I think what Mona is trying to say (please correct me if I'm wrong Mona) is that even if Claire increases her dog's exercise, she still can't leave him in a crate all day long. Some dogs can take months to acclimatize to a crate and it begins when the owner is home for very small amounts of time. So if this is Claire's intention, it's best she do it properly and slowly if she's to be successful. In the meantime, other solutions must be found in order to diminish her dog's anxiety to the changes in his environment. It doesn't seem like he was eased into the transition. He went from being free roam to being crated all because of new furniture
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Claire, do you think you can discuss with your bf about alternatives other than crating at this point?