Quote: Connie Sutherland

Barbara, we were typing together -- and we might as well have saved one of the efforts. LOL

Same thoughts ......

Rut roh... Be afraid, Connie. Be very afraid.

I wanted to thank you all for your advice. We moved the crate into our bedroom, and made sure to completely tire him out at night. I keep marking his crate using his favorite treats, and he'll run in and lay down without a problem. Since we moved it he has slept through the night without incident. I also keep changing how long he stays in his crate. So it's not the crate itself.... Is the next step to move it back to the guest room? or should I wait?

However since it was mentioned I have been paying more attention to his behavior and I think he could be having a little separation anxiety, however I'm not entirely sure- I may have created it by keeping him tethered to me? He cries if I shut a door without him being with me (bathroom etc.) and if one of us leaves. Should I be concerned or is this normal? At the same time he's not ready to be trusted without the tether--my boyfriend tried while I was at work and I have the gnawed baseboard to prove it

I also realize that in effort to educate myself to be a better puppy parent I have created some fear that I can "ruin him." I'm trying to relax a little bit and not be so worried. I think he definitely was picking up on our frustration with his behavior.

Thanks again- jen and kona

 Quote: Jennifer Miller

However since it was mentioned I have been paying more attention to his behavior and I think he could be having a little separation anxiety, however I'm not entirely sure- I may have created it by keeping him tethered to me? He cries if I shut a door without him being with me (bathroom etc.) and if one of us leaves. Should I be concerned or is this normal? At the same time he's not ready to be trusted without the tether--my boyfriend tried while I was at work and I have the gnawed baseboard to prove it

At this age, a bit of worry at being left alone is normal. In the wild, a puppy that gets separated from its pack is a dead puppy. The important thing that will determine if the dog develops problem SA, in my opinion, is how you react to this behaviour.

It is VERY important to not acknowledge him whe he cries or coddle him in any way. Put him in his crate about 15-20 minutes before you leave, with a chew toy or busy ball, and completely ignore him. Then just leave without saying a word to him. When you come home, ignore him completely for 15 minutes or so before you go let him out of his crate.

You can start building up short separations in the house by giving him a good chew toy such as a bully stick in one room, then going to the bathroom or having a shower with the door closed. If he cries, ignore him. He will learn it's not the end of the world.

I tethered my puppy until he was 10-11 months old, and he does not have SA. The important thing was to make my comings and goings very low key and to completely ignore the dog, reinforcing that my leaving is nothing for him to be concerned about.

Well I certainly spoke too quickly. Kona didn't sleep last night. He barked again in his crate even though we haven't moved it and it's still in our room. We took him on a long walk at 9, marker training, fetch and bed at 11. He was exhausted so it wasn't not enough exercise. He'll try to sleep by me or on the hardwood floor where he can see us, but as soon as I try to put him in his crate he hesitates and then freaks out. So frustrating! Last night he didn't care that he was in our room, he just kept barking. I'm still having trouble deciding if I should ever let him out-after a while I feel like he's working himself up more, not to mention the noise level. I try like when he was a new baby outside, and back in his house. He'll sometimes pee from all the hysterics, but on good nights he sleeps through the night. Then by this morning he was so tired he doesn't protest anymore and wants to take a nap, and walks right in. It is only at night that he won't stay in his crate. So frustrating. I can't pinpoint the variable that changes, it's so random...we've had such a good week until last night :-(

Thanks Angela for the tips- the need to be with the pack in the wild made perfect sense and really made me feel a lot better. I'm glad it's not tethering because it's still good environment control for us. I am working on leaving him for a few minutes in rooms and even outside while he's playing and I can watch him through another window. I've also really changed my greetings--- in that now they are nonexistent.

How much time does the puppy spend in the crate during the day?

He doesn't have the same schedule everyday. However yesterday he was up at 6, two hours in his house in the morning, three hours in the afternoon (4-7). Then an attempted bedtime at 1100 or so. Those are the days I'm home.

On mon and tues he spends a little more time three hours in the morning, then lunch and playtime, then 4 1/2 or so in the afternoon. Weekends are random. However I can't coordinate these "bad" nights to any one particular day.