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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
FirewomanSam · 05/06/2022 21:31

AmberLynn1536 · 05/06/2022 21:20

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

That’s a really nasty post. Even if you don’t agree with using crates, implying that the OP has caused her dog’s back issues by using one is really unnecessary. She’s clearly trying to do what’s best for her dog and prevent him from injuring himself further. Absolutely no need to start speculating like this based on nothing at all.

UnshakenNeedsStirring · 05/06/2022 21:37

Mangogogogo · 05/06/2022 20:45

Honestly op you need to post this somewhere where people understand dogs. Not here where they’ve read something someone wrote last week and repeat it like a fuckin parrot having never even touched a dog.

Stick you with a bowl of water in a crate for 4 hours, see how you like it

madasawethen · 05/06/2022 21:38

I can't believe all the ignorance about dogs and crates.

Dogs are den animals. A small space that they just fit into makes them feel safe and secure. RSPCA has information on crate training.

NotMushroomInEre · 05/06/2022 21:38

Put things on the couch to stop him jumping up. I used to put dining room chairs on mine to stop mine jumping up and risk hurting herself getting down - she was a bigger dog though so chairs stopped her. I'd rather invert the couch than put my dog in the shower cubicle.

showerdog · 05/06/2022 21:38

He had a back condition we were monitoring. He was never crated before, but he ruptured a disc when jumping from a normal height and was pretty much paralysed until emergency surgery.

OP posts:
ChardonnaysBeastlyCat · 05/06/2022 21:41

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…

Do people generally do that for hours at the time while leaving the babies alone?

Do you?

WooNoodle · 05/06/2022 21:41

Ah so it's not actually one whole day? Just 4 hours? Depends on the set up of your shower I guess.

Theluggage15 · 05/06/2022 21:45

I think it’s fine just for the time you’re saying. Better that he’s safe in the shower than hurts himself elsewhere. Sounds like he’s a small dog so will have plenty of room.

Sarah3587 · 05/06/2022 21:46

No. Dogs aren’t meant to be left in crates whilst you go out to work or sleep etc.
crates are meant for brief times like when you have a visitor. You definitely shouldn’t leave your dog in the shower.
if you can’t provide at least a suitable room for him then you’ll need to look into dog daycare.

XelaM · 05/06/2022 21:49

I hate crates/cages for dogs BUT when ours had surgery on his hind leg, it was the vet who insisted that he be crated, so I completely understand OP's situation. It's miserable, but unfortunately necessary for the dog to recover.

Our dog had never been crate-trained and hated the crate, so instead of crating him, we carried him everywhere and kept him on a lead in the house to stop him from running/jumping. But that was only possible because it was during lockdown and I was at home 24/7.

Sarah3587 · 05/06/2022 21:51

Dogs are also pack animals who need social interaction. They’re meant to run free for hours too. They’re not meant to be in a cage for hours at a time on their own.
the rspca recommend crates as ‘open’ den areas that they can come an go freely and as short term confined spaces when supervised. They’re not for keeping them locked up when you’re at work.

Cherrypies · 05/06/2022 21:52

Hi op, sorry you are getting such poor responses, some people are just so unnecessarily rude.
All I can see is you trying to do your best to keep your dog safe.

I had the same issues a few years ago with a cat, that had been clipped by a car, and broke his jaw, he had to be in a crate for 24hrs a day, for about 4 weeks, until the veterinary hospital could see he was healing ok, as his jaw was wired up, it wasn't easy. But necessary.

AmberLynn1536 · 05/06/2022 21:52

FirewomanSam · 05/06/2022 21:31

That’s a really nasty post. Even if you don’t agree with using crates, implying that the OP has caused her dog’s back issues by using one is really unnecessary. She’s clearly trying to do what’s best for her dog and prevent him from injuring himself further. Absolutely no need to start speculating like this based on nothing at all.

Apologies I realised after I had posted it how that might have come across, it was genuinely just thought that entered my head which should probably have stayed there, no malice was intended. I do worry about the physical affects of crating dogs for too long though.

LauraNicolaides · 05/06/2022 21:54

This sounds fine to me, and better than the crate if that's smaller. (The glass in shower doors is laminated safety glass, it's just about unbreakable. That is a non-problem.)

BadNomad · 05/06/2022 21:58

I think people are misunderstanding the situation. If I understand right, he is only being crated while he recovers from a back injury? And only when unsupervised? I've had to do this too. Cage rest. Like when they're staying at the vets. It's not cruel. It's necessary. I don't like the idea of the shower, though. Even only for one day. Can you ask a friend or neighbour to look after him instead?

Pasithea · 05/06/2022 21:58

Don’t leave him on a potentially slippy floor. Especially if he is recovering. Oh and crates unless for rehab and recovery are the work of the devil.

Thehawki · 05/06/2022 21:58

@Sarah3587 did you not read that OPs dog only started being in the crate due to a ruptured disc in its spine?

