I'm hoping for a little reassurance and help please because I'm feeling a bit dejected and guilty today. Having thought our 15-week-old puppy was fine when we leave him for a couple of hours in his crate (he always seemed to have just woken up when we got back and there are no disturbed blankets etc) I've just listened to a recording I made and he barked, howled and whimpered for the first hour before finally settling down. I think he wore himself out. It was heart-breaking to listen to. I had no idea he was doing this and feel terrible because we must have left him for an hour to two hours on about 15 occasions. I fear we've gone too quickly into leaving him in his crate without building up to it. He goes happily into his crate at night without needing to be told and he sleeps through. He'll also choose to go into his crate sometimes to nap during the day. But he doesn't like going in it when we're going out - or just for a few minutes while we're still in the house. In fact he whimpers, whines and barks if we go into a different room and close the door even when he's not in the crate. (We are home most of the time as my husband works from home and I am at work two days a week from March to Oct.) I'm guessing we need to go back to basics and start putting him in for a few minutes and going back in when he's quiet but I'm so afraid that we've created a problem that is going to be difficult to solve. Looking for some reassurance and tips please - thank you so much.
Oh dear, please don't worry , you will get there but yes I think taking him back to spending very short amounts of time in his crate is the best way to go . Be very matter of fact about it, go for a few minutes and then on return, don't make a massive fuss of