Does anyone's Doodle have a big problem being locked in a room ?

[Diana Allen]

The other day when we all went out to my daughter's graduation Cagney went upstairs and pushed open a bedroom door... the door close on him so he could not get out.. when we got back we found him up stairs ... there was a huge mess on the floor.. he had chewed 2 inches off the door the whole width across.. wood all splinters, a map chewed up and a big wad of poop ground into the carpet ... also poop on the bed from him sitting on it with poopy feet... blood in his mouth from all the damage he had done. You would think that he could have just stayed quiet and behaved until we returned... what a disaster... has anyone had this happen to them???

[Diana Allen]

Please excuse my errors... just waking up here...

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

We fostered a little guy that you could not crate or gate into a room. He would stress out like crazy if you crated him and if you put him in a room with a baby gate, I never found one tall enough to keep him in. He had terrible separation anxiety. If I had to leave the house I just let him have the run of the main area of the house and he was fine with my dogs being there as well. Never tried closing a door on him, but I'm guessing that it would not have been good. He is doing fine in his new home because he doesn't have to be confined

Doesn't sound like a pretty site that you came home to. It is a darn good thing that Cagney is so cute.

[Diana Allen]

Thanks for sharing... when we first got Cagney we only tried the crate 4 times... each time he pooped in it.. he hated it.. we decided to not use it... we were concerned for our new kitchen set that he might chew it.. .but he was fantastic ... what an ordeal and mess that was... I think he has issues.. he was in a pen with the breeder for too long and never wants to go back.. ha ha...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I had a 25 lb schnoodle who chewed up half of a solid wood door when she was closed in a room. Solid barriers make some dogs nuts. In your case, the dog went in and couldn't get out again. Couldn't get to his water or food and had no idea what was going on.
This is much different then being in a crate where the dog can see what's going on and understands where he is, and has some expectation of when he's getting out again. But even then, as you mentioned, some dogs have trouble being confined. It helps when the breeder starts them on crate training prior to going home.

[Diana Allen]

Wow eh,, thank you for sharing that story.... at only 25 lbs too!!!!!!!!! I am just glad that Cagney did not hurt his mouth too badly... could not have tasted very good....!! :)

[shelly]

Oh my! We had a 125 pound golden retriever years ago.... It was the 4th of July and we were going to a house party. I worried about going b/c of leaving our dog with firecracker sounds looming in the air. We left him down in our finished basement, where he had gone many times so he would not really hear the sounds too loudly. It was a 12x12 room that had tile floor, paneled walls, etc. home away from "home" kind of place. Quite often he used to go down on his own to sleep and hang up where it was cool, so this was NOT somewhere he had never been.... When we came home our (hollow) basement door was shredded so badly that he had pushed his way through it. Needless to say, when we were greeted by him at the front door, we were surprised. Then we saw the door. His paws were bleeding a bit too. I felt soooo bad for him!!!

[Diana Allen]

Wow,,, another crazy story! The door Cagney chewed was also one of those hollow type doors... it is pretty amazing what they can do isn't it!? I just hope this doesn't happen again.. funny thing is, nothing seemed to bother him but being left in a room is now something we can say bothers him....Thank you for writing! :)

[Peggy]

Hi Diane, I don't think that this is just a Doodle issue. From my experience it's an issue with any breed dog that doesn't want to be left alone in a room with no other pets or activities. I have a couple of dogs that I have had to leave in my room, or bathroom due to various reasons. When I returned, my bathroom door was scratched and chewed like yours and my bedroom door has been gauged and scratched and in much need of repair. I know it was because they just wanted to be out of there, so I couldn't get angry with them. So the only way to protect your home is to crate train, but not for more than a couple hours at a time. I still have to use my room, but I give chewies, water and just leave the door to repair when I am probably much, much older. I also turn on the radio on a calm music station and make sure there is light in there too. Just think of how you would like to be, when you are left alone, dogs are no different. And if you have an issue with them eliminating on your bed, just take off good cover(s) and put on an old one. My girl has adjusted much better and now automatically goes there when she knows I'm leaving.

[Diana Allen]

Hi Peggy,,,, thanks for sharing your story... this was just a one time thing... we don't need to crate Cagney... it was just a fluke... he will be 18 mths in Aug. ...Cagney has been awesome to train all around so at least I don't have any worries there... unfort. this was a fluke situation... and hopefully it won't happen again...

When we leave for a few hours we leave the tv on as Cagney likes to watch it... as you said, calm music is also a great idea... Glad to hear your girl has adjusted and all is well now...:)