separation anxiety in dog

[badger]

so the foster dog's turning out to be more a puppy than I expected. He's peeing everywhere - my place is all wood or tile so he doesn't seem to understand that it's still inside (at least he poops outside). He can't sleep through the night, either, and wakes me up around 4am and then wants to play and won't settle down.

He's also starting to exhibit separation anxiety where he'll whine and bark when he's crated.

What's the best way to help him with his separation anxiety? I live in a condo so I can't really have him barking all day while I'm away. I do not make an event out of leaving. I also ignore him when I come home so I don't make a big deal of my coming back. I've tried to tire him out with a walk but he still has puppy exuberance when we get back.

And any help you can give with house training his peeing would be appreciated, too.

[Tuckervill]

For the house training, I'd tie him up to your belt whenever you are home. He will have to follow you everywhere, and lie down beside you (eventually!) when you are stationary. This will convey to him that everywhere inside is "living space" and not "potty space". This will also make you more in touch with when he has to go, and you can take him outside more often.

Are you already giving him something yummy to do when he's in the crate? A peanut butter filled Kong?

Can you get someone to stop by the house at mid-day to check on him (or can you)? Sounds like a mid-day walk would go a long way towards getting him settled in for all night.

My dogs crash out every night before 8:00. If they were waking up too early, I'd keep them up a little later so I could sleep in. Maybe a late night walk would be best for the pup?

Karen

[Selkie]

Tucker has good ideas, but I couldn't do the belt thing myself (heard it works like a champ, though). Luckily, I have two grown dogs who help watch Margot and she usually lets me know when it's time to go out. I make sure to reward her with a cookie when she tells me that she has to go pee/poop outside, in addition to praising her when she does it outdoors.

What has saved us was putting something that "smelled" like us in the crate w/our puppies. A worn, sweated on t-shirt. The girls found it comforting. Margot still barks like a banshee when she's crated and knows we are home. If we are quiet and she thinks we're gone, she calms right down. Do you know if he's barking when you're gone?

[badger]

he already follows me everywhere - in fact, he's got his nose on my calf all the time So I'm not sure why he still feels compelled to pee everywhere. He doesn't give any signals, either, which is a bit troubling.

I've thought of the kong, I may get one tonight. He's not terribly food motivated, though, so hopefully he'll be into it.

I took him for an extra long walk after work yesterday hoping he'd be pooped, but he was still raring to go after we got back. Surprising considering he's really only using 3 legs at the moment. I'll try for a longer walk before bedtime.

thanks for the tips!!

[badger]

mickchick: I heard him barking this morning as I left. Today's the first time I've head him do that, so I'm not sure if he's continued to do that. This morning at 4am he woke me up (I didn't know he'd already peed in his crate so taking him out only roused him more). He was whining for about 30 minutes before I fell asleep and he probably did, too.

I've never had a puppy so this is new territory for me!

[Selkie]

It might take him some time to get used to the crate. All of our goldens, except one, would put up a fuss when initially put in the crate. If you give him a special treat, like the peanutbutter filled kong that Tucker suggested, he will run to the crate, anticipating his goodie. It will take him awhile to finish that off and you should be long gone by then.

Keep in mind that if someone in his past crated him as "punishment," he might associate bad things with being crated. That makes crate training impossible for some dogs, or so I've heard.

A great book I recommend is "The Loved Dog" by Tamar Gellar. She believes in positive reinforcement when training.

Puppyhood is the best and worst of times w/a dog. Patience and consistency, as well as lots of love, will go a long way. In the meantime, I hear you! Our 12 week old is a Holy Terror!

[Becky]

We dealt with something similar in our lab mix. Upon the advice of a trainer, we started feeding him meals in the crate, in addition to using stuffed Kongs while he's crated. The combination has helped a great deal with the barking, although we still have occasional episodes, especially if we're slow leaving the house after he's been crated.

EDIT: Cody loves mushed-up banana in the kong, frozen or thawed

[TsPoet]

I've thought of the kong, I may get one tonight. He's not terribly food motivated, though, so hopefully he'll be into it.

I'd actually feed him his meals in the kong. I've never bothered with kong=treats, just put b'fast and dinner in there. He'll love it, and that way it takes him 30 min or more to eat and distracts him while you leave the house.
Some good ideas on here.
Good luck.

[berkeley]

I deal with this a lot with our adoption group.

- Don't only crate when you leave. Pick random times, toss a treat in there and have him in the crate when you're home. This avoids the whole you leave=the crate bad association.

- Make the crate the best place on earth! All treats, food, etc. happen in the crate (this can be temporary, until he's used to it). Never use the crate as punishment.

- Make sure he's getting enough exercise - a tired dog is a happy dog!

- Don't give in to the whining. This is sort of like a little kid thing too - if you let into the whining and let him out of the crate, he'll keep trying to use that to get out. So when you come home, if he's carrying on and crying, ignore him until he calms down. As soon as he's calm, he can come out.

- Learn the difference between true crate anxiety (heavy panting, trying to escape, urinating or pooping in the crate), and the above whining to get what they want. True crate anxiety means you may need some other means of confining him until he's housebroken.

- Housebreaking is all about vigilance and consistency. If you allow him the chance to sneak away and pee, he will. Most dogs don't have "signs" right off the bat, so you'll have to keep on him like a hawk. The second he starts peeing in the house, a quick "NO!", and then leash him up and take him outside to finish and praise like heck. The more accidents he has inside, the more confused he's going to be about appropriate bathroom behaviors.

Hope that helps! PM if you have any other questions.

[Biciclista]

wow, great advice here!