Expert: Jana Connell RVT, CVT - 7/23/2010

Question
QUESTION: I have a six month old half border collie half australian shepherd, who just like the subject states drools excessively in his kennel. We adopted him from a local humane society when he was six weeks old we live in the country so he has plenty of room to run and exercise. However if we put him in his kennel for even a short period of time he drools to the point where there is a puddle around the kennel and he is soaked. He is up to date on his shots. Don't know what to do. thank you Andy

ANSWER: When is he in his kennel? There is something about his kennel that either upsets him or something in it that is making him drool, rugs, towels some chemical in the plastic.

Drooling is usually an emotional response to something unpleasant and being in a kennel for him is very unpleasant for some reason. Are you using it to punish him for something or does he only go in it at night to sleep?

I would reexamine the kennel, the area, the things he lies on and also the reasons he is being kenneled. Don't get me wrong, kenneling is clearly the best way to train a dog for so many reason, but not every dog does well in one. You might need to get him a more open type of kennel- like the wire ones you see. Maybe it brings back memories of the humane society that he can't shake.

Barring any physical issues with his mouth, like teething, I would do the above and see how he does. They do get their canines in at six months and while most dogs never have an issue with it, maybe he is.

Check his teeth and see how they look. But since you say that even short periods make him drool it's pretty clear that he is an emotional wreck while he is in it. You may have to get the wire kind and see how he does in one of those.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: First I would like to say thank you very much for answering back. To give a little more info we started him off with a big wire kennel, with a plastic pan in the bottom.  So far he has chewed the plastic pan apart so I had to remove that, he has also some how found a way to move his kennel, sometimes up to five or six feet. So I now have it anchored to the floor. The only time he is in his kennel for any period of more than a couple hours is when my fiance I are both at work which doesn't happen everyday and is never more than eight hours. He doesn't seem to do it all the time and we have tried different things like leaving blankets and chew toys in the kennel and leaving nothing in his kennel. However nothing seems to make a difference. It looks like he chews on the wiring of the kennel when the episodes happen and this is what causes the puddles of drool around the kennel. Also my sister lives an hour away and we visit her at least once a month and every time we go Roscoe, that's his name, throws up when we are within five minutes of getting to our destination. We also have a six year old Pomeranian that we kennel in the same room and he does just great in his kennel. I just don't know what to do i really care about our pets and there well being. Hope this helps in helping me understand why he does this and what we can do to help him. Thank you again doctor.

Answer
HI Andrew,
first of all I am a vet tech, as my profile says. This is why I do not diagnose anything, ever. I can give you suggestions etc but that is all.
You seemed to have come up with the reason for the drooling on your own, chewing on the wires.
We both know this is not good behavior and very damaging to his mouth and his teeth.

Let me ask you this- has Roscoe been through obedience schooling? In our experience a dog that has been through obedience training will be much less likely to be so destructive. Another thing is leaving a dog of this size in a kennel for over 4 hours is not recommended and very bad for the dog. If this is isn't a kennel that he can stand up in, turn around in and lie down in then it could be argued that this borders on neglect. I know that sounds harsh and I know you are not a neglectful parent but what I am saying is that legally he is not in a kennel that is the correct size for a dog of his breeding.

I know they are not cheap but is there a way that you can set up a kennel in the back yard for him? If not can you look into doggy day care? I don't know where you live or if there is one near you but this will only get worse if this dog doesn't get the room and exercise he needs.

The vomiting in the car is not surprising. As soon as you mentioned drooling I figured he also gets car sick. Border collies are somewhat prone to that but no one knows why. The combination of breeds that is in your dog means that he is a very active dog- another reason kenneling him is not a good idea all day long. Dogs are meant to be kenneled as puppies, at night and for maybe an hour or two tops when you are not home.

Your only solution to this is to build him a yard he can be in all day or a very large kennel in the house. Some people use those gates that form a sort of an open pen.

http://www.dogkennelscenter.com/products.php?product=Black-E%252dCoat-Dog-Excerc

http://www.dogkennelscenter.com/products.php?product=Gold-Zinc-Dog-Excercise-Pen
Something like that. Anyway, short of medicating him, you need to find an alternative solution to kenneling him all day long. Pom comparisons don't count. Those dogs are worlds away from a border collie/aussie cross. You can stuff one of those in a purse and they are happy!