Source
r/dogs•
CTroy2

[Help] Putting my dog in the bathroom while I am at work?

Help!

I use to put Dash my boxer mix in a crate while I was gone but that was when I worked five hours a day now I am working 8 hours and I want her to have more room so I wanted to ask you all if it's a good idea. I leave water, a chew toy (huge elk antler), a regular toy and a king sized blanket. The available bathroom floor space is 6 square feet. She can be really destructive if I leave her alone with the run of the house due to separation anxiety.

Posted Jan 7, 2019, 5:26 PM UTC

626
ArtVandelay32Wheaten Terrier•

i'd be careful about the dog getting into any soaps/cleaners/chemicals you have stored in there. or tearing apart towels.

not opposed to the idea, but something to keep in mind.

12
CTroy2OP•

Yeah, I dont keep anything in there:)

1
Pinuzzo•

6 square feet? 2.5 feet by 2.5 feet? Or do you mean 6 feet by 6 feet?

6
CTroy2OP•

6×6 I have dyscalcula

5
ningirl42•

I was having the same thought. Damn your bathroom is tiny.

1
donnablondekeeshond•

I would want at the very least a quick walk from a dogwalker to break up that 8 hours...

4
CTroy2OP•

We play hardcore fetch every day right when I get home like half hour or more.

0
babies_on_spikes•

Typically people recommending this are not as concerned about overall exercise (dogs sleep a lot during the day), but instead bladder health and general comfort. Just as it would be uncomfortable but perhaps doable for a human to be denied bathroom breaks for 8 hours, it would also be for dogs. The bathroom is probably better for stretching his legs than a crate, but not by much.

An option for the potty issue might be potty pads in the bathtub. But, of course, potty pads always run the risk of training the dog that it's ok to potty in the house in general.

3
plywooden•

Did you miscalculate sq. footage? 2' x 3'? 1' x 6'? or 6' x 6' = 36 sq. ft?

Prob. best to deal w/ the separation issue. I'm sure lots of help out there like:

https://www.cesarsway.com/dog-behavior/separation-anxiety/5-tips-for-separation-anxiety

I'm a dog lover but have not had to deal with this beyond puppies / adolescents.

3
sydbobydSyd: ACD mix•

I don't think that link gives horrible advice, but I'd generally not link to Cesar. This one has some good info and sources on separation anxiety: https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/separationanxiety

5
Pinuzzo•

Why not link to Cesar?

1
sydbobydSyd: ACD mix•

Because Millan is not a reputable source on dog behavior and training.

https://old.reddit.com/r/dogtraining/wiki/cesarmillan

5
plywooden•

I understand. That was just the first link that came up.

1
ray_oliveraustralian shepherd and border collie•

We did this with our old border collie for a couple of years. For some reason he started marking in the house when we left him alone but he wasn't destructive at all in the bathroom. We would say "go to your room" and he'd go right in. It worked well for us; YMMV.

2
plywooden•

One of my border collies claimed a small bathroom as his 7 years ago after informally adopting the pair. He still sleeps overnight in there - in the 36" shower stall. Whatever makes him happy is ok with me.

1
cmartinez171•

Nope that’s what I do for my pup too! Except I leave her in my room. She would be good to free roam but my roommate has a cat🙄 I work 10 hours a day so I do get a dog walker for her

2
juliefryy•

I used to leave my dog in a room that she wasn't familiar with and it caused her more anxiety. She would scratch at the door, which left marks on the door. Now I leave her in the bedroom. She just sleeps on the bed. Sometimes I will find a shirt that I had left on the floor under her. Do you have a different room that she is more familiar with?

2
IAmPandaRock3-4 y.o. Centrail Asian Shepherd; 11 y.o. BC/GSD•

Be prepared to replace the door and door frame.

2
triglyEcho, devourer of snow•

No reason not to give it a try! I'd try taking it easy at first by leaving her in there for just a short time on a weekend, then slowly increasing the time to practice and see how she does. Put her crate in there with her so it's available to her, or try crating her in there for the first few days while you're at work while you test it out.

Some dogs with SA actually do better in the crate than with more space, especially if she's already used to and calm in the crate. Something about being in their safe den space is good, and you don't want to mess with routine too much. She'll probably be just fine in the crate, if it's actually just 8 hours (not 8+long commute each way).

1
dirtyberti•

It might be a good idea to leave something of yours with your scent on it (sweatshirt etc) in the bathroom to help a little with the separation anxiety

1
CTroy2OP•

I left a t-shirt and one of my blankets :)

2
golden_retrieversNed: Golden Retriever•

A friend of mine has a dog with separation anxiety and she left him in the bathroom while she was at work one day. She came home to her house flooded. Apparently, the dog freaked out, climbed in the bathtub, somehow turned the faucet on and blocked the drain.

So.... you may want to make sure he isn't able to access any faucets or pipes, etc...

​

1
EuropersianPolar : Rottweiler•

My first puppy pooped in the shower and smeared it all over the walls.

So

I decided to put her in the crate and let her cry herself to sleep while I was only gone for an hour.

1
Elliedee1•

The bathroom really fucked up my dog emotionally. The crate is better for him because he can see out the windows and see around the house. He can see the other dogs running about or just sleeping. I got a big ass crate for him on Amazon. He LOVES it. He hated the bathroom and destroyed the bathroom door. Ripped a whole right through it. It was horrible for him. Now he knows he gets a kong every day in his crate and the dog walker comes daily to walk him in the middle of the day. Life is better.

1
kayyyyyy_p•

Pet Health CBD has anti separation CBD oil formulated specifically for animals. I recommend giving something like that a try because leaving your dog in the bathroom all day everyday will ultimately lead to no good especially if you are already aware that it has separation anxieties. You can get the anti separation oil at https://pethealthcbd.com/product/cbd-anti-separation-tincture/

-2
CTroy2OP•

Hey, I take the same stuff but not the doggy version!!

1