I am sorry are you a trainer/behaviorist?

I am.

And you have received some very good advice on this thread from some very experienced people.

And I have taking the advice of everyone on the potty training. Hence I cleared up one of my main issues/concerns. So when I say I have it under control, it means I have it under control. Not that the problem is fixed, but it is getting/going too be fixed. I know and understand clearly what I need to do. It's not going to get corrected over night, but the steps and the results are already taking place, the advice I have taking is working well in less than a week's time frame.

We are planning on leaving the puppy outside. This is going to cause the same issues with her screaming and trying to get out as it does in the crate. I can assure you of this because since day 1 of getting the puppy she has screamed if we walked into another room when she is not in her crate, and is simple baby gated in the living room, where her crate isnt even at. My living room is anything less then covered in the puppies mess or my own. Therefore I highly doubt that her screaming is caused ONLY by her non relief during the day. If it is then it must have started with the breeder because the dog has screamed every single time she has been put up for the entire time and when she is let out too relieve herself - alone.

As far as potty training goes, I have heard from MANY experienced people on exactly how to do it, admitted my faults, corrected them and have already seen the results. Potty training a puppy isn't rocket science, and though it's not my profession, I am a very well educated woman who is capable of potty training a puppy. Again, I have worked the same hours for years and have not had problems in the past with this same breed and another breed. This is why I was seeking help, got it, used it, and have seen it work.

Separation anxiety is new to me and clearly that is where I need help. This may not be a new issue to others, but it is to me. I never had a puppy that screamed when it had to potty outside alone or I closed the door to use the restroom myself. This happens outside her crate and this is where I need to be educated. Lucky I found you because you should be able to more than help me with this situation. Because I thought separation anxiety was an issue that went away with puppies within one too two weeks. Also I want to say how someone of such nature to offer free advice to people on here when this is your profession is very admirable and I am thankful to people like yourself who will offer up there help and expect nothing in return. People like yourself are so few and far between, and its sad not more people are like this.

This is a little off the subject but do you give your puppy less than 2 cups of water per day? While I limit water intake in the evening before bed and in the crate in the evening, I would not be limiting water during the day. Water is critical for normal kidney function and its absence can affect the gastrointestinal system.

http://www.aahahealthypet.com/PetCare/PetCareArticle.aspx?art_key=0e44c668-75d1-468d-b060-393f4f119599

Not every dog/puppy is the same. While your other dogs might have been fine with not going out during the day, evidently this puppy is not. I have had dogs that were fine during the day as puppies and others who were not. I just had to suck it up and make arrangements for the puppy to get out during the day.

Regarding the seperation anxiety, I would seek out a behaviorist/good trainer in your area who can evaluate the puppy. If this has been going on for weeks and your attempts to recitify the situation have not garnered any improvement, a fresh set of eyes might be needed to assist.

What was the temperaments on the parents? Are the littermates having similiar issues? I might have missed it but have you relayed your concerns to the breeder to get her feedback? If it is a temperament issue, she would be best suited to assist you as she should be familiar with the parents temperaments.

Good luck - a screaming puppy is a frustrating deal.

"Separation anxiety is new to me and clearly that is where I need help. This may not be a new issue to others, but it is to me. I never had a puppy that screamed when it had to potty outside alone or I closed the door to use the restroom myself. This happens outside her crate and this is where I need to be educated. Lucky I found you because you should be able to more than help me with this situation. Because I thought separation anxiety was an issue that went away with puppies within one too two weeks. Also I want to say how someone of such nature to offer free advice to people on here when this is your profession is very admirable and I am thankful to people like yourself who will offer up there help and expect nothing in return. People like yourself are so few and far between, and its sad not more people are like this."

I'm not unusual. The entire Leerburg web site is loaded with free streaming video, free eBooks, free articles, and free newsletters. The regular posters (several of whom are represented on this thread) are experienced dog people, from trainers for a living to multi-titled handler-owner-trainers to retired vets to long-time foster/rescues, and I'm leaving out a few hundred other types of experience.

I see the SA here as being exacerbated by the too-long time in the crate.

It seems to me that it has gone on for too long to deal with on your own, and I'd urge some positive behavioral help.

I'd arrange for some days to spend with the dog, mostly outside, and I'd read up on the SA threads here. I'll see if I can find some, in fact.

And I'd try to post back with the breakdown of the dog's daily schedule, including/especially the pre-leaving-for-work protocol.


ETA
The second-to-most-recent dog I adopted had screaming SA. Not barking, not howling .... screaming like a root canal with no novocaine. I know there are threads here about him. But again, the potty issue and the extended time in the crate with no relief really can't be doing any good at all with the SA/crate issue.


Edited by Connie Sutherland (07/18/2011 02:13 PM)
Edit reason: eta

Oops. I was trying while Ingrid was posting. A little overlap ...

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

I am.

Me too.

Any pup that eliminates in the crate (which is also in the house, so the pup is still eliminating in the house) in NOT potty trained; the very definition of which is knowing when and where to eliminate.

I am glad things have worked for you in the past, and I hope they do in the future, but today they are not. Stop thinking about how it worked with another dog and look at the pup in front of you. Do what needs to be done for that pup.

One of my children learned to read at four years, the next was still having a hard time at six. What worked for one did not work for the other. Dogs are the same and the sooner we grasp that and work with what we have the faster things will progress.

You need to make the crate a happy place for her to stop thinking it is bad. I gave you advice above with some ways to do this.

Is there a reason an outdoor kennel can not work for you?

Opps, I took too long too...

I will let it stand though.

When you say that you are going to leave her outside, do you mean in a kennel? While you are at work?

 Quote: JessicaKromer

Stop thinking about how it worked with another dog and look at the pup in front of you. Do what needs to be done for that pup.

I wish I had said that.