Help!! my doodle won't stop crying!!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

My doodle has been crying barking and howling for over an hour. She's been doing this for a few weeks now but this is the worst. It appears to be separation anxiety. As soon as I leave it starts. I'm sitting out in the hallway waiting for her to settle down so I can go back in. I already went back in once thinking maybe she needs to potty again, so I took her out, but trhat did,kt help. I'm already an hour late for work and my boss just said that I can work from home today, thank goodness!

Why did this start all of a sidden and how do I fix it? She used to bee so quiet when I was away. My next door neighbour issued a complaint about the dog who lives upstairs and I'm worried she will do the same for me.

My heart is breaking as I sit here listening to her cry... :-(

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Sorry for the typos. Can't type on blackberry.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Sherri, were you home on vacation with SophieBear recently....I'm thinking of that blog with all the wonderful pictures.  Just wondering if that's the case maybe she just got used to being with you and now she just has to readjust?  It does seem strange that this would start without some other change going on to trigger it.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

well it actually started while I was on vacation. Whenever I would leave without her she would cry. I would listen a bit and it seemed like it settled down after a bit, but it was nothing like this today. I tried letting her stay out of her crate, gated in the living room, and she did perfectly fine for a young doodle, didn't get into anything, but I thought maybe this was the problem, i.e. perhaps she felt safer in her crate. I put her back in her crate today and it didn't help at all, possibly made it worse.

Do you think the uncrating somehow caused this to get worse?

[sandy b]

When you put her in the crate do you give her something that will occupy her? For instance a Kong filled with treats? Or does she have a toy she likes?

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

oh yes, she gets lots of stuff to occupy her in her crate.

[Adina P]

I know that the common suggestion is to 'ignore' a dog that is making noise in the crate.  However, I just thought I'd throw out there another idea that my trainer believes.  My trainer believes that because whining and 'crying' in a crate is self-reinforcing (meaning it feeds on itself because it makes the dog feel good to do it and then the anxiety continues) it should be corrected.  So what she recommends is to issue a loud, gutteral verbal correction like "QUIET" the moment you HEAR it and then march in and bang on the crate or shake it a little to create a 'cratequake'. 

 

Then leave again (to where you can still hear her but she can't see you and is prompted to try whining/crying again) and repeat.  She says usually this works in about 10-15 minutes but you have to set it up.

 

If you ignore the yipping she'll just think you didn't "hear" her and she'll be more stressed and keep trying. Correct the yipping and she'll accept quicker that this is just the way things are.

 

It doesn't matter if the timing of your crate banging is off if you MARK the barking with the "QUIET" the moment she starts.  She is saying, "I want out! Pay attention to me!" and your'e saying, "No, you can not come out. Oh, and you want attention? How's this for attention?"  The idea is that she eventually thinks, "I don't want that kind of attention. I'll hush up now."

 

She believes if you set aside some time to work on it now, you'll fix the problem and you wont have to worry about it anymore. Don't wait until you're actually busy, set her up in her crate when you CAN take the time to correct her. You only have to spend like 10, 15 minutes on it.  If she can occasionally "practice" barking from her crate, then all the corrections in the world wont shut her up because sometimes she gets to do it without consequence. Barking and other vocalizations is one of those self-rewarding behaviors that doesn't respond well to simply being ignored.

[Chelsea and Bailey]

This is exactly what I was told Adina! We had the same issue with Bailey when she was a pup, I tried the ignoring first, when that didnt work I would loudly assert myself by saying NO! and then go up and shake the crate (gently enough).  This corrected itself almost immediately. When she finally started settling down while I was still in the house I would step outside the house for say 2 minutes at first and I could hear her yelping from outside, so then I would come back in and do the exact same thing (our crate was in the front room). 

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

That sounds like the best advice ever-wish we would have known that with Myla!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

I can't help but think this sounds a little mean... but I guess ignoring her is mean too. I'll try it now that I am at home for the day i will have the time and will let you know how it goes. Thanks Adina.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

This is what Peri's trainer says to do. Exactly.

You must mark the bad behavior with something more negative...a stern NO, a loud noise, etc..

My trainer also says to treat when they are quiet.  Good quiet...treat.

Bark/yip - immediately, and I mean immediately while they are making the noise, say No, Quiet, etc...to mark it.

[Elizabeth, Bailey & Bruin]

I am having the same problem with Bailey...Just a thought...

Wouldn't the shaking of their crate make them afraid of it?  Bailey is doing so well at night, I would hate to make her afraid to be in her crate

 

 

 

[Chelsea and Bailey]

No it doesnt.  They dont associate the crate with a "scary shake", they associate the stern no with the unpleasant experience: therefore making them think that if I cry that will happen and make me uncomfortable. 

You also dont want to shake the crate hard, Just place both hands on each side and rock it from side to side only a couple times.  My Bailey still loves her crate.