Leaving dog with roommates when I leave

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#1
I just moved into a new place a few weeks ago. My dog is still having a rough time warming up to my roommates. He wants nothing to do with them yet they have been begging me to leave his crate open and my bedroom door unlocked so he can get accustomed to them, but he refuses to leave the bedroom when I am at work. But yet every day they are telling me it's cruel to lock him in his crate while I am at work. It is stressing me out SO much that I am to the point of tears.
 

Grab

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#2
I'm not sure why it would be stressful? If he gets into things/likes his crate better/you just plain want him in his crate when you're gone, just explain it as such. "He's more comfortable in his crate and I'd like to keep his routine as normal as possible to help him adapt"

Maybe leave him wandering around or have them participate in some of his activities when you're there to foster his acceptance of them.
 

Maxy24

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#3
If he's happy, leave it be. Or lock him in your room and not the actual crate. I would not leave him loose with your roommates if he is not comfortable with them. They could very well try a bit too hard to get him to like them (forcing themselves on him) and turn him from being disinterested to being downright fearful of them.
 

milos_mommy

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#4
I agree with Maxy.

If you know your roommates well and trust they are dog saavy people, and trust that if the dog is uncomfortable he'll choose to hang out in your room/the crate and they won't bother him, I might consider it.

Otherwise I'd just say that he feels safe in his crate, you're worried that over stimulation via interaction with them will make him more fearful, and offer to do some exercises while you're there with them (let them feed him, etc) to work on making him more comfortable.
 

amberdyan

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#5
I agree. Leave him where he is comfortable. I don't think crates are cruel (1 of my dogs is crated when I'm not home).

If he eventually warms up to them and you trust them, it would be awesome if he could choose to be out but right now forcing him to interact with them would be too stressful .
 

Snark

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#6
Listen to your dog - if he's uncomfortable around your roommates, keep him locked in your bedroom when you're not there. If you trust him uncrated, leave him loose in your locked bedroom. If you want to crate him, crate him. It's not your roommates' call - it's what you decide is best for your dog, based on your knowledge of your dog.

Tell your roommates that YOU know YOUR dog, they don't, so they will have no clue when they've pushed him into defending himself until he actually defends himself. He is your dog, not theirs, and you, and you alone, will supervise his interactions with them because you, and you alone, know your dog's expressions and body language and when he's had enough.
 

krissy

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#7
I love when people say that crates are cruel. Assuming the crate is the appropriate size, I don't know what people think is cruel about it. Kili is crated when I'm not home. She has a couple of crate pads/blankets so it's nice and soft and comfy. She has a water dish. And she gets a Kong before I go. She spends the entire day sleeping.

Sometimes I bring the dogs to work with me, and they stay in the office. It's bigger than a crate, and yet they still spend their entire day sleeping.

I used to have a little webcam that I would check in on them from time to time while I was at work. But I stopped because it was so boring. Any time I checked in, both dogs were passed out.
 

JacksonsMom

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#8
I'm sorry... that's gotta be frustrating. I know how Jackson is and he would be super uncomfortable with roommates if he didn't know them very well, but even when I'm not home he's more timid and also prefers to stay in my room (my mom always tells me that's where he spends most of his time when I'm not home, unless they are eating :p)

So yeah if I lived in a place with roommates, I would be MUCH more comfortable knowing he was in my room and in a "safe place".
 

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