Hi Jed. Welcome!

First - relax a little bit. Maybe a lot bit.

What is your idea of "formal training"? What are you training for?

How did you come to the conclusion of separation anxiety?

What no-bark collar do you have? Does it only have 2 settings/stim levels? Does it have a "pause" feature built-in so the dog cannot set it off repeatedly? I use the Bark Limiter collar sold on this site and have used it for many dogs. No complaints! Some dogs take a good week or so to figure it out, so you may have given up prematurely or raised the stim level too soon.

I don't see a problem with using the outdoor kennel as you plan to. I'm not sure what you mean by "social intergration," but if the dog is never going to be allowed in the house, what's the point?

I never allow a dog to be unsupervised or loose in a fenced yard for various safety reasons.

 Quote: anne vaini

Hi Jed. Welcome!

Thank you.

 Quote: anne vaini

First - relax a little bit. Maybe a lot bit.

Hehe, did I give you the impression I'm uptight or something? Sorry, must have been my formal tone. At the same time, I admit, I may be a bit over-zealous - I think an understandable reaction to discovering the light about something I was completely ignorant about...

 Quote: anne vaini

What is your idea of "formal training"? What are you training for?

By "formal training" I meant completing the Basic Obedience course. Ultimately, I want my dog to understand and obey commands off-leash, even with lots of distractions. Beyond that; I haven't given much thought.

 Quote: anne vaini

How did you come to the conclusion of separation anxiety?

Perhaps I don't have a proper understanding of separation anxiety? I thought that whenever a dog "freaks out" when the owner is not around indicates this. My dog howls, whines, barks at length while in his crate. Sometimes, he even claws around trying to get out. After sometime of doing this, he'll settle down and usually sleep. The longest I've heard him do this is about two hours straight. Granted, there are days that are better and days that are worse.

 Quote: anne vaini

What no-bark collar do you have? Does it only have 2 settings/stim levels? Does it have a "pause" feature built-in so the dog cannot set it off repeatedly? I use the Bark Limiter collar sold on this site and have used it for many dogs. No complaints! Some dogs take a good week or so to figure it out, so you may have given up prematurely or raised the stim level too soon.

I bought the Innotek Automatic No-Bark Collar. Supposedly, according to the manual, "the Auto-Set feature will start at the lowest level and adjust to the right level to motivate your dog to stop barking. The collar will remember the correct level between uses." Seriously, I was worried what the neighbors might do hearing my dog's yelp. Maybe the Innotek collar isn't a good one; whatever the case, I returned it. I don't know if I can afford the Tri-Tronics no-bark. If I'm going to spend money, I think I'd rather save up for a Dogtra e-collar and manually deal with the fuss he makes upon entering the crate.

 Quote: anne vaini

I don't see a problem with using the outdoor kennel as you plan to. I'm not sure what you mean by "social intergration," but if the dog is never going to be allowed in the house, what's the point?

Mr. Frawley mentions how during that period after the social isolation, he has the dog tethered to him while working on the computer, watching TV, etc. These activities usually take place indoors. I can't spend time with my dog unless I'm outside with him. So in essence, it's as if he's "socially isolated" anytime I'm not around him.

 Quote: anne vaini

I never allow a dog to be unsupervised or loose in a fenced yard for various safety reasons.

So then should I always have him crated when I'm not around - even in the fenced kennel? This would seem to me like indefinite "social isolation," don't you think?

Please don't misunderstand, I'm not opposed to the idea of always crating my dog unless I'm around. After all, I've already been doing that since I got him. Besides, I insure he gets plenty of exercise, food, water, etc... We've been having fun training the marker these last few days.

Thank you for your reply.

Welcome to the Forum Jed! Glad to hear you did a lot of homework, even though it was after you got your dog(i did the same thing, opps..lol)

From what I gather from your post is that you are doing collar conditioning-excellent.

 Quote: jed lee

I think I'd rather save up for a Dogtra e-collar and manually deal with the fuss he makes upon entering the crate.

Let the dog make a small(and I mean SMALL) fuss when he's in his crate. He needs to get used to being in a crate, especially since you said that the people you got him from let him and others run wild basically. Keep the no-bark collar(and another collar of your choice) on him while he's outside in his kennel or when he's in his crate, as soon as you let him out of either take it off and put a prong, flat, e-collar(once you get one) on. Then he won't know what exactly is "biting" him when he barks. I wouldn't put an E-collar on and use it to "correct" the behaviour(barking) it would confuse the dog, what happens when you're not at home and he has the e-collar on instead of the no-bark collar if you've been "correcting" while at home? It's just a scenario, a "what if". You don't want him getting confused is all I'm trying to say.
Good luck! (and sorry if I didn't make any sense-long day, lol)

 Quote: keleah schmaltz

Let the dog make a small(and I mean SMALL) fuss when he's in his crate.

Oh believe you me! I ignore him when he's making a fuss. In fact, I make it a point to only visit him when he's quiet or settled.

 Quote: keleah schmaltz

He needs to get used to being in a crate, especially since you said that the people you got him from let him and others run wild basically.

I assume I need to be more patient? I remember someone posting or writing on this site that it took over 2 weeks for the dog to get used to the crate. Well, it's been over 2 weeks for me and I had hoped he'd have gotten over it by now. And he is howling as I'm typing this... *sigh* heehee

 Quote: keleah schmaltz

... no-bark collar ... e-collar (once you get one).

I guess this means I may have to get both the no-bark and the e-collar.

 Quote: keleah schmaltz

I wouldn't put an E-collar on and use it to "correct" the behaviour(barking)...

Good point. What you said makes sense. Yes, I don't want him to be confused. Ultimately, I want him to be content - inside or outside of the crate/kennel.

Thanks for the insight and the welcome.

 Quote: anne vaini

How did you come to the conclusion of separation anxiety?

You know, after some reflection on what you and Keleah have shared, maybe it's crate aggression?

I naively figured it was "Jed-withdrawals" since he's always so happy to see me and he's howling when he cannot see me... What an ego-kill! I feel deflated... *sigh*

(Sorry for this additional post - I think you can only edit a post within a certain time frame)

 Quote:

You know, after some reflection on what you and Keleah have shared, maybe it's crate aggression?

Sorry Jed. Sounds like a normal dog It's going to take some time for him to settle. 2 weeks is a minimum - some dogs take months to adjust. If he were viciously attacking the kennel door or injuring himself trying to dig out of the kennel - that would not be normal.

You are right to ignore him until he's settled. Keleah makes a very good point on the ecollar/no-bark collar.

If your neighbors are complaining about barking or if he is stressing himself by barking, then the no-bark collar is necessary, IMO.

If your neighbors are happy and you're a patient person, than you can address the barking by keeping your dog well-exercised, both physically and mentally, and by leaving a SAFE toy while you're away.

There's nothing wrong with keeping a dog outdoors if it receives adequate food, water, shelter, exercise, training and play. Lots of dogs would prefer it anyway IMO, no need to worry about social isolation or integration because this will be an outdoor dog. (It's basically always isolated, as you said.) You CAN tether your dog to you while you do yard work - maybe you'll grow some veggies this year in efforts of dog training?!