Another Separation Anxiety Problem...

[neo2011]

Thanks for the input guys. I'll try to "nest" up the crate a little more and look for a blanket today and might look for an old pillow we can give him (the scent on it will probably help him too). Being a Kelpie and with big ears, I don't think blankets will do much to dampen the noise. :D. I usually put an extra towel over the front to cover the light up and remove any visual stimulation (but sometimes he tries to pulls the towel through the gaps in the crate).

[sas]

For those who don't think things like this are seperation anxiety think of the words 'Seperation' 'Aniexty' and that's exactly what pups have initially, just not nececssarily to the degree that some adult dogs have who may need to be medicated.

I personaly believe Seperation Anxiety to be a human caused problem that can be fixed in the early stages by dicipline from the human to themselves!

[koalathebear]

He is so cute. When Elbie was a puppy, both my OH and I were taking time off work so he was quite spoiled and saw us all day. He whined every time we left the room and it took us a while to get him settled in his crate at night. We took him out every 2 hours and after every meal and after he drank water. He screamed the first three nights we had him (drove me bonkers) and did panic poos and wee. I had never seen so much poo in my life :p

After that, at night, we had him in our room and put our fingertips in his crate so he didn't cry. Once he had settled (after a week or so), we moved his crate down to the kitchen. We persisted and now he is extremely good about toileting on command. Anyway, good luck with Neo. In my very biased opinion, there is nothing cuter than a Kelpie puppy.

[aussielover]

Neo is just the cutest puppy! I love his colouring.

Sorry I have nothing of use to add to this conversation!

My lab puppy was intially very clingy and would also whinge, cry etc if she was left.

She seemed to get over it by around 4 months old though.

She is absolutely fine to be left by herself now.

[sas]

That crate is HUGE!!! Can I suggest you divide it in half for now and toss a few cheap polar fleece blankets or towels in there for him to scruff up and make a nest with. It's openness doesn't make it very den like. I'd also be covering all of the front except for the gate.

I'd be tossing in a big fluffy toy too for 'company'.

That picture actually does make the crate look huge!! Its actually not that big as it looks to be honest and he only has about 15cms left if he spreads right out. Also when he soils the area from anxiety, he does it on the padded mattress . I actually did cover the front, but one time when he was especially whiney, we came back home 2hrs later with the front cardboard clawed away and a big pile of cardboard pieces all over the place (not to mention a pile of other worse stuff).. I might change it to wood or something.

Oh, and he does get fluffy toys as he loves fluffy objects. We have a bag full of stuffed toys for him!

What do you mean soils from anxiety? He gets upset and toilets right there infront of you?

[Jumabaar]

Have you started Obedience or any sort of training yet?

[neo2011]

Thanks for the comments on Neo's good looks. We get alot of that when people realise he's a Kelpie and not some sort of Collie mix.

Covering with a blanket doesn't seem to work for long periods as he pulls it into his cage (sometimes he just does it for fun even when he is not crying). Lately we've been leaving him outside the house for short periods of time and slowly building it up from there. He's fairly quiet if I'm gone for 20mins, but you can see him getting a little freaked out and trying to look for us. I did put more stuffed toys in his crate. I found a large stuffed toy from Coles for $5 (bargain!) and he loves it. I just made sure we slept with it for one night to put our scent on there. He's getting better as well as we have been gone for a few hours with him being crated without him making too much of a fuss and no soiling of his bed. Hopefully it was something as simple as making it more comfy.

Here's a pic of his crate now that is more of a comfy nest for him:

ALso as suggested by other people, we should work towards leaving him in the backyard when we're gone for extended periods of time. We have a kennel that I have assembledm, but should we get him used to it inside the house first for a few days then move it outside? Or should we just get it straight out outside? The thing is that when we leave him outside, he's not interested in anything (treats, toys, etc) as he's just pacing around looking for us or sitting by the door (very quietly though which is good) waiting for us to arrive back. My worry is that he will just ignore the kennel. Perhaps if we associate it with a safe, secure place for him while it is inside, he will notice it once its moved outside?

Also to answer your question MEH, he won't soil in front of me in his crate as he doesn't have anxiety if I'm there (and he's sits or sleeps quietly in his crate if we're there in his sight/smell range). Its only when we leave him alone.

He is also obedience trained from day one we had him.

Also one more question...do you guys leave a water bowl in your dog's crate at all times if he is being crated for longer than an hour? Neo is a heavy drinker and seems to drink lots and lots of water throughout the day.

Edited July 5, 2011 by neo2011

[sas]

Also to answer your question MEH, he won't soil in front of me in his crate as he doesn't have anxiety if I'm there (and he's sits or sleeps quietly in his crate if we're there in his sight/smell range). Its only when we leave him alone.

How do you know he's toileting in his crate because of anxiety then?

[neo2011]

Also to answer your question MEH, he won't soil in front of me in his crate as he doesn't have anxiety if I'm there (and he's sits or sleeps quietly in his crate if we're there in his sight/smell range). Its only when we leave him alone.

How do you know he's toileting in his crate because of anxiety then?

Because we always take him out to the toilet before we crate him and when we crated him for as short as 10mins, he would mess up his crate and pee and poop everywhere. When he's calm (and we're there), he is happy to sit in there and sleep for up to 2hrs without a toilet break (sometimes even with the door left open).

As mentioned in previous post, he will also do the same when left alone in the house for 15mins and we will come back with a big mess (we don't do that anymore!).

Edited July 5, 2011 by neo2011

[persephone]

Glad there's some improvement- that's great! With the heavy drinking- pacing/panting will use up energy/fluid- and so, yes he will drink more . kennel- wise- just put familiar stuff in there.. bury a few smelly liver treats in the blankets- have it so he can still see into the house - and if it's cold enough, he will probably use it .

[aussielover]

I left a small amount of water in Mindy's crate. Not a full bowl, I used a smaller bowl and only filled it halfway.

Any chance you can crate him next to your bed at night?

I found this really helped my dog. She can now sleep downstairs by herself if required (but I prefer her in my room).

Also really great for toilet training as they can let you know when they need to go.