My male boxer, Jefe (11 months old) sleeps in his kennel at night. He LOVES his kennel, because he associates it with special treats and toys. When I'm training his sister, I'll kennel him with a bone to chew for awhile, so he doesn't distract each her. These are really the only times I kennel him.
The kennel came with a divider wall in it so that we could control how much or how little space he had. We started training with a third of the kennel, and he did fine.
However, when we try to add even a little more space (he's grown so much, don't want him to feel smooshed!) he'll pee in it, then cry until we come and take out his blanket he lays on and give him a new blanket. Once we moved the wall back forward so he barely had any room again, he stopped peeing in there.
Even with the limited space, Jefe usually likes being crated. I just feel kinda bad seeing this big strong dog only having a third of his space. I feel like he's going to get cramps or something! He never pees in the house, only in the crate, and only if given more space.
Should I just leave his kennel the way it is, or is there a way to stop him from peeing in it if I give him more space?
Or should I encourage him to sleep outside of it (since he's accident free) and do away with the kennel all together?
The kennel came with a divider wall in it so that we could control how much or how little space he had. We started training with a third of the kennel, and he did fine.
However, when we try to add even a little more space (he's grown so much, don't want him to feel smooshed!) he'll pee in it, then cry until we come and take out his blanket he lays on and give him a new blanket. Once we moved the wall back forward so he barely had any room again, he stopped peeing in there.
Even with the limited space, Jefe usually likes being crated. I just feel kinda bad seeing this big strong dog only having a third of his space. I feel like he's going to get cramps or something! He never pees in the house, only in the crate, and only if given more space.
Should I just leave his kennel the way it is, or is there a way to stop him from peeing in it if I give him more space?
Or should I encourage him to sleep outside of it (since he's accident free) and do away with the kennel all together?