered Yorkshire Terrier. He had a habit of leg-lifting every place he desired, including the sides of the sofa, the bed and even his owner's leg. While it was easy enough to stage a set-up*** for such behavior (and we did), I recommended that Twinkles first be neutered and then strictly confined to a crate whenever the owner was not home. The bulk of the sprinkling that went on occurred at that time. But the owner wanted to start work on the problem right away and was enthusiastic about the idea of set-ups and discipline after the fact--perhaps too enthusiastic. Because the behavior was long standing, and because it would take a few weeks for the benefits of the neutering to kick in, some creative avoidance was in order. We set it up so that Twinkles resided in a crate so small he would have to lie in his own urine if he let loose. He refrained, and after two weeks of strict confinement (and the neutering operation) the owner staged a set-up. She left the house with an advance warning, returned, disciplined if Twinkles had urinated and then repeated the process. Twinkles tightened up after just one set-up. It was probably the combination of neutering, crating and the actual set-up that helped Twinkles become a little star. But creative avoidance also played a role in this success story.
No Cop Out
Twinkles' owner asked me at one point, "Aren't we just avoiding the problem by neutering and crating him?" I replied, "Yes, in a sense we are, but we need to let a little time pass during which Twinkles adjusts to the hormonal changes of the neutering and to strict crating. He has to learn to correct himself, so to speak, from within, by simply learning to hold his own urine."
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***In a nutshell a "set up" is a way for you to correct your dog's problem behavior by baiting him what you don't want him to do so that you can correct him. To set up the leg lifting you'd probably follow these steps. First identify the trait you want to correct. "I do not want Twinkles to mark in the house when I am not there." Perfect. Now begin. You warn Twinkles as you are leaving that he is not to lift his leg. You leave (but you don't really leave, you look through the window and wait). As soon as Twinkles lifts his leg you charge in as he is in the act and correct him. Then you wait some time (maybe a few hours maybe the next day) and do it all over again. Soon Twinkles decides to wait to sprinkle until he is outside because he is never quite sure when you will correct him inside. This is not a method I made up. Job Michael Evans details it in his book and I would suggest it to anyone. It helped me teach my dog not to eat my shower curtain. It only took two set-ups for that...
Okay so that's explained.
This is about advice. You can take it or leave it. But please don't attack me.