How do you crate train a puppy with separation anxiety?
I have a four month old puppy with separation anxiety and I just got a crate for him. How do I crate train him to like his crate so I don’t traumatize him??
And when I have to leave how do I put him in so he doesn’t think it’s a punishment?
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EASIEST SOLUTION:
When you take him out for walks, take him out using the crate. He will associate the crate with going outside (ie. FUN) and will have no problems jumping in!
Using snacks is another good way to tempt him into there.
Easy. Get him a big cushion for the base, a large blanket to snuggle on, some toys, something to chew, most important something of yours so he can smell you all the time, something to cover the top of the crate so he can see out but not stress out about unseen things from above. When you go out leave a radio in the room with the crate or the tv on low. Do not give in to howling of any sort.
First you will want to introduce it slowly and make the crate a happy, comfortable place to be, throw food and treats in and let him go in and out as he pleases for awhile without closing the door. Play catch with them by throwing toys in and let him go in and out. Always make it a fun and happy place, not a place of punishment. As he gets comfortable with it, most dogs will naturally go to it when they get scared, unsecure etc… because it’s like a den to them (dogs are den/cave animals). Never use the crate as a form of punishment when he’s bad.
It’s harder on you than it is on your puppy. They all have separation anxiety but he will get over it quicker if you set a routine and stick with it. Like a human baby they need a schedule and routine and they will do much better. Potty training will be easier for your pup as well.
Try putting a blanket over it while he is in it – he may feel safer and be able to relax a bit. Keep it in a quiet area of your home. Mine is in the laundry room because there is not alot of foot traffic going thru there. Also, keep the crate door open when he is not in it. My pug would use his crate as a safe zone. When he needed to nap he would go in on his own.
Attempting to use the crate as a remedy for separation anxiety won’t solve the problem. A crate may prevent your dog from being destructive, but he may injure himself in an attempt to escape from the crate. Separation anxiety problems can only be resolved with counter-conditioning and desensitization procedures.
1. Make your coming and going as LOW KEY as possible, like is is no bug deal, as well as your coming home!
2. Make sure he is comfortable in the crate, give him a bit to get used to the crate. Leave the door open and Feed him in it, play fetch by throwing his favorite toy in, praise him ANY time hie goes in the crate. **NEVER FORCE HIM IN!!!**
3. Start with crating him when you are still home. there is not a "set" time table. Just do what you see is good for him.
4. Then move to you "stepping out" and him being crated. Maybe 5 min being outside? and move the time tables up as the puppy progresses!
Always use a Phrase like " go to your house", "go to your bed" ect. Make it a HAPPY thing, that is HIS own area! If you have children DO NOT let them go in his crate that is his safety place!!!
PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL WHAT YOU PUT IN THERE WITH HIM!!!! Chew toys and squeaky ones (among others) should ALWAYS be used only with supervision! I would hate for ANYONE to come home and find their dog had choked on a bone they gave him/her!!!
PUPPY PADS ONLY TEACH A DOG TO ELIMINATE IN THE HOUSE!!! THEY MAKE HOUSE TRAINING MUCH HARDER!!!!
1st of all you need a crate and one that has a training divider so that your new puppy dos not potty in one side and sleep in the other. Or if you can not find one with the divider you can get a small one and buy a larger one later. Craiglist.org is a good place to get a used one for cheep! under PETS!!!
What kind of Dog? . What were the sizes of the parents ? That should help you determine the est size of your puppy.
My mom has a Black lab (who is very large) as well as my GSD and they both have a 42” crate. But most of the time a 36" will do for a large dog. They need room to stand up turn around and lay down and that is about it!
PUPPY PADS ONLY TEACH A DOG TO ELIMINATE IN THE HOUSE!!! THEY MAKE HOUSE TRAINING MUCH HARDER!!!!
