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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to leave dog in shower for one day?

164 replies

showerdog · 05/06/2022 20:14

Elderly dog has back issues, can't be left unsupervised not in a crate because he will jump on and off furniture and risks hurting himself. He is not destructive and never has been, but his crate is broken. Can I leave him in a large, walk in shower for one day whilst I'm at work? He sleeps in the shower in the summer when it's shut, only difference is the door will be shut. He will obviously have his usual blanket and water. AIBU? I can't think of another safe place in my open plan house. Even the toilet is a risk as he will try and sit on it or jump on it.

OP posts:
ChardonnaysBeastlyCat · 05/06/2022 21:05

Anyway, if that's the best you can do...

Freddiefox · 05/06/2022 21:07

Can you not use the old crate to mark off an area, the only thing with the shower is it might get hot, is it open at the top?

Kennykenkencat · 05/06/2022 21:07

I can understand why ddog has to be in a crate if not supervised. I think if he is used to the shower and you don’t think he could try to wiggle out or jump up at the flexible pipe bit or hurt himself then the shower is probably the only option especially given his injury

May be try him in there for an hour tonight. Leave him with a few chew toys and see if he is ok

As you say it is only for a single day and you are getting a crate tomorrow

Kendodd · 05/06/2022 21:07

Badger1970 · 05/06/2022 20:29

Putting an elderly dog into a crate is inhuman Sad let alone a bloody shower cubicle.

I have to put my elderly dog in a crate all night.
We have only started doing this since she did become very elderly and developed dementia. She won't settle at night and used to damage furniture or get herself tangled up in cables. What would you suggest we do to keep her safe at night?

Nanny0gg · 05/06/2022 21:08

ChardonnaysBeastlyCat · 05/06/2022 20:38

Are you leaving that poor dog in a cage all day long? How would you feel if someone locked you in a cage for a day?

How can you be so cruel?

How is preventing the dog from hurting himself, cruel?

Original poster
showerdog · 05/06/2022 21:09

I also don't think people realise that I'm not asking whether I'm BU for crating my dog. I'm asking about the safety of a shower specifically, a place I have now decided not to use due to the concerns raised.

Going forward, the crate was and is necessary. If my dog manages to damage his spine again, my options are either put him to sleep or go through the whole miserable rehab process again, which involves being in a crate pretty much all the time whilst he heals. He couldn't even use his back legs. Like I said, we are getting the kitchen sorted for him. Once it's safe, he will be left there instead of a crate.

OP posts:
ChardonnaysBeastlyCat · 05/06/2022 21:13

How is preventing the dog from hurting himself, cruel?

Preventing a dog from hurting himself isn't cruel.

Sticking a dog in cage with restricted movement for hours is.

Surely you can see the difference?

Nutellaspoon · 05/06/2022 21:13

My toddler shattered our shower screen so I wouldn't leave a dog in one.

Mummyoflittledragon · 05/06/2022 21:14

I think that’s a better decision op. My worry would be your dog would freak and jump repeatedly at the glass. My dog is also crate trained with a blanket over the top etc. He feels safe inside and relaxes inside when I go out. He’s a real creature of habit and pretty highly strung. Even moving his crate (as I decided it would be better in the hall) had him shaking with nerves so I put it back and moved it in stages etc.

mycatisannoying · 05/06/2022 21:15

That's a bit bonkers. Sorry for your predicament though.

Original poster
showerdog · 05/06/2022 21:15

I also still believe crates have their uses. I have fostered destructive dogs who would literally eat kitchen walls if left, so no option of leaving in a hallway or half empty room. A Husky I fostered, even after all his other behaviour issues were solved, would destroy a kitchen or room if left. He could never have been rehomed in that state because who will adopt a dog you can't leave? We ended up crate training him and to this day he still sleeps like a baby in it, as he sees it as his safe space and doesn't mind being left. If you left that same husky in a 8000sqft mansion, he would destroy it!

