I love my doodle, but...

[PB]

Sydney is 14 mo. old. We've had her since she was 6 mos. old. In many ways she is well behaved (even won prizes at puppy class). She has a mind of her own and NEVER took to the crate. I tried all the suggestions offered, but I think that since she was 6 mos. when we got her crate training was not meant to be. I then tried gating her in a hall way. She jumped the gate. Got a higher gate. She chewed a hole in the wall by the gate (trying to chew her way out?). When someone is home with her she is an angel. She plays with her 10 yr. old sister, sits by my side. I work from home so that I'm home a lot. It was suggested that she had separation anxiety, so I did all the things suggested for that. I run her around before going out; give her plenty of things to chew on (when I'm home or out). Even leave the t.v. on when I'm not here. She has gotten better and I now do leave the house for awhile, always doggy proofing. She randomly, however, will still find something to rip up. It's usually paper, a magazine, the phone book. She'll leave pieces of ripped paper throughout the house (I don't know if she's eating any). She has chewed on the cloth of some of the furniture, but I think that has stopped, so maybe I shouldn't complain. I never had a problem leaving my 10 yr. old, who would cry for a bit and then wait for me. I would like to be able to go out without worrying about what she'll get into next. She's also a jumper and gets so excited to see anyone when they come in that she jumps on them. I've tried to stop this. Most people don't mind because she's only 20 lbs. and adorable, but I don't want her to do it. I thought she'd outgrow some of these annoying traits, but at 14 mos. they continue. Thanks for any feedback.
Pauline

[F, Calla & Luca]

I'm not sure others would agree but I would still try to crate train her. You could do it by giving her special treats to get in her crate and you might try "crate games". My dogs go right in their crates I tell them to and they know they'll get a treat. I think they feel secure in the crates when I'm gone.

[Phoebe's Mom]

I definitely agree with continuing to try to crate train her. Do you have a wire crate for the greatest visibility? I would also reserve her absolutely favorite treat for crate times only and I would crate for short periods while you are still in the house. I had a dog many years ago who hated the crate so I never used it but I was a wreck each time I left the house. I swore things with Phoebe would be different so I started by crating her for a little while while I was still preparing to leave and I would leave her in the crate--always talking to her and looking at her--for a few minutes once I returned. Now, she sometimes does not even get up when I return home! Good luck!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Jumping: everyone that comes into your house needs to be on the same page. I tell my guests to turn around and completely ignore Peri if she does that. It does not work for them to touch her and try to get her off of them (because she is getting attention from them doing this). I will also sometimes tell her to sit and she does that also. That is what my trainer says and it works, but only if you tell visitors to turn around, stand still and completely ignore. Peri has really gotten the picture....

[Sally]

duncan is 10 months old now and i got him at 12 weeks. From day 1 he hated to be alone and hated the crate. (Bedtime crating was the only time he actually walked right into the crate). At about 7 months after dropping $600 on a "behaviorist" I decided to try gating him in. Since housetraining was complete and he was not having any accidents i started just for 30 minutes leaving him gated in the family room where we spend most of our time. He's SOOOO much better. Don't get me wrong. He isn't happy about being alone but he doesn't bark incessantly anymore. Most of the time he is a perfect angel. There were a few times he got a hold of the area rug and chewed it some....and some papers that were at the edge of the table but mostly he's ok. I've discovered that there are certain times of the day he is less stressed and is more likely to be ok alone. I've also noticed some things he'll look forward to when i go. I have this big crate with a door that opens like a garage door. I keep it open all the time and all of his toys are thrown in there. Before i leave I sprinkle little training treats all over. They drop below the layer of toys and gives him the challenge of hunting for them. It's perfect for me to slip out while he's happily sniffing for yummies.
Definitely exercise helps. The best thing for separation is to mix up your routine as muuch as possible. A confused dog is better than a stressed dog. If he sees me grab my purse off the table he gets anxious. So sometimes I leave my purse in another room. The other thing is to totally ignore the dog when you leave and when you return. They need to accept that it is just part of the normal routine. I would say that chewing by the gate would be more separation issue than boredom so definitely try and mix it up. Also, since there is another dog at home that is another sign it is separation issues and not boredom...I work from home too and duncan is soo used to me being around. it's hard.
Good luck...

p.s. i never went back to the crate....I'd rather deal with a random shredded paper issue than to hear him bark and cry and be so overly anxious in the crate. He still doesn't get free reign of the house. Just the family room/kitchen.

