Whippet wetting in crate

Question
Hi,

I recently asked Sandy a question about my 1 year old whippet Nemo. He has a problem holding it while I am at work, but he CAN hold it because he will do so for the appropriate amount of time if I am at home with him. He gets walked for an hour twice a day with a free run in the morning before I leave. I recently moved, so that changes the scent issue I had with him peeing on the carpet in my old apartment. He has been vet checked for any physical problems and he is clear. I leave him out all day with access to two floors and plenty of toys for him to play with of course ;) He has had constant problems with peeing in his crate, so about 4 months ago I have been leaving him out free with no crate. Since my move I left the crate open and padded for him to go in and out as he feels. He is now going into the crate and peeing in the crate. I washed my crate in pet stain and odor remover to make sure no scent was there and he still goes inside the crate and pees. Is this something he will eventually get over. He is a good dog besides this one problem. He's sweet, loving and affectionate as whippets are generally. He isn't destructive beyond any normal dog that hasn't had his area doggy proofed. This is the only problem and it is taking a toll on me and him because he senses the resentment I have when I come home. He now cowers when he walks over to me knowing he did something absolutely wrong. Can you help me with this situation?

Answer
This sounds like it may be a case of separation anxiety.  Since he only does it when you are gone, I would have to say his nerves are the culprit.  Do you put anything in his crate to associate it with positive things-such as stuffed kongs, chew toys, edible chew treats or the like?  There are some great kong stuffing ideas such as frozen broth with food in it, pumpkin frozen inside the kong, peanut butter, cheese or even the kong products.  Start by leaving him a shorter amount of time, and with one of the above items.  Return before he can finish it so you catch him still preoccupied and reward heavily outside the crate.  Repeat this, gradually increasing the time and see if the new association helps with the wetting issue.

One other thing I have seen in only one of my dogs, is whenever she started to wake up she would urinate.  Then I could see her finish waking up and have a confused look, as if to say "oh my, I am not outside".  I know you say he is going into his crate to urinate, but previous you may have had this issue which then became a habit.

Try building the new crate associateion now that he is a bit older.