Cross Breeds

What to do with 2 dogs when only one can be in a kennel?

I'm dog sitting this weekend. I have a 4.5 month old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and the dog that I'm sitting is the same breed, almost 2 years old. They get along fairly well, but aren't exactly the best of friends yet (have only met twice). I have already discussed with the owner that we have plans to leave the house for a couple hours on Saturday and she states that she's fine with the dog being alone for that long. Our pup is crate trained, so will be in the kennel while we are gone. She typically does very well. The owner of the other dog does not believe in crate training her dog though, so she's allowed to be loose in the house. She does just fine, so that's not what I'm worried about (we've left her alone for a short time before), but what I'm really worried about is one dog being loose in the house while the other is in the kennel. Will this stress our puppy out because she's 'locked up' while the other dog has run of the house? I almost picture the older dog sitting there teasing our pup. lol Not possible of course, but I just kinda feel bad. Do you think they'll do fine? Surely they can't fight when one is in the kennel....... Thanks in Advance! *Note: I can't gate either dog into a small room (like bathroom or kitchen) because they can jump/climb the gates. I also don't like shutting the door on them because they scratch. We live in a rental property, so we don't want the damage. Bozema: Thanks. I hadn't even thought about doing a test run. lol Common sense escapes me sometimes.

Public Comments

1. Try it out while you are at home or go out for just a few minutes and see what happens. Personally, if the dog is in your home, the owners rules about crating should be suspended if there is the potential for damage. So try leaving the dog out and leave for a short time, but if there is any problem at all, crate the dog. Their dog will survive it for such a short time. Your house so your rules. If that doesn't work for them, they should find another sitter or board the dog.
2. If you're sure that the other dog won't destroy anything, go ahead and leave it loose. I would suggest putting the crate in a room and closing the door so that the loose dog won't be able to "tease" your puppy.
3. When staying with a friend I crated my dog at night, while they let their dog roam free. My dog completely went bonkers because he could see the other dog running around. He would bark and growl and pace in his crate. I suggest putting your dog in a crate behind a closed door. I did this the second night and it went much much better.