Guests Sleep in Crates?
Dear Frankie,
Overnights at Lionel’s are a mixed bag for me. Lionel’s mom is great.
When I arrive, she always says with a smile, “My doghouse is your doghouse, Trey.”
Lionel is pretty spoiled. He has every canine toy and gadget you can imagine. His treat bowl is always filled and there for the taking. There isn’t a piece of furniture that is off-limits.
Once when I was there, Lionel peed on the floor. When His mom saw what he had done, she just shook her head and told him there were better ways for him to get her attention. It’s a good thing he didn’t do that at my house.
But here’s the rub: she locks us in a crate when it’s time for us to go to bed for the night. I thought Lionel would be upset, but all he did was yawn and close his eyes. I don’t understand how Lionel’s mom lets him do whatever he wants one minute, and the next, she locks him up.
Trey
Dear Trey,
Lionel’s mom’s parenting style isn’t as inconsistent as it might appear. When awake, she has an open-door policy: Eat what you want, sit where you like, pee where it’s comfortable, etc. She has no problem filling his treat bowl, vacuuming his hair off the furniture, or cleaning up his messes. But when she is asleep, she wants to know that he is in a safe place and can’t get into trouble.
You did say that Lionel wasn’t always the best behaved. Lionel was probably trained to use the crate when he was a puppy and thinks of it as a place to sleep. You haven’t been crate-trained and see it as a locked cage.
If you continue to accept invitations from Lionel, you take the crate as part of the package and look at it from the perspective of: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”
Best, Frankie
© 2024 Geneva Woodruff
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