[PB]

Thanks for the responses. I wish I had more success with the crate early on but I think I'd rather deal with ripped up papers. I put the important ones away so that anything ripped is not anything I'll miss; it's more the idea that I don't think she should be ripping things up at this age. When we did have her in a crate, she chewed so much that pieces of the crate were all over the inside. This was both with a large, plastic crate, which she also somehow managed to get out of, as well as a heavy metal crate, which she chewed open a bar and almost impaled her little paw on (this took 5 minutes, for we were home in the other room). Maybe if I had known better how to help her adjust to the crate from the get-go it would have been easier. I think it's hard for her to be crated while her sister has free roam. I do put a gate up and although my house is such that I can't leave her in one room, I can keep her in 3 rooms and that is usually better (except for last week when she found the new cable box we just had installed and decided to chew on it). Most of the time she's all right. It's the once and awhiles that get to me.

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

I totally agree with Sally's post and advice as well.

I also have no trouble leaving them but started with the confinement are rather large (the whole kitchen + nook area gated off with lots to occupy puppy) Now I have 2 pups; the girls have the whole kitchen + nook + family room area.) They never bother with me coming and going and I never make an issue of it either. I do think that the smaller the space the worst the seperation anxiety for a lot of dogs. Some do fine crated or confined to a small space like a laundry room; but other dogs psychologically cant handle being confined to too small a place and it makes them crazy. (for lack of a better term - lol)

[Kathie and the gang]

Hi, My trainer taught this one to me and it has helped with the jumping. Keep walking into the dog (moving forwrd) with you arms crosssed. When the dog jumps as you get closer he/she will fall backwards. Winston is so much better when I do this and it only took a few times before he got the picture. This might be eassier with a large dog, I'm not sure. I also put him on a short leash when people come over and this seems to have a calming factor. He will greet people and then just go find a place to flop. He is 75 pounds so I don't want him jumping on anyone.

[PB]

Thanks, Kathie. Sydney is 20 lbs so people tend to think she's cute. I'll try your ideas. She's pretty smart (aren't they all?) so I'll hope she'll catch on.

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

I did this with Honey this week because she has been jumping a lot lately, when I come home her excitement is unreal, and when I take her out and go to remove her leash when she is finished, she is jumping. I did this once and it stunned her, now all I have to do is tell her no jump and she stops in her tracks. It does work but you need to be consistant, every time she jumps you need the correction.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Meet Gordie my 6 year old Springer Spaniel

He could be Sydney's twin. Gordie would not be crated, escaped every barrier we put to keep him in our den/kitchen area - even pushing a buffet away from the wall! He ate molding off the wall, ate 3 couches cushion by cushion, chewed up a new rug and the carpet, shredded paper goods, ate shoes (liked new ones best) and on and on. It was anxiety and the advice given to us by a trainer was to keep him outside when we were gone which wasn't possible. He outgrew ALL of the destructive stuff and is the sweetest most loving dog. He still gets anxious and when we come into the house (even if all we did was go out to get the mail) he gets jumpy, whine/barks, runs around us ..... He is totally house safe now and has been since he was about 2. He is lucky we really wanted a Springer and we just waited it out. I think some of the suggestions that have been on dk are really great and might have helped ease his worries, but I do think some dogs are just wired this way. They have other wonderful qualities that outweigh the downside, but you have to slog through a lot of @#$# first.

[HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08]

Sorry but I'm a strong believer of Crate Training and using a crate when your "NOT" at home. I'm just as guilty as anyone else but will say this anyways. If you want your dog Crate trained and your persistant enough, it will happen, same as when your persistant enough on getting your dog housebroken, or obedience trained...you find a way to get them house trained and/or obedeince trained. Honey is the hardest dog I have trying to housebreak, partly because of being raised in a crate for 6 months, but finally being consistant is paying off, Hannah hated the crate, I felt she had separation anxiety, she would poop in the crate with me talking to her in the next room, and I didn't leave the house. I changed crates from the heavy plastic type to the wire crate where she could see, and she didn't feel cramed in a box. When I switched crates she stopped, their crate doors are open all the time when I'm home, they sleep in their crates because they want to, when I leave all I have to say is "Go Crate" and they go in their crates. Honey is great at chewing and shredding things, and it might just be a piece of unimportant paper, but if she is getting into something she is not trained. Crating her keeps her safe. I love both my dogs very much, and this is my way of protecting them.

[Missi]

Do you have a basement? Lizzie never took to her crate either, and I have always had easily-crate-trained dogs. My solution was a nearly 5 ft high exercise pen that I had bolted to the floor of my unfinished basement. Sounds a bit extreme, I know, but it works really well. It's 3 feet away from any wall and the only things she can destroy have to be in the pen. She now goes into it willingly (thanks to lots of treats!) whenever she's home alone and the weather isn't appropriate to leave her outside (where she prefers). I have two like-new crates though! She is an angel when we're home though. You can buy "lids" for them too, but Lizzie hasn't figured out how to climb that high. This is just what we did, for an unusual suggestion!