6 mo. old still not adjusting to mid-day crating!!

[Elle, Marina & Aria]

We have a 6 month old mini labradoodle who has some issues with separation anxiety. From day one she really has had an inclination to be nervous and we were very careful to socialize and introduce her to the crate early (but in a non-threatening way). 

She loves going to sleep in the crate at night -- she likes to stretch out on the people bed and finds our need for space annoying! :) No issues there. But try to crate her for an hour while you're out and she will CRY. Up until about 4 months it wasn't too bad. She'd whine and bark a little but then settle down. Now she will bark CONSTANTLY until we come back, though we only ever leave for 2-3 hours max! It was going so well. We live in an apartment and it's an issue. We can't keep tailoring life events around when the dog will annoy the neighbors. :( 

 

She's been through training and we've talked with a trainer extensively over the past few months. We have a thunder shirt, give her extra special treats for the crate, play NPR for her, used pheromone spray... The most luck we had for a while was the radio. But nothing has stuck!

Does anyone have any suggestions? I really don't want a dog who can't be crated for at least a little. I would give her free reign while we were gone if I didn't think she would destroy things she normally wouldn't in a fit of anxiety...

[Jenny and Cooper]

Hi! Have you tried a playpen? Our doodle only sleeps in the crate at night. During the day, he would nap in the playpen. I usually run my errands during his nap time. I would take him potty then leave him in the playpen to nap. Your doodle might be more willing to stay in the playpen. :)

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

I'd be tempted to try giving her a little more space to see if she'd be happier. Maybe put up some baby gates in your kitchen and put the kennel in there with the door open?

[Laura and Angus]

I actually was thinking something different, but Jenny and Lori seem to have great ideas there...more space is a good idea. I was going to say maybe some desensitization training - crating her very briefly while you are home and then having her come out. Then later having her go in again very briefly while you're still home and gradually increasing the time you ask her to be in there while you're home until she's able to be in there for 30-45 min. Then doing the same thing, but leaving the house and gradually increasing the time you are out of the house until she is used to going in and out of the crate and knows you'll be coming back. This is certainly more time intensive than trying more space - I'd probably try the space method out first and if that doesn't work then I'd try the increasing time. Our puppy would cry when we first put him in the crate for a bit, but eventually his crying time decreased until he just stopped when he got used to the schedule. Good luck! I always feel so bad about leaving our baby in the crate for extended periods, which is why he goes to daycare 3 days a week....

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I don't think the anxiety is due  so much to crating, but to your leaving her alone.  I think Laura's suggestion  for  desensitization are great. Working toward her being comfortable with herself for company is the goal.  I have an anxious dog - he was NEVER comfortable in a crate for any reason, yet he loves to lay under a table - go figure.  We didn't recognize his problems as anxiety, so didn't work toward helping him become independent.  He is now eleven and we are still adjusting our lives to keep him from howling.

[Missy]

Oh, how I hate this for you!  As all of these pups have different personalities, it's hard to know the magic thing for her.

I can tell you what worked for us:.  I made sure to crate train during the day while I was home.  The routine: play with pup for 20 minutes or until I knew he was getting tired.  make sure he had some 'potty time' (he didn't always go), then it was crate time.  The crate was away from me on the 2nd floor, and I was on 1st floor.  He only got the Kong treat filled with kibble and a swipe of peanut butter on top at crate time.  (this made the Kong special, because he only got it during day time crate time)  I always made him go in the crate, pat on the belly, and I told him I would be back in an hour or however long I planned that day. 

There were a couple of instances that he barked while in the crate, but I made sure to NOT go to the crate while he was barking. This reinforces the barking in my opinion.  (we were trained by an African Grey Parrot-who liked positive attention as much as negative attention)

Can you monitor her personality as to when she likes to nap, and start your day time crate training at those nap times? 

It will be tough to not retrieve her while she is barking at first. Rewarding the 'no barking' has to be key!  These are smart dogs.  The tough part might be her dominance and determination over your determination!  This is where you need hugs (( ))    Maybe baked cookies for the neighbors while you work on this!

And of course like the other have stated: if you feel like she is house broken, leave her free. But if she is barking to get you to come home-free or crated, I am afraid she will bark.   

you can do this!  She is still young and wants to please you!!

[Laura and Angus]

You make such a good point! We definitely made our neighbors cookies with a note saying thank you so much for your patience while we train our puppy. I'd say it would definitely be helpful to let them know you are aware of the situation and are working to create a solution. 

[Elle, Marina & Aria]

Hi all!

I'm in a bit of a rush so I glanced through all your suggestions, and I wanted to reply quickly before I had to get going. We have tried using a playpen for her (the really TALL kind) and she somehow manages to scale it. :( We've come home multiple times to her running around the house crying when we attempted it. I'm worried she'll hurt herself while we're not there by trying to climb it. :( We tried easing her into it while we were there and she still tried to climb it, the little demon. She fell from a pretty tall height since it started to wobble...

[Jenny and Cooper]

OMG she climbed over the playpen?! Yikes! I better prepare myself for that!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Our Springer could climb out of pens too.  We ended up closing off an open hallway with a hutch!

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

Loki had separation anxiety as a baby and still does, we'll sort of. Anyways- he would panic in his crate and I mean shaking and rocking back and forth refusing to make eye contact and just whimpering- soooo heart breaking! I now gate him in the kitchen and he loves it. I think he just likes having a little more space and also the corner were the crate was happened to be close to the cold air return- which is terrifying to him as well. I played "Yoga and meditation music" for him as that seemed to help a lot. I also, like others have mentioned, separated him in the kitchen when I was home so he learned that it doesn't mean I'm leaving just that it's his relaxing in the kitchen time now. I'm not sure if your puppy has a favorite toy either but Loki has this green stick- same one in my profile pic, and that is his security blanket and that stick goes everywhere with him and everyday when I come home he had the stick in his mouth waiting. Maybe your puppy has a toy that they really love too? Good luck! I hope this helps, I live in an apartment too so I feel your pain!