Is this bed cruel for the dog?

[HopingSomeoneIsAwake]

I have a 9 month old dog who is perfectly house trained and has been for months. The last week or so he has suddenly started pooing in his bed overnight (he is crated because he was when I first got him and it suits him and us too for safety reasons - young children in the house etc). He can be quite anxious at times however he has started new medication (steroids) so that could be the culprit of upsetting his stomach. I know it’s not his fault but it’s actually starting to get me quite down having to do a full load of washing of his bed things every morning to then have to repeat it the day after - would it be cruel for me to take away the bedding in his crate until his stomach issues have resolved? He has never used puppy pads (went straight into the garden when toilet training) and I wouldn’t trust him not to chew them overnight anyway. He has the vets tomorrow and they are going to give him some stomach protection medications so hopefully that helps!

Just get up in the night whilst he has. Poorly tummy

It would be cruel. You need to work out a solution that doesn’t involve taking his bedding away - either separate areas of the crate if it’s big enough, or have the crate door open puppy pads in the room for him to go to the loo if he needs to. Or take him out at night for a loo break.

For people who need to ask why crates with closed doors are cruel, of course they are! You are depriving a living being of its freedom for hours on end. If you don’t think it is cruel, lock yourself up or your children in a cage. After all, it’s just to keep them safe, to keep your house clean and they are “very cozy” 🙄🙄🙄
It’s a different thing to use a crate with the door always open which can be a little den for them, but they have the option to come and go as they please.

That’s just your opinion, crating dogs does have its benefits including safety at a young age when they are left unsupervised and getting into things that they shouldn’t be, I don’t think it’s any of your business if people crate their dogs or not and vets aren’t exactly against it and neither are the big and well known animal rescue centres so I’m guessing you are more qualified then them are you?

So why are you asking if it is cruel?

And throughout the day the door is left open, it’s closed overnight and when I’m out because he would get up to all sorts and get himself into trouble like he has done before, probably won’t be that way forever as he gets older but right now it’s appropriate

I don't think dog ownership is for you OP.

Based on some bedding? 😂 okay hun 🤣

Bloody hell. So your poor dog sleeps on cold, hard plastic?

Crates are for training a very young puppy I think by 5/6 months old the dog should be trained and crates no longer needed. I don't think it's fair for older dogs to be locked in crates overnight. If he is fully trained does he really need to be locked in a crate all night long.

Crates are a training method not a long term solution.

So what do you want her to do exactly? Let her dog basically kill itself every single night because of eating the bedding?

Our lab was on steroids for a nasty ear infection and his stomach and bladder were off for ages (he was perfectly house trained day and night from about 6 weeks of having him). It’s on you to get up several times and take him out I’m afraid. If he is crated he won’t be able to come and tell you he needs to go (that’s ok, you just have to set an alarm).

It’s not just for toileting reasons that he is crated. If he was uncrated at night he wouldn’t settle as he would want to come in the bedroom with me which isn’t an option as I co sleep with a younger child, he only settles at night time and actually sleeps if it’s in his bed

@HopingSomeoneIsAwake How about buying a rubber coated foam mat? Like what hospitals use as mattresses?

I think the important question is how many times during the night are you getting up to let him outside? I think if he has a bad stomach then between you, you need to be getting up regularly to let him out.

@Bearblue26 - you said it yourself. Your dog takes himself off to his crate. He has a choice. Would you lock him in there overnight to sleep on a hard floor next to his own excrement?

I hate crates because they normalise the idea that it's okay to cage dogs for convenience. While many people will use them as intended, too many just misuse them. They 'toilet train' by leaving dogs in their crate all night next to their own mess, instead of getting up several times through the night. They crate them all night and then for long periods during the day so the bored dog doesn't wreck their house. They put them in crates that are too small. And so on.

We've always managed just fine without crates. My dogs take themselves off to a quiet room if they want to be on their own. If they get too hot they can move somewhere cooler. If they're cold they go in search of somewhere warmer - or a nice warm body to snuggle up to! If they need to be out for a wee/poo they come and wake us up.

I have a 23 month old Staffordshire bull terrier I used a crate till 5 months old. He is fully house trained yet about 2 months ago for 3 weeks he started pooing and peeing in kitchen overnight , I have no idea why and he was visibly upset when I came down in morning all creepy and cowering. I never said a word to him I just cleaned it up. I have no idea why he started doing it as I wasn't aware of any change but he did and I had to deal with it. He stopped again and is back being perfectly clean at night

Unfortunately stuff happens and you have to deal with it. Dogs generally don't like being dirty and it upsets them. Especially if they have been clean. It's maybe just a blip like my dog had just keep cleaning it and ideally leave the cage open at night.

Vet bed!
it’s not expensive. Get a length and cut a few pieces, it washes well and dries quickly.
And even if they eat it it ends up in small enough bits it goes through them.

Put a warmer cover over the crate at night.

Can you get some rags or old towels, maybe ask on Facebook or at the charity stuff for things they're going to chuck and offer a small donation. Then you can just bag them and bin them as necessary.

As others have said, a waterproof cot sheet and a fleece throw over the top. Saves washing the lot. Job done.

Some people shouldn’t be allowed to own dogs if they even consider removing bedding. Jesus rehome the dog if you’re considering treating the poor thing like this.

These comments are ridiculous😂. Personally I'd just wait to see what the vet says in regards to his poorly stomach, when my dog came back from residential training she had a really bad upset stomach for a while and I had to take her out at 4am like I did when she was a puppy otherwise she'd toilet in her bed. I left a couple of towels in her crate so she had something to sleep on if she chose to but most of my dogs (large breed, thick coats) choose to sleep on the wooden floor over any bedding anyway🤣.

Crate training is also an important part of training as in no way is it "cruel" to want to teach your dog boundaries and keep him safe. One of my dogs is no longer crated however he still takes himself off into his old crate whenever the door is open and I find him there in the morning in the corner of his crate by his own choice😂.

I can't believe some of the comments I've just read😳😂

Poor dog. Caged up at night and probably for hours during the day while you’re out too. I wish far fewer people would get dogs.

So theres a bare part that could easily have newspaper on to contain some of the mess but still the dog is going on the bedding?

The only way is to get up and let the dog out through the night.

I’m at home all day but nice guess anyway 😊