Soo.... I decided I'd come home from work at lunch today to give Corona a break and some lunch and yadda yadda... not really something I have time for, as I only get a 1/2hr lunch and 15 minutes of that is spent driving, but for my girl, I'd do it.
Well, when I got home, Corona was not in her crate and not in her x-pen... nope, she was down the hall in my bedroom tearing it apart!!!!
HUGE problem now! She can climb out of her 30" tall x-pen, and there's just no way that someone can be around all the time to let her out of her crate every few hours during the day for a pee and a play. I don't know what to do!!!
WOW! I can't imagine what you came home today! Um, the only think that i can suggest is maybe something like a piece of plywood or something similar to cover the top of the pen. Or, if you can fit the pen into a small room like the bathroom, then you can leave the pen door open,, and she would be free to go in and out of it as she pleases....good luck!
IG suggested the one of the ideas I had about putting her pen in the bathroom. It makes it tough that you have such limited time for lunch, but I do think it is a good thing that you do swing by to check on her and give her a potty break.... soon she should be able to make it through the day without needing to have a break.
When we first got Binks, I took a card board box that was about 2 1/2 feet high, and I cut a hole in the side and put his kennel grate in the hole so that he could see, but not get out. Either hubby or I would come home during our lunch hour to check on him. This worked great for about 2 weeks, then one day hubby comes home and hears Binks barking from deep inside the house.... the little turd had tore a hole in the box and dug his way out and was roaming the house.. quite to his surprise!!! I think after that, we started putting both Boots and Binks in the laundry room with just a bed. They got fed in the morning, then a break at lunch to get water/potty, then back in the laundry room till we got home. We would have little messes to clean up, but since it was on the kitchen/laundry room floor, it was not that big of a deal. Just wipe up and go.
Anytime we go anywhere, they know to get in their bed in the laundry room, there they rest peacfully till we return. I would suggest finding such a room or find a way to secure the pen so she can't get out or confine her to a small room... the fact that she was tearing stuff up in your room is her way of expressing her dissatisfaction with you leaving... seperation anxiety. You said she had a crate, you may want to put her in that while your away, but the only way I would do that is if you know for sure that you can stop by during lunch to let her out and exercise a bit.... I know your time is limited.
I hope some of my yadda yaddaing helps... aimlessly yammering!!! Let us know if you have questions, and I hope you find a solution to your situation.
The bathroom is a great idea (with the toilet paper and floor mat up!) try leaving her a pee pad, toys and food & water in there. if that doesn't work, try a larger size crate with a pee pad and attatchable dishes. Puppies can't have too much space given to them at a young age, they need to be able to find their pee pad, leaving her crated is not mean as long as she has enough space to pee on her pee pad away from an area for sleeping and has food and water.
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You think dogs will not be in heaven~ I think they will be there long before any of us... stevenson
Unfortunately, the only bathroom I could do that in is the one in the basement and I'm a little concerned that she might freeze down there. It might be the only option though...
On the up side, she stayed in her crate all last night without any accidents. I put a pee pad in there for her, but she didn't even use that.
what about leaving a hot water bottle covered in a towel for her to snuggle up to in a bed or something, and block under the door with a towel so she doesn't get a breeze. ??
-- Edited by sattie at 14:51, 2007-05-10
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You think dogs will not be in heaven~ I think they will be there long before any of us... stevenson
Like the others I think the bathroom idea is the best, but if the only one you could leave her in is in a very cold part of your house then I can see why you'd be concerned. A hot water bottle is always a great idea. Ellie has one every night (so do I!) and she LOVES it! The other option would be to put some clothing on her (although I'm not completely sure about this one as you wouldn't want hre getting caught on something and stuck while you're out. It could be dangerous.), and the other thing would be to get a heater for the room.
I'd say that coming home during the day for the first year is cruicial to Corona. It may be hard, but I think is probably very important.
Oops, I forgot to say! Sattie is probably right, Corona could well be destroying your things in protest, but she could also just be very bored. Does she have plenty of toys and chews to occupy her time while you're away?
Dogs are unconditional LOVE!
