Cottage Conundrum

[Brenda F]

Hi there fellow Doodlers.  We are having a bit of an issue with Pepsi-Doodle and I am unsure what to do.  My husband and I have spent the last three years building a cottage where we plan to spend weekends and summers.  During construction we did not take Pepsi with us, as he has a tendency to eat things he shouldn't, and I didn't want to risk it.  Here at home, Pepsi sleeps in his "room" which is our main-floor laundry room.  He has a bed under a desk, there is a window above it, and he has slept there since he outgrew his crate as a puppy.  Out at the cottage, we set up his "room" exactly the same.  Main floor laundry room, large window in the same location, you name it.  I just assumed all along that he would happily sleep in there.  I bring his bed and all his toys, dishes, etc from home.  The first night, he would not sleep in his "room".  He cried and howled and I just couldn't do that to him.  We ended up sleeping on the sofa in the living room.  Second night, we took him into our room, and he paced and paced all night.  We are not used to sleeping with him, nor is he used to sleeping with us, so nobody got any sleep at all.  On the second weekend there, I decided to sleep on the laundry room floor with him, to see if that would help increase his comfort level.  He climbed over me at least three times to get out, each time heading to our bedroom.  Then he paced and paced.  I am unsure what to do at this point, just give it time?  We try to make going out there fun, we go for walks and explore the area, despite the fact that it is Canada and -20C!  I don't want to give him free reign of the house during the night because on our first day there, he took a huge poop, right in the middle of our bedroom!  He has never done that here at home, even as a puppy.  But now I don't entirely trust him.  The cottage is supposed to be a place for our family, but this issue with Pepsi is a speed-bump that we did not account for at all!!!  Any advice would be appreciated. 

[Melissa & Porter]

You're welcome :-)

[Lorraine Bromley]

I have heard that rescue remedy also works?

[Susan and Sasha]

Hi Brenda...

We own two homes and travel between them monthly.

That's quite a bit of travel for our Doodle.

We have been traveling with Sasha monthly...ever since she joined our family at eight weeks old.

At night...Sasha has always slept in her crate...still does...and she really likes it.

I think the crate helped in the transition between homes...as it was her "safe haven"...when she would go to bed at night.

When she was a puppy...we used the same crate for both houses and for travel...and now that she is a little older...we have one crate in each home...and then a soft side crate for travel.

When we stay in a hotel...we use the soft side crate for Sasha...and cover it with a sheet...and she sleeps very well.

Until she goes into her crate for the night...she is in constant motion...sniffing every inch of the room!!  Lol...

I would agree with Maryann...and maybe try the crate again...hoping to bring a feeling of security and calm.

If that doesn't work...or...if you aren't comfortable with that...I think that time will help in this situation...and...I do believe that Pepsi-Doodle will get used to the new space after a while.

Good Luck...and Enjoy Your Beautiful New Cottage...

 

 

 

 

 

[Brenda F]

We had full intentions on keeping Pepsi crate trained.  Then he outgrew his puppy crate and when we bought the crate for his appropriate size (60 lbs), it was as large as our laundry room!  I am not kidding.   I couldn't even get into our washer or dryer!  So we decided that the laundry room would be his crate.  All we say is, "go to your room", and he immediately goes and crawls into his bed.  And that is why we set up the laundry room at our cottage exactly the same way as the one at home.  Anyway, we will be trying the diffuser to see how that goes.