Vicktoia Sitlwells book "It’s Me or the Dog: How to Have the Perfect Pet" Book is a great resource! Cesar Milan’s techniques are very dangerous even for the most experienced dog trainers! Start socializing y our puppy young! Puppy classes are good for you and the puppy!
Recommendations for House-Training
After the puppy has been confined in a crate 2 to 3 hours (4 to 6 hours for adults):
1. In a quiet, up-beat manner, take him on leash to the bathrooming area.
2. Choose a bathrooming phrase you are comfortable with, such as “Go potty” or “Hurry up,” and say the phrase a few times. Keep this as low-key as possible. If the dog can’t run around to investigate interesting smells, he’ll go to the bathroom out of sheer boredom.
3. If the dog does his “business” within a maximum of 5 minutes, say, “Good (bathrooming phrase),” then play fetch, give him a treat, or let him romp around in his yard.
4. If he doesn’t “go,” take him back to the crate for another half hour (young pup) or an hour (older pup or adult dog), then try again.
Take a few days to concentrate on housetraining. Learn the dog’s bathrooming habits. Some dogs are more comfortable with shrubs or fencing to protect their privacy. Other dogs need to urinate twice each time they bathroom. A few dogs teach their owners to take long, frequent strolls around the yard or neighborhood; use the 5 minute system to prevent this.
Your Dog/puppy will quickly learn that the fun part of his day doesn’t begin until after he’s been a "good" dog outside. Rubbing a dog’s nose in an "accident," smacking him on the rear end, or yelling at him increases housetraining problems.
Feed the dog. After 15 minutes, take up all food and water. In about 30 minutes, take the dog outside. Wait until she goes to the bathroom.
Second time you feed the dog, do the same. If you feed her on a set schedule it will be easier to figure out when she needs to go.
Puppies should be take out EVERY 30 min! until they learn to let you know that they need to go out!
Females need a bathrooming phrase or they won’t relieve themselves in new territory for about 24 hours. Intact males mark everywhere, including inside buildings, for the first hour in new territory.
AGAIN ….
PUPPY PADS ONLY TEACH A DOG TO ELIMINATE IN THE HOUSE!!! THEY MAKE HOUSE TRAINING MUCH HARDER!!!!
It is likely that he will protest, I leave a night light on so he can see me and be reassured, and I play a christmas cd for my current puppy, and she goes to sleep with that. The crate actually helps because it allows the puppy to see you. Here are some tips, use what helps. I use a crate* to potty train with, but only for potty training and then I break it down and store it. I put blankets and a small food and water dish in the crate. Dogs don’t potty where they eat and sleep. When they are first little, I only expect them to hold their potty for 4 hours, and then 6 hours, then 8 hours and so on. So when they are first little, I set a timer or alarm clock to wake myself up at night to take them *out. I only allow my puppy in the bedroom* or the living room, only one room at a time. They have to graduate to more space. If I allow them to have full run of the house, it will overwhelm them. I take them out the same door each time. I tie a dinner bell to the door handle. Do not use a jingle bell as they could get their toe caught in it. So when they are little, I ring the bell for them, and then open the door to go *outside to potty. When they get bigger, I take their paw and whack the bell and open the door to go potty. Eventually getting to the place where the puppy will ring the bell and let me know when they need to go potty. Dogs want to please you, so it is your job to let them know what behaviors please you and what doesn’t. So when my puppy goes potty, I give her a treat*, and clap, and make a fuss and praise her. So she learns that going potty outside makes me happy. If she has an accident, make a disgust sound like “tsst” and take her out right away. I never yell* or spank* my puppies. Take them out when they first wake up, after they eat or drink, before nap, finish romping, when their activities change, or when they are sniffing around. Some puppies go pee right away, but may not go poop until 10 minutes later, so wait for the poop. I have a little play time here, because sometimes I think they are done, and they are not. Puppies train at their own pace. While I may have a puppy that hasn’t had an accident in several weeks, I don’t let my guard down. I don’t expect my puppies to be "fully potty trained" until one-year-old. If they have a setback, shake it off, and start over. I only have my puppies in the crate when I am not watching them. When I am sleeping, cooking, ironing, doing chores, basically when I am not watching her. All other times, she is out of the crate practicing being a "big girl." This is the time I train her how to behave in the house. So we are practicing "no barking", ‘no biting", "no jumping", and "don’t eat the furniture." I also have to practice "playing inside" so she doesn’t knock over things. You must keep the puppy in sight when they are little because they don’t know the difference between newspaper and carpet, and you don’t want them sneaking off and getting into trouble. Some puppies can sleep through the night around 3-months-old, but their bladder is grown around 6-months-old.