Has no one ever heard of humans being put on bed rest or told only light duties? This is the situation OPs dog is in right now so OP is doing the right thing keeping her dog safe in a crate. The crate she normally uses is broken and will be replaced tomorrow evening. The only safe option OP can think of currently is a large ish shower so the dog won’t be jumping up on anything and hurting it’s back more. The kitchen is off limits due to wires, the hallway presumably bc of stairs.

The dog will be left for four hours. It will sleep and then OP will be back home to give enrichment. Op will then replace the broken crate. The dog will be moved into the kitchen at a later date when it is finished and the dog gets the all clear for it. She’s just looking after her dog! Crikey everyone is so worked up over nothing.

MrsRuggles · 05/06/2022 22:00

showerdog · 05/06/2022 21:02

FWIW, I'm going to leave him in the bathroom and block off the toilet. My friend is now bringing over a play pen I'm going to use to block the toilet off with.

Also, up until now, his crate was non-negotiable. Even leaving him in the kitchen or bathroom wasn't a possibility. He's only recently been cleared to jump up again, ie, putting his paws up against a surface. The last few weeks, anytime he's not been fully supervised, he's been crated. If I wanted to pee, he got crated. He was crated at night, apart from when we'd get up to let him out. Spinal disc injuries are not something you can play around with. It's been absolutely miserable but it's the only way for him to heal properly, bar putting him to sleep, which I don't want to do as he's seven and his breed lives for double that!

You're totally doing the right thing. There's a lot here who don't get the necessity for restricting movement after injury. I had a cat who had a knee tendon replaced, he had to stay in a crate for several weeks, At first I thought it was going to be terrible for him but he was OK. Sometimes we have to do the responsible thing and you're doing it.

LauraNicolaides · 05/06/2022 22:01

UnshakenNeedsStirring · 05/06/2022 21:37

Stick you with a bowl of water in a crate for 4 hours, see how you like it

I love this ridiculous logic Grin

I mean, I guess we should all stop walking our dogs too. "Let someone put a collar on your neck, drag you round the neighbourhood until you shit under a bush, and take you home for a tin of Pedigree Chum, see how you like it."

erinaceus · 05/06/2022 22:01

This does not sound like a great idea. I would brainstorm for alternatives -- work from home? Call in sick? Ask on your local FB group if anyone can lend you a crate for the morning? Emergency dog sitter? Dog-proof one room?

DolphinaPD · 05/06/2022 22:01

MrszClaus · 05/06/2022 20:18

I think Y may BU, shutting them in the shower might be a bit stressful for them (especially if normally they only snooze in there on occasion with the door open). Is the shower big enough for them to stretch and move and walk about? Will they be close to their mess if they have an accident?

Can you not get a replacement crate if they are crate trained?

Why are you applying this they bollocks to a dog?

WiddlinDiddlin · 05/06/2022 22:11

Dog trainer/behaviour consultant here..

The risk you have is leaving him in a new location may cause distress, only you can decide if that is likely and whether its avoidable, and whether if distressed he will throw himself around or just stay still in one place.

If the shower/bathroom is the safest place you have, then it is.. as long as he has room to move around, choose warm or cool surface, has access to water and its within his threshold for being alone, I can't see how that's an issue.

For the raving lunatics blarting on about crate training..

Crating can be extremely useful for dogs who need to be pretty much immobilised for rehab, as in the case of spinal injuries.

Where we'd be able to keep a human in bed or in a brace and tell them not to move, we just can't do that with a dog so crate or a small pen depending on the dog, is the answer.

All dogs should be crate trained - by that I mean all dogs should be introduced to a crate, conditioned using positive reinforcement to feel relaxed and comfortable in a crate, and again conditioned via positive reinforcement to feel relaxed about being left short periods in a crate.

If you do not do this, then when your dog needs crate rest to rehab from injury, when they need to go to the vets and stay there during the day or overnight, when they need to travel in a crate (and you may say you won't need most of those but the chances are, your dog WILL experience at least one of those things in their life), they will not be prepared and it will cause them distress.

Like literally anything, crates can of course be misused - people often refer to 'crate training' to mean 'shut the dog in a crate and ignore it crying' - thats not how it should be done or needs to be done.

TwentyOneTwentyTwo · 05/06/2022 22:20

I don't know what people imagine the dog to feel? He's probably had the crate all his life and sees it like OP is his mum putting him in his cot. He'll have a nice kip. I doubt the dog feels like a prisoner. Why are pp making it sound like guantanamo?

Teder · 05/06/2022 22:21

It’s not cruel for a dog to be in a crate to heal from an illness, injury or surgery. It’s more cruel to allow a dog who doesn’t understand ‘the need to ‘rest to do whatever they want.

I don’t crate mine but I restricted with a playpen post surgery upon vets suggestion. I didn’t want him busting open stitches and getting an infection. A few days of playpen time (as well as obviously a lot of time out of the playpen) meant he healed quickly.

Redbone · 05/06/2022 22:21

Why did you get a dog if you crate him for most of the day? You are being extremely cruel.

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