Expert: Cait - 11/25/2006

Question
Barney is a 19 month old rescue Havanese...11 lbs and quite cautious of everyone..never approaches when called and only seldom approaches when not!  We have crated him at night in our laundry room and he has been waking us with barking every so often during the 8 hours he is supposed to be quiet. Do these small dogs have the ability to hold their urine overnight?   We have had him for almost 4 weeks and although told he was housetrained, he has accidents every once in a while..but goes outside often during the day and evening in our yard.  He has had a checkup with our vet, was neutered sometime during his first year and thus given a good health diagnosis.  He is our first tiny dog and are we expecting too much from him so soon?  He loves to play outside and inside with his tiny toys and with me...he is still very reluctant to interact with my husband unless he is being given lots of belly rubs!  He follows me everywhere I go and we do cuddle each morning in our bed for a bit before starting our day.  Any suggestions on helping him lose the fear, love his crate and sleep all night?  Thanks,  Marge

Answer
He sounds all too cute from what you've explained =]
It really just depends on the dog on how long they can hold it.... all I can say on losing his fear, just take it slow and at his pace. Let him know that your there so he doesn't freak out if he hasn't noticed that your there, because when you stay still, dogs can't see you; let him come on his own and be sure to be kind to him when he comes on his own. As for the crate, I'm afraid I wouldn't know. Hope this helps, and feel free to follow up.