home alone

[Adelle]

The crate is really the safest place for him, 8 hours is really not bad provided you can give him a break at lunch time. But if he is crated at night as well as during the day, thats a lot of crate time. Why not crate him during the day then let him sleep on a dog bed at night. He is old enough to get through the night without an accident.

 

[shidea]

yes he is able to hold it all night , the thing is he never lets me know when he needs to go out. I am just constantly taking him out. so if he was not in his crate at night if he woke up at all i am sure he would just go:(

 

[kflanaga]

I thought the same thing and kept my pup in the crate at night. One night I gave in and gated him in next to the bed (although the gate isn't actually attached to anything, and is only leaning against the bed, but he doesn't know that!). He was perfect, and has been for the three weeks since then. Plus, no more night time trip outside as soon as I did this. I guess he is too comfortable to want to go out. No accidents, no problems at all.

 

[popps]

Separation Anexiety

Bella has FINALLY gotten over her S.A. (knock on wood)

Your dog is protesting you leaving.

The only thing you can do is crate train her, and get her used to you being gone.

They also say not to make a big deal of leaving or coming home, but I have a hard time with that one.

I had to scold her a lot, and frankly.. she's a little cautious when I first walk in, now. She waits for me to say "good girl" ... as she had been scolded so many times before that. People say that disciplining them after the fact doesn't work, but I think that's not giving the dog much credit. My dog can remember where a drinking fountain is in the middle of a hiking trail that we've only been to one time. She's certianly smart enough to figure out what I mean when I point to the couch cushions all over the floor and say "BAD!!"

The behavior has stopped, so disciplining helped.. but so did positive reinforcement. She got treats when I came home and the house was in good shape.

I also find that wearing them out is important. They're less likely to trash the place if you've run them for an hour or two. I know that's hard to do if you have an early morning job.

Just my opinion, but 8-9 hours is WAY too long to be in a crate for a dog of any age. Once in a while, when it's an emergency.. I can understand. But think about how you feel after a 2-3 hour car ride. Multiply that by 100, and that's a dog in a crate for 9 hours. Especially a young dog.

Do you have anyone that can help you? How about a doggie day-care a couple of days per week? Any friends with dogs that you can trade "shifts" with? "You watch mine in the day, I'll watch yours at night."

Boxers are pack/people dogs... and it's their nature to want to be with you all of the time. It takes work to build thier confidence in their ability to do without you for a while.

I also would expect it to be a rough road until your dog matures a bit. (1.5 years or older)

Good luck!!!