Hi everyone, I am new to this forum, so if my post is redundant or long is totally apologize. We are first-time ever dog owners. We have an 8-month old pug named Rico who other dog people tell me is very well behaved, calm, etc., an overall "good boy."

He is not neutered, but is scheduled for his neutering on 10/28.

He gets a TON of attention and exercise. I or my son walk/run with him 3 to 4 times a day, we take him to the parks, he plays with other dogs, he is very well socialized. He doesn't bark, and generally LOVES people.

When I, my son or husband is at home, he is generally with one of us, mostly my son, who he sleeps with and follows around the house. I work at home, and if I'm the only one here, he will sleep practically under my chair or on the sofa behind me in my office.

He started marking in the house a week or so ago and after combing the internet I read not to let him out of your sight EVER for six weeks, which I am doing now. Now I am closing doors everywhere and following him around all over my two-story house. He had been getting a little independent and liked to sleep downstairs in the entryway in the sun, but no more, I keep him near me at all times.

So after explaining all the above, this is my problem. When we all are busy on some days (and it's not even every day) we have to crate him for 1-4 hours. For example, last night I was gone for 2 hours to teach my boot camp. We leave him in the crate, we come home to a soaking wet mess, he is drooling and biting at the crate so much that he is literally soaked from head to toe. He chews on that crate so badly that the paint is coming off. When I let him out his feet are so wet that he slips around on the wood floor trying desperately to run around, jump on me, run for his water, etc. Last night, he must have been so frantic that he literally moved the crate at least 2 feet from where I left it on the wood floor (and it had rubber pad underneath it!).

I leave on the TV for him, and have left him treats, and just bought those Kong stuffed things, left a shirt of my sons, left toys, etc. I am at my wits end as to how to leave him in a crate. Does anyone have a suggestsion or is this normal separation anxiety for an 8-month old dog.

I read that dogs that get an inordinate amount of attention (which I think he does) act this way.

Thank you for your help, and for bearing with my lengthy post.

Here's a little video of my pup if you are interested in seeing him. I shot this about a month ago.

Your Dream Physique

Thanks so much!
Laura

"So after explaining all the above, this is my problem. When we all are busy on some days (and it's not even every day) we have to crate him for 1-4 hours. For example, last night I was gone for 2 hours to teach my boot camp. We leave him in the crate, we come home to a soaking wet mess, he is drooling and biting at the crate so much that he is literally soaked from head to toe. He chews on that crate so badly that the paint is coming off. When I let him out his feet are so wet that he slips around on the wood floor trying desperately to run around, jump on me, run for his water, etc. Last night, he must have been so frantic that he literally moved the crate at least 2 feet from where I left it on the wood floor (and it had rubber pad underneath it!). "

No, this is not normal, but we need more info about the pup's crate training so far.

Tell us:

What kind of crate training have you done so far?

Is the dog ever crated, door open, while you are right there?


We also need to know what you've done so far about desensitizing the pup to your leave-takings (calm, upbeat, 1 minute, pop back in before reaction, etc., etc.).

Hi and welcome! Great first post with lots of good info.

A couple of suggestions off the top of my head:

Try some crate games when you are home with him, so that his only association with the crate is NOT that everyone is leaving him alone. You or the kids could toss treats into the crate, leaving the door open--he just runs in to get them and runs back out. You could also try some short sessions of crate time when you are home. Especially if you know he's tired (like after a walk) put him in the crate for a few minutes with you in the same room so he can see that you haven't left him. He'll probably protest, but the moment he settles, even for a bit, then let him out. Gradually increase the time he's in there.

Another thing to think about is the routine the family has when you come and go from the house, when he is home alone. This should be extremely low-key--both leaving and coming back. When you leave, just pop him in the crate, don't say anything, no big emotional good-byes or be a good boy, we'll be back soon, etc. Just put him in, shut the door and leave.

Even more important, when you come home, there must be no big emotional greetings. When you come in the house, take a minute or two to put down your things, say nothing to the dog--especially if he's throwing a fit. He only gets released from the crate when he has calmed himself. Then go to the crate and release him. Then you can lavish all the lovin' on him you want.

