... IMO, most dogs can eventually "graduate" from the crate...meaning that one day, she will be mature enough to trust leaving her out of the crate when you leave. When will that be? I don't know. With my dogs, it was between 18 months and two years old. Some dogs may take longer. Some may not ever be trustworthy outside the crate. ... You won't know until you try...and then I'd recommend freedom in short doses. ...

.... I would suggest trying the crate again but definitely make sure the introduction is slow. My girl's S/A increased significantly in the crate for a while and I had to back track a LOT. ... I bought two crates, one for the common living area and one for the bedroom. I always always always leave the crate door open and hide all her goodies in there, as well as I feed her in it. ... Randomly through out the day (10-15x if possible) I will throw a treat in and close the door while she eats it. In the beginning i'll just open the door again as soon as she turns around, and then start increasing the time in increments of two seconds, open it again, and increase the time by 2-3 seconds every time. I did that every day for about 2 weeks and had her sleep in her crate at night. I also treated her a bit like a puppy in the beginning at night and would take her out for 2-3 potty breaks at night (whether or not she went, just to break up the time in the crate). If she doesn't sleep comfortably in there at first (which mine did because as long as I was in the room she was fine) then just start slow and feed her in there and slowly increase the time she's in there afterward. Don't just put her in there and expect immediate success.... The change up in routine is very important as well and good for you on finding that helpful tid-bit out, unfortunately there is no "how long should I continue" or "how often"..do it as often and as long as it takes for your dog to become comfortable with it. I've been working two solid months on it day in and day out, though my girl sounds much worse than yours. ... While going through my house during the day, I will separate myself in other rooms from her. Leave her out of the bathroom while i'm showering, if i'm in the office on the computer I will close the door behind me for a few minutes and then open it a few minutes later. Wherever I can go and put a few minutes in between us, I do it. Exercise is really key to this also, that is what has helped me the most in all of it. I run her butt off in the morning and it helped immensely. ...

So does it make any difference that my dog is not destructive when i leave the house? it is only that she barks and barks (for maybe an hour or so) when i leave. every now and then she will tear up paper if i leave it out, but i just don't paper anywhere she can get it anymore. only every once in a while she will have an accident (very rarely anymore). she had more accidents in the crate when i left her alone than she did when i left her out free to roam. but then again she wasn't crate trained. ....

 Quote: jenn verrier

So does it make any difference that my dog is not destructive when i leave the house? it is only that she barks and barks (for maybe an hour or so) when i leave. every now and then she will tear up paper if i leave it out, but i just don't paper anywhere she can get it anymore. only every once in a while she will have an accident (very rarely anymore). she had more accidents in the crate when i left her alone than she did when i left her out free to roam. but then again she wasn't crate trained. ....

I thought the idea in this case was to give the dog a safe den for both times (you there and you not there) and also to separate her from you when you were at home so she could get used to separation even with you in the house.

Do you have a crate? Why not get it out, get some high-value treats, and just start doing the door-open things Susan mentions?

 Quote: Sue Kobus

Did you introduce the crate slowly, or just put her in and leave? I started by tossing treats in, the dog walks in and eats them, praise, he comes out. Over and over, then close the door behind him, treats and praise. Then graduate to closing and leaving the room. It is a good place, not a punishment place.

Ditto.

And the casual leaving and returning at short and then more random intervals was just that: random. Sometimes with my keys, sometimes not, just whenever I thought of it, I would do it. A lot.

Meaning: I did not decide on the sequence or what to carry or the time to spend. I just kept doing it. A lot.

Exactly the way Sue describes the crate.

I didn't even close the door each time. The crate is a good place, and a place where there are good treats and a safe place to lie down, and where the dog can be when I am at home as well as gone. I don't want it associated with something that automatically means I am leaving.

right i got it. we're going to try it. i don't have a crate. can you believe it, i had one, and then got rid of it. now i am kicking myself. so i am looking online for a new one.