obsolete

I don't even know where to begin but here is a summary of where I'm at, at the moment.

Currently have a ~2 year old Great Dane/Catahoula mix. He has some issues I am trying to work on at the moment which recently includes getting a dog behaviourist in to assist. Main issues are separation anxiety and fear aggression towards new people/certain triggers with a dose of disobedience for good measure.

I am reasonably confident that a lot of the issues we have is due to the raising and training of the dog. At the time I got him I was staying at my parents house and they did not believe in a lot of the training techniques I was trying to use to raise a healthy, well-balanced dog - primarily they disagreed with crate training. Fast forward to today, where I have my own place (renting) and the dog has manifested the above problems over time due to lack of consistency and what I believe to be ignorance/stubbornness on my family and partner's part. I don't proclaim to be an expert but I spent a lot of time on forums such as this trying to build up as much knowledge as possible from different points of view whereas my family are more of the "I've had dogs my whole life, I know what I'm doing" approach.

The dog currently stays at my parents place for most of the week and I/my partner take him when we are not working usually at least 3 days a week he will stay with us. The main reason for this is due to his separation anxiety he has been destructive in the past. It's something I want to work on as well and I know this arrangement is part of the problem. The other reason why he is always under supervision is because my family think it's cruel to have a dog at home by himself all day...

I have been wracking my brain over some way to have him stay at mine permanently because I am confident that the shifting between homes isn't good for him but also now that we have the dog behaviourist I am also sure that my parent's will not be following through with the training aspects and we all know how important consistency is (huge reason for the problems in the first place).

So now that you've had the boring (super summarised) back story. My question to the community is, how can I setup the house in such a way to make this suitable for the dog but also not "cruel" or unfair. I don't want to leave him outside as he is albino and will just fry in no time. We have spare rooms in the house that I was thinking of converting into the dog's "room". Is this a good idea/can it work?

Is it cruel to keep the dog in the room for 7-8 hours a day without access to the toilet? The intention would be to let him do his business before work and then when someone comes home. I'd rather let him have the run of the house (for space purposes) but until the intensity of his issues have subdued a bit I'm a bit reluctant to let him have run of the house (we live with another couple, who like the dog but I don't want to risk it just yet). I would "stock" his room with bedding/entertainment to stop him from being overly bored. Anything else to consider?

Anyway this is becoming a wall of text, fast. I'm just trying to find the best way to help my dog overcome his issues without sacrificing his quality of life and unfortunately I have my parents and partner telling me that it's all too cruel and that I should just maintain this existing practice of shuffling the dog where he can have near constant supervision.

Thanks in advance.

Hi all,

Our puppy has been settling in relatively well, all things considered. My biggest concern at the moment is his crate. I did everything I could do make it a "happy" place for him - put toys and other comforts of his in there, feed him in the crate, give him treats in the crate and for the first day or so it was great. He would lie in there with the door open and walk in and out during the day very comfortably.

The problems started when I would close the door. I mainly crate him when it's bed time and the crate is in my bedroom. At first he would go in there willingly and then cry most of the night. Now, he will only go in there and stay in there while he is eating his food, if I put toys or treats in there he will usually duck in, grab it and run out. I've been trying to make it as positive a place for him as possible but he just seems to be weary of it now all the time and I'm forced to close the door when he runs in. He will sleep most of the night now in it (cries maybe twice in a 6 hour period) but will start crying like mad once the sun is up.

The crying is not toilet related because he has slept in my other room with me (on a futon like mattress) on some occasions and has not needed to go toilet for over 7+ hours. I don't think it's preferable to close the door on him like that but am stuck for ideas, so am looking for suggestions or ideas on how I can get him to love his crate.

Thanks!

Thanks all. I'll get onto it.

Hi all,

Apologies in advance for all the questions and the possibly incoherent post.

I'll be picking up a Great Dane/Catahoula cross puppy this Thursday night from the airport. The thing is he arrives at around 11pm and I'm trying to make the best start possible in terms of his experience with us at home and training. Is there any way I can make things easier for the little fella, especially since it's going to be late? We have another dog (3 years) and a cat (~ 2 years). They are not aggressive and usually keep to themselves. Should I keep them away for the first night while the puppy gets used to his new home?

Also, I'm intending to crate him but am a little unsure if buying a crate before I can confirm his size is a good idea. Any recommendations on this? Is it a good idea to have a crate and then a surrounding play pen? (I saw this in another thread). With the crate, is it okay to move it around, for example in the kitchen/lounge during the day and to the bedroom at night.

One last thing (for now), I've been trying to read up regarding training etc. and have been looking at Cesar Milan stuff. Are there any good books you consider worthwhile for puppy training?

Thanks for your patience!