The idea here is that you want the coming and going to be the LEAST emotion-filled part of the day, not the biggest. If he knows that when you leave you are hyped up--and when you come home you are even more hyped up to see him, then he sits in the crate anticipating the biggest emotional jolt of the day.

What you want is for him to recognize that people coming and going from the house (and leaving him alone for short spells) is no big deal. They always come back...and besides, when they come back nothing big happens anyway.

Hope some of this rambling helps.

Connie and Tracy!
Oh my I cannot thank you enough for your responses and your information. Well, well, well, I guess the people are to blame here....read on....

I have to say NO we have not tried to train him for the crate while we are home. We all agonize over the last minute having to put him in there. We ALL talk about "how nervous Rico looks..." how he "knows we are leaving..." "how the poor little guy looks sooooooo sad..."

We are totally enabling him I see that now.

And when we come home, OMG, we go as nuts as he does. We run around and say, "it's okay, it's okay, it's okay baby...." and we frantically all try to hold him and cradle him, and take him outside to pee, and we scream these high pitched hellos, and oh my goodness. Enablers we are!!!

Soooo, this morning, when I got back home, after he was in his crate for two hours, he was soaking wet and crazed....and I looked at him and put my things down and told him to "sit and wait..." and he did. Then when I opened the door, I didn't let him run around like a banchee. I put on his leash and took him for a nice walk, and made no big fuss.

Today I will try the crate games with him. And I will put him in the crate when he is in my office with me so he will see it's NO BIG DEAL.

I see it's this incredible fuss we are all making. We have made worse. Okay, time to undo the damage. I am copying my husband and son, and daughter who also does the same thing whenever she visits on this post!!!

I will keep you all posted!

Thanks SOOOOO much!

Laura.

Glad to offer some ideas to try.

As with anything, don't expect overnight miracles. The big, handsome German Shepherd you see in my photo below was a crate pee-er as a baby. He'd shred bedding, thrash around in the crate, work himself up into a frenzy until he finally wet himself--every day for a month.

It wasn't until I learned about and started implementing the no-fuss routine for coming and going that things greatly improved.

It took a few weeks, but the crate issue/separation anxiety never surfaced again.

And so with all my other dogs, I knew how to go about the crate business when they were first introduced, and none of them ever had any separation anxiety in the crate.

Now, when I come home, I very often have to wake up sleeping or half-sleeping dogs. I walk in and they look up as if to say, "oh, it's just you. you're back already?"

Tracy!
I totally look forward to that day when we come home and he's sleeping!

Your advice has been soooo helpful. Right now I am in my office working and I just placyed games with him tossing toys in the crate. And now he is in the crate right behind me looking at me like, "what the heck is going on here, why am in here, and you have not left?" but he is not making a fuss at all. I set the timer for 10 minutes....and then I'll let him out.

Thanks again!

Laura.

Tracy,

I have one more question for you. At what age is it that you can leave your dog to just roam the house while you are away. I know a lot of people who say they just go out and their dog stays inside and sleeps the hours away on the floor, chair, dog bed etc. How do you know when your dog is ready for that?

Laura

Baby steps. But I wouldn't trust most dogs with this kind of freedom until at least 2 years of age. It just depends on the dog. Once they are housetrained reliably, many still have issues with chewing inappropriate things (pillows, baseboards, magazines, lamp cords, overturning trashcans, etc...)

I've handled this by allowing very short trial runs of freedom (leaving for just a few minutes) and work up to it. I've always ended up trying freedom too soon and have lost many a throw pillow in the process. When that happens, I hit myself in the head with the pillow and realize I was pushing it, and the dog goes back into the crate for a few more months until we try again.

You can also gradually give a dog more space in the same way. After graduating from the crate, the dog might get just the kitchen, say, or a bathroom. If that goes well they get two rooms.

Tracy
Once again, thank you so much for your guidance. It's so helpful. We have never owned a dog before, so all of this is so new, and I have to say very tiring! But he is trying really hard!

I will stick to your advice and take baby steps!

Laura.