[Valerie and George]

Not for George -- he wouldn't appreciate THAT! -- but for Gigi. She's a Lab, if you recall, and she's 50 pounds or so (she was 50 pounds at her checkup but she's put on a couple since then) and about twice George's height at the shoulder. I hate to do it, but she simply will NOT learn housetraining and she's also somewhat destructive and I don't see any other way. Besides, I think she actually would like it. She was getting behind the couch (before we shoved it against the wall so she wouldn't unplug the lamp anymore) and tries to get under and behind things at times -- I think she WANTS some sort of room of her own. How big a crate do I need for her? Do I leave water and food in it when we go to work in the morning (I come home for lunch and I can let her out for a while then)? I've never needed one before -- we've always been able to teach our dogs the potty was outside and which toys were theirs and not to get into the garbage but we're not making ANY headway with Gigi at all.

She doesn't LOOK evil, does she? :lol:

 

[DThomas]

Besides, I think she actually would like it. She was getting behind the couch (before we shoved it against the wall so she wouldn't unplug the lamp anymore) and tries to get under and behind things at times -- I think she WANTS some sort of room of her own. How big a crate do I need for her? [/b]

Elvis and Roscoe have a very nice and roomy raised kennel outside where they spend their days while we are at work. Sadie, however, stays inside. She will quite often spend her days in Elvis's crate. We store his crate in the laundry room and leave the door open. She is barely small enough to fit in, but absolutely loves it. Out of all of the napping spots in our house (100% access to everywhere) she chooses Elvis's crate about 50% of the time. I think some dogs just like shelter/cover. Her other favorite spot is behind the kitchen table and chairs, against the wall.

I would suggest a large enough crate for a small, stable water bowl at least.

Teach a lab which toys are hers?? Pointless. She already knows which toys are hers... all of them... at the same time!!!

Sadie was 7 before she could be trusted with the garbage. She figured out long before that though not to mess with it, but temptation is tough. She would cower down and hide when we got home and she knew before we even noticed the evidence that she had done a bad thing.


Elvis found the garbage for the first time last night. Luckily all he was able to reach were a few paper towels, but boy did he have fun with them while he could.

 

[Elmer-n-Button]

I would get the largest one. We have it and it's about 48 inches long, and almost 36 inches high. I bought a large clamp on water bowl to attach to the inside while we were gone. We never leave them very long, as I am home most the time. If you leave food in the crate, she's gonna have to p--p while you're gone and will be miserable. I would feed her in the am and in the pm and just leave a little water for her. Can she make it all day, though? :huh:

Good luck! Dogs do like to have their own "room" and it will probably really help with the house training.

 

[joanr]

Yeah, I'd go with the big crate. She should be able to stand up in it and turn around. Happy likes his crate, he'll also sleep under a chair. I wonder if rescued strays like to den more then others? GiGi would do best to learn the rules of the house now, and a crate might help her.
Joan

 

[Valerie and George]

We took a long walk this evening and she actually did both the liquid AND solid organic waste business so maybe tonight we won't have such a problem. I praised her EFFUSIVELY for it, too, though I doubt she figured out why I was having such raptures over her bathroom duties. She won't have to be in a crate all day, only about three or four hours in the morning before I come home for lunch and about three or three and a half in the afternoon before her human daddy gets home for the day (he goes in earlier and comes home earlier than I do). George manages to wait that long (with free run of the house) so surely she can. George goes out first thing in the morning and at lunch and after work and sometimes once during the evening and right before bed, plus if it's not raining or horribly cold (he doesn't like either one any more than I do), he gets a walk in the evening. Tonight I have a cold and feel crummy and Hubby had to leave so it was walk them both by myself or only one, and I walked Gigi because she's the one we need to tire out a lot more than George, who's happy enough to lie around and be lazy.

I'm going to look for a crate this weekend and I'll get the biggest one they have and we'll try THAT for house-training. She really doesn't tear that much stuff up other than knocking things off the table with The Tail of Death, but George does that, too. And she does get into garbage sometimes but we've been emptying it daily so there's not much in it she can spread around the house. You're sure right about the toys, though. They ALL belong to her, even my poor Boyd's Bears and Beanie Babies, so all of those had to be put away in VERY secure, sealed storage bins.

 

[copsmom]

We got the X-large kennel from Wal-mart and it is plenty big. Our Golden has gotten in and he fit.