Urgent help needed

[rott'nrottie]

A little background first. Daisy in 11.5 week old female. During the day she is crated while my wife and I are at work. She is let out three times during the day for 15 to 30 minutes. Her food bowl and water bowl are left in her crate at all times (the bowls are stainless steel).

Anyway, a couple days ago she decided to flip her empty food bowl over. I figured that it was because she was hungry and I possibly was not giving her enough food. Well, last night after she was put in her crate while my wife and I ate, she flipped her bowls over and they both were FULL. My wife went to let her out after we ate and when she discovered the mess, Daisy looked at her like she knew she had done something wrong. We decided to leave her in the crate for about 15 more minutes because she was visibly not comfortable sitting in the food and water. I hoped she would realize it's not fun sitting in there and not flip them again.

Flash to today. My mother-in-law calls and says that when she went to let Daisy out, her food and water bowls were flipped over and the food and water were everywhere. I told her to take Daisy out and let her run, pee, etc. like always, but to put her back into the crate without cleaning it.

So, I'm not sure what to do. Any advise is appreciated.

[godfreyc]

Well, first of all she has no idea she did anything wrong, and making her sit in it isn't going to help. She's 12 weeks old, she shouldn't have food or water down all the time. This will make potty training harder and is not necessary. You should feed her twice a day and take up the bowl when she's finished. Let her drink when she eats and give her a couple of water breaks inbetween, like when you take her out to potty. Problem solved.

[Miabella]

Take the bowls out of the crate. She does not need water in her crate if she is indoors and let out of the crate 3 times during the workday.

And it's not a great idea to make her sit in a mess of food and water. You may inadvertently acclimate her to being wet and dirty, and that can mess up housebreaking. Additionally, it's just not very nice!

[MaddoxsMom]

I would stop feeding her in her crate. Is there a reason you do this? If not, just feed her after you let her out.

She sounds bored.

good luck

logan

p.s. instead of food/water in crate, giver her a chew toy.

[rott'nrottie]

I originally left the food and water in the crate because she had cocidia and the vet recommended letting her eat when she wanted because the worms would be using some of the food, too. It has been 2 weeks since the last vet visit which confirmed that the cocidia was gone, so I guess I could remove the bowls from the crate. I have been limiting her food to 2 feedings/day, but I've been allowing her to decide when to eat. I wanted to leave the water so she could drink when she wanted to, also.

PS - Am I the only person who leaves their dogs bowls accessable all day?

[damp]

The only thing your pup needs in the crate is WATER and good safe chewing toys. If you feed her 3 (4) TIMES from early morning to late evening she is not starving or hungry. She will learn to eat when it’s time to eat (if you don’t allow free feeding.) She definitely doesn’t learn anything other than the crate is uncomfortable if you don’t fix the water bowl so she can’t turn it over. Freash water is a MUST.

Yes, bowls are great toys for pups!!!

[jasper's_mommy]

Does she have any chew toys?

[Brooke&Ryan]

Well if you decide you need a water bowl in the crate (which we didn't have with Julius when he was smaller because there was usually someone always around or we were only gone for a couple of hours...) you could get one that screws onto the side of the crate or the crate door. That's what we have for Julius. We purchased the 2 qt. size. Then she would not be able to flip it, although she could still have great fun in splashing in the water. Julius sure did.

But my philosophy is that it's just water. Nothing a few paper towels cannot take care of!


Brooke

[MaddoxsMom]

Originally Posted by rott'nrottie

I originally left the food and water in the crate because she had cocidia and the vet recommended letting her eat when she wanted because the worms would be using some of the food, too. It has been 2 weeks since the last vet visit which confirmed that the cocidia was gone, so I guess I could remove the bowls from the crate. I have been limiting her food to 2 feedings/day, but I've been allowing her to decide when to eat. I wanted to leave the water so she could drink when she wanted to, also.

PS - Am I the only person who leaves their dogs bowls accessable all day?

Because feed time within a pack is key in communicating who is boss, letting her self-feed is not good, especially at this age. In a pack, the alpha controlls feeding, who eats, who does not, and in what order, thus clearly communicating to the other members who controlls whats going on. Food is important in survival, so it is a valuable currency in establishing yourself to her as boss.

I would not allow this, if you can avoid it. She needs to be fed by you, and it needs to be controlled by you.

If her medical condition allows, i would start feeding her on a schedule.

[rott'nrottie]

Originally Posted by jasper's_mommy

Does she have any chew toys?

A Kong with a fresh biscuit every day, a bone, and a frisbee. These three things never leave the crate, as we have other toys.

[carolynnl4]

For an article and discussion on the pros/cons of free feeding, go here:
http://www.rottweiler.net/forums/showthread.php?t=36628
(I should note that I no longer free feed since Athena has decided she no longer needs to eat more than 1 cup a day.)


As for fresh water, if you don't want her tipping it over, I've seen other dog owners using the water bottle with a lick tip with great success...yes, it's the same kind you see in hamster cages, but larger.

Good luck with the puppy girl!

[Judy Chrusch]

This is just a puppy and she thinks of her dishes as toys if they're left in all the time. This is not unusual behavior for an active pup. Pick a time you'd like to feed her then after 15 minutes what is left in the dish get rid of, IOW don't leave dishes in the crate. You can leave a stainless steal bucket or dish that attaches to the crate with water in it bc I feel as though they should always have access to water but don't leave food dishes in the crate, especially now that she thinks it's a play thing.

This is a young pup with alot of energy so make sure she gets plenty of exercise and has safe toys to play with and chew. I hope this helps . Sometimes the simplest things work like a charm.

Judy

[carolynnl4]

Originally Posted by rott'nrottie

A Kong with a fresh biscuit every day, a bone, and a frisbee. These three things never leave the crate, as we have other toys.

I recently agonized over what to leave in the crate for Athena, and our behaviorist encouraged me to trade out whatever was in her crate -- to even try to have a "crate only" toy, so that there would be a novelty factor. (Unfortunately there's nothing new and novel that she can't destroy.)

[Judi W]

She is bored and making a game for herself. Hardly a sin! Seems like a clever girl to me.

Get a crate bucket for water, and feed her at scheduled times

[sophie's-mom]

Originally Posted by rott'nrottie

Daisy in 11.5 week old female.

My wife went to let her out after we ate and when she discovered the mess, Daisy looked at her like she knew she had done something wrong. We decided to leave her in the crate for about 15 more minutes because she was visibly not comfortable sitting in the food and water. I hoped she would realize it's not fun sitting in there and not flip them again.

Your pup is 11 weeks old, she is not aware that she did something wrong. She also does not make the connection that her knocking over the bowls caused her discomfort. YOU DID by not taking her out of the mess.

Your angry face in the thread title indicates to me that you are not familiar with normal puppy behavior and this is upsetting for you. That's sad.

If people are home and your pup is out of the crate OFTEN, there is no need to keep water and food in the crate..........unless you like cleaning up a mess!