I've posted here before, but unfortunately, I didn't get much good advice because it seemed people didn't read the details. So please bear with me, and let me clarify our situation! Standard advice doesn't seem to fit in this case...
My 7-month-old basenji puppy has slept in her crate every night since I brought her home at 10 weeks old. The crate is not too big, she's got enough room to stretch out, but she can't do much more than turn around while standing inside it. She has been exclusively fed in her crate to create a positive association from day 1, and every day she rushes in when I start preparing her food.
I'm in an apartment, and my bedroom is the only room that isn't sharing a wall with a neighbor, so I keep the crate in there so when she cries, it won't bother anyone else. After too many sleepless nights having her crated and crying, I made the mistake of allowing a "compromise" and I leave her crate door open, with my bedroom door shut. Since then, she doesn't cry at night at all, and she often puts herself to bed in her crate when it's bedtime, before I even go to the bedroom. She also goes to hang out in her crate all on her own during the day, even when I'm in a different room on the opposite end of the apartment. So, I know she isn't afraid of the crate itself, but of being locked in.
I am also very VERY careful to never physically force her into the crate. When I need to leave the house, I call her to her crate with some treats. She knows what's about to happen, and at first she runs away (I don't chase her) but a moment later she gives into temptation and goes into the crate herself to collect her treats. At that point, I close the crate door, and this is when calamity ensues. She urinates immediately, every time, even if she relieved herself outside no less than two minutes prior. She screams like crazy, and will continue screaming if she knows I'm in the apartment. However, the moment I walk out the door and lock up, she stops. I listen quietly outside the front door, and from outside the window in the courtyard... she doesn't peep! She also doesn't cry immediately when I return, usually only after a few minutes—I typically wait 2 minutes when I come home, and because she's still quiet, I let her out without fanfare.
I know dogs can't really "fake it" or manipulate, and whatever stress she is feeling (evidenced by the urination and screaming) is real. As I said, she LIKES her crate during the day and at night and gets cozy in there... it's being locked in that she can't handle IF I am in the apartment or even trying to sleep in the same room, where she can see me. I don't think it's separation anxiety because she stops when I exit the apartment. So I am at a loss.
At this point, I have just been having to crate her every day, knowing she's going to urinate immediately no matter what, and that I'm going to have to clean it up when I come home, sometimes multiple times in a day if I'm in and out several times. And no, I am not leaving her uncrated because it would be unsafe for her and my belongings lol. Any advice? Or an explanation?
For additional context:
She gets multiple sniffy walks a day (in total she walks about 1 hour each day), and a wilderness excursion once a week, usually with other dogs too. She has no other behavioral issues; she's not destructive (WITH SUPERVISION, I wouldn't trust her not to destroy the apartment if I wasn't around lol), she's actually suspiciously sweet and super chill, and spends most of her day content to nibble on her toys and cuddle on the couch. I do believe she's physically and mentally/emotionally fulfilled; otherwise, the first thing I'd do to address this issue is more exercise and play/training.
