Need help with Separation Anxiety with my new pup!!

[Cosmo's Mom]

Hi--

Just got our 2nd boxer pup, Cosmo, two weeks ago. He is ten weeks old. We lost our first boxer boy last August at age 4 to osteosarcoma. Way too young!!!

Anyway, he has a bad case of separation anxiety when we put him in the crate (when we have to leave the house for a bit). We tried putting treats in the crate (he does not go and get them), feeding in the crate (he does not eat for the whole day if the bowl is in there), putting him in for short periods while we are there..ignoring the cries.... but he never quiets down.

He barks, whines, scratches to get out, and cries the whole time.......drools excessively...chews on any towel left in there as bedding.

Our first boxer loved the crate from day one and I have no experience dealing with this behavior.

Anyone have any tried and true advice for fixing this/training this out of him??? Will he outgrow this??? I do not want him to do this his whole life...as there will be times he has to spend a few hours in his crate while we are out of the house.

HELP PLEASE!!!!!

 

[apollosdad]

it sounds as if you are doing everything you can. you can keep trying what you have been doing as consistency is the key and hopefully there will be a breakthrough soon. when you place him in his crate, while you are home, try just closing the door and then immediately opening it back up. then give your pup a reward for being a brave boy. do this several times a day in order to get him used to the fact that everytime the crate closes, it will also open. this way he doesn't see the door closing as a negative thing meaning that someone is leaving him in there for a long period of time.
eventually increase the amount of time that you leave the door closed before opening it and giving him a treat. progress to 5 seconds and then 10 seconds and so on. remember to take it slow, since your dog seems to be a bit fearful of the crate right now. the last thing you want to do is progress too fast and cause your dog to regress and ruin the progress you might be making. keep in mind to never reward your dog if he whines, cries, howls, or barks. once you start leaving him in the crate with the door closed for longer periods of time (15-30 seconds), remember to ONLY open the door and reward WHILE he is quiet. in this way he will soon learn that being quiet allows him freedom and that whining, crying, and barking only keep him in the crate longer.
when you do place him in the crate alone, remember to ignore him. do not acknowledge his presence there any longer. do not make eye contact, pet, play, or try to comfort by saying "there, there, it's okay" while he is in the crate. this is actually giving him attention, which is what he wants.
in order to break him into his crate, make it as appealing as possible. place plenty of safe toys for him to play with, try luring him in the crate with a kong filled with peanut butter. once he starts chewing on the kong with the pb, close the door so that he can be distracted by the kong and not realize that the door is closed.

 

[Cosmo's Mom]

Thanks for the tips!!

Hi--

Thanks for the tips. I know it will take time and persistence to get him to like the crate.

I will try the repeated treats for staying in the crate for a few seconds...and gradually work up to more time.

He did go all the way into the crate several time the last two days during some sessions where I was working with him to retrieve tasty treats I threw in there. So there's hope yet!!!

 

[apollosdad]

oh yes, definitely a good sign. it will take some time and patience but dogs usually catch on quickly when it's made into the form of a game. they think it's playtime rather than training time.