Can you go off Crate and Rotate?

[adoptapitbull]

I'm just wondering if anyone has safely been able to uncrate and unrotate their dogs. Personally I don't mind doing C&R with Mav and Snorts because most times they are not crated, rather just "bedroomed". Mav (and Cappy because they're buds) will stay in the master bedroom (it's huge) since our computer is there and one of us is usually on doing something. Snorts and his ladies will have run of the rest of the house. When it's time for potty breaks, we give Snorts a treat in the spare bedroom or in his crate till Mav can go back in the bedroom. We will crate Snorts at least once a day so that Mav can come out and play in the living room. It's really not a big deal to us. But, I was just wondering if two dogs could ever get along again after time spent away. For instance, do they "forget" after a period of time? Again, I'm not asking because I'm tired of it or because I want to re-home one of my boys, because I'd rather re-home myself than my men! Just curious

[RealPitBull]

It depends on the dogs. If you are doing strict C&R (i.e. two dogs NEVER coming in contact with each other, one dog is always crated [or in another room, etc] while the other dog is out, because the two dogs want to kill each other, there is always the possibility after time apart, behavior mod, and careful reintroduction that you could eventually have them interact again.

I can't remember what the deal is with Mav and Snorts - they fought and now can't be anywhere near each other?

[adoptapitbull]

Nah, not really. They had a few spats and then I decided to C&R because I felt it was the best idea. Every now and again someone opens the wrong door and they see each other, or we let just them out in the backyard together and they're fine. Snorts is a little afraid of Mav, so sometimes he wants to come inside early when they're out together. It's definitely not a dire situation or anything.

It really was a random question just to see what everyone thought.

[kscarlett79]

This is a great question for my situation. My girls- Mamacita (a pit mix) and Su Lin (a hound mix)- have been "bedroomed" as well. Mamacita doesn't always get overly aggressive with Su Lin, but when she does Su Lin always takes the submissive position and pees everywhere. When they are outside in the backyard- Mama on her tree and Su Lin in her giant kennel- they lay against the fence together and are very much close together.

My fear is that one day, we might slip up and one of their little fights happen and Su Lin will get seriously hurt. I personally have several scars from trying to separate them. They both wear harnesses instead of plain collars, so I can grab them by their "handles".

We are about to move to Phoenix from Houston and won't have as big a house and won't be able to put up a big kennel in the backyard to keep them separated, so I am looking for as much advice as possible.

[adoptapitbull]

Personally, I really do not mind the separation. Each dog gets their own down time to themselves, and their own play time with the other dogs and us.

Trust me, my arms are covered in scars from breaking up a fight between two non-Pit females. I almost lost my pinky finger. Months later, it's still not back to normal! But it's OK, not a big deal. I would much rather crate and rotate (or bedroom and rotate) instead of having that fear of a fight. For us, it's having peace of mind. My boys don't instantly fight when they see each other, and I'm sure with some precautions could be together most of the time. However, if they can't interact, they can't fight. So, bedroom and rotate is the best for us.

In the grand scheme, you gotta think of it this way. Will re-homing a Pit really work out? I'm sure you know how many Pits are euthanized just for being a Pit. It may be a bit of extra work, but in the end it's much better than Mama ending up in a bad place.

[bellaru]

Bella and Wally were both crated initially. Now, they both have free roam of the house. Bella grew out of her eating everything in sight phase (remotes, text books, entire CD collection, etc.. ) and Wally never chewed up anything that wasnt a toy since the day I adopted him.
They are great together alone. Wally prefers to sleep upstairs in the bed, Bella on the couch down stairs - so they each get their "me" time. Helps that I go home during the day to take them out.
It was a slow process - but it is also dog-specific. I likely wouldnt do this with any other dogs, but these two were made for each other. Wally is very needy, so when I'm not home, he clings to Bella.