OP posts:
JuneJubilee · 05/06/2022 21:16

I don't think I would tbh. I have read all of your posts & I can't really articulate why. But it just doesn't feel right. Too closed in I think. I'd feel better if you could leave the shower door open & use a stair gate.

my sisters dog has just had both it's hind legs operated on (one at a time) so the poor thing hasn't been supposed to go up/down their stairs, but when he sneaks up (if the kids don't shut the door) my BIL has to carry all 60kg of him down again! It's been a nightmare.

cant you think of anyone who could have him for the morning tomorrow? I would happily if I knew you , but might not realises you needed me to do wouldn't have thought to offer...

ventreàterre · 05/06/2022 21:16

YANBU. For one morning, the dog will be fine. Ignore the hysteria. You know your dog, and it sounds like he'll be perfectly okay in a roomy shower with access to water and his comfy blanket.

Sunnierdays · 05/06/2022 21:18

Crate trained dogs lol! You mean animals caged all day and made to sound like some fancy training for the benefit of the owners !!

FirewomanSam · 05/06/2022 21:19

I wonder if all the people going ‘omg! A cage!’ ever put their babies in cots, playpens or jumperoos…

AmberLynn1536 · 05/06/2022 21:20

MissMaple82 · 05/06/2022 20:21

Keeping them in a crate all day is ethically wrong too!

Agree, is this why the dog has back issues? I wonder if he is normally crated all day.

Crankley · 05/06/2022 21:22

Where did this idea of locking dogs in cages come from? How the fuck would you like to be locked in a cage for four hours?

JuneJubilee · 05/06/2022 21:23

Well, I'd read all of your posts until I started to type then we cross posted!🙇🏻‍♀️

I think your solution is ok, but check very carefully he can't get through the bars, it's amazing how small a space they can squeeze through if determined!!

hope he's ok tomorrow & you can get your new crate.

(ignore the dramatic loose cannon!!)

Original poster
showerdog · 05/06/2022 21:24

Crate training is also very different from just shoving a dog into a crate. A lot of dogs I have fostered have needed crates at first if they are destructive and some ended up even sleeping in the crate when it was left open after their behavioural issues were solved.

I would urge people to research the circumstances crates are used or needed. You may see it as a cage, however the whole point of crate training is that it is seen as a safe space to curb anxiety. Crate training has literally saved some of the dogs I have fostered, who would have never been adopted otherwise.

Just a different perspective to think about! I always like my dogs (mine or fosters) to have access to a dog safe space, but for some dogs it's not possible, especially in the beginning of a new placement!

OP posts:
icanbewhatiwant · 05/06/2022 21:25

Why can't the dog go in the crate? Why the bathroom? You said you are replacing the crate. My pups have always gone in a crate at night when they were small and if we went out anywhere in the day they went in a crate too (only for an hour or so in the day) Then when they get to about 5 months old the crate has been left open and they have all still slept in there. I think they like it as a safe, quiet place. So I am all for crate training. I don't use them beyond 6 months though. But I would if I needed to for a dogs safety.

Suzi888 · 05/06/2022 21:26

Crankley · 05/06/2022 21:22

Where did this idea of locking dogs in cages come from? How the fuck would you like to be locked in a cage for four hours?

Because sometimes it’s veterinary advice to do so. If your dog has surgery, in some cases it’s imperative the dog is restricted. It’s not nice, but it’s necessary. The alternative is PTS.

Thehawki · 05/06/2022 21:27

I think for four hours and it being your only option it’s okay. Can you leave a window open for ventilation to the room? Crates are what many many dog trainers recommend so I have absolutely no idea why everyone is so worked up about them. Put something on the floor like a bath mat so that it’s not slippery for him though.

Original poster
showerdog · 05/06/2022 21:28

Thanks to everyone who has given actual advice or support, I appreciate it!

And to those who see it as a cage, never to be used, please tell me what you'd do with an 80lb dog who would otherwise literally eat through plasterboard, attempt to eat concrete or chew through metal? I suppose some people even view my dogs recovery process as cruel as for a few weeks he was confined to a crate, however that was the literal point!

OP posts:
Original poster
showerdog · 05/06/2022 21:29

He can't go in the crate as it was damaged when being carried and has a sharp bit of wire.

OP posts:
bellac11 · 05/06/2022 21:30

ChardonnaysBeastlyCat · 05/06/2022 21:13

How is preventing the dog from hurting himself, cruel?

Preventing a dog from hurting himself isn't cruel.

Sticking a dog in cage with restricted movement for hours is.

Surely you can see the difference?

Years ago when ours injured his back he was on crate bed rest for many weeks on end, had to be restricted in terms of his movement to recover. Its necessary sometimes.