REVISIONS:
*I use a CRATE to train with. It is the method I prefer, compared to other methods I have tried. I noticed that if they are in the crate, while I am doing chores, they are o.k., because the crate allows them to see me and be re-assured. The crate can also be a comfort when stored in the basement for dogs who live in areas where thunderstorms and tornados are an issue. . However, use the method that works best for you…..a laundry basket, a cardboard box, a woof-woof house, x-pen, child gates, whatever works for you.
*OUTSIDE, pee pad, litter box, whichever method you are using. When the puppy is first little, keep the pee pad, litter box near the food and water dish, so the puppy can eat and drink, and then go potty. You can move it away as they get older. The pee pad has a scent that smells and initiates potty. Sometimes a pee pad makes a sound that scares some puppies, so you might want to use a litter box if that happens. The pee pad allows a puppy to walk around, but a litter box keeps the puppy in one place.
*BEDROOMS, I use the bedroom and living room for training, because it works for me. Choose rooms that work for you, but watch for rooms that are damp, or drafty. While my puppies sleep in the bedroom during training, once they are trained, I let them sleep where they want to. They don’t have to sleep in the bedroom forever.
*TREATS. While I use treats for training, you don’t have to. I like Charlee Bears for training (a little cracker for a little mouth,) I use them for training, but once they are trained, I cut back on them.
*SOME PUPPIES will go potty in the same spot each time. Some puppies have to be told to go potty. A command like "go out" for pee, or "go finish" for poop, might work for you, keep saying “go finish” until the puppy poops. This is a good thing to train if you travel with your dogs. By using commands, the puppy won’t get confused when you are visiting someone, on vacation with you, or when you get to a new home. The command will tell them what you want them to do in an unfamiliar place. You might also want to use a leash method, so the puppy doesn’t sneak off, or for strange places.
*YELLING. It is not a good idea to "yell" or "spank" your puppy and then take them outside when they have an accident. They may get confused and think that going outside is punishment. While you want to correct them, if you are extreme, they may not want to go outside again. Shake it off, and resume your schedule. You have to keep it real. Puppies train at their own pace, but a puppy can only hold their potty for a few hours. A guide would be 1 hour for each month of age, plus 1 hour, so a three-month-old puppy should only be expected to hold their potty for 4 hours at most.
SOURCE: These tips, tricks, and ideas were contributed from many brilliant minds. Thanks for your help!
Get some treats and work with him. Throw one in the crate until her gets it. Make it fun. He will eventually associate going in the crate with treats. If you have to leave him in there make it fun. I used to get a glass bottle like from soda or beer. put some creamy peanut butter in it and its fun for them to lick it out. you can also try this with a Kong.
I feel your pain, I had a siberian husky who had seperation anxiety also and he hated the crate but I think it is because we tried to use the crate when he was 2 years old. you really have to start out slow, and you have to make it a safe place for your puppy, with our new dog that is a Newfoundland we knew because of how big he would get we had to get him crate trained.
he did not like the crate at first but we put it in the living room and made it a cozy den for him to lay in while we eat dinner talked and did our daily things.
once he was comfortable with it we moved into the bedroom so he could sleep with us while getting used to being locked up at night.
the article referenced at the bottom has more basic tips that hopefully can help you and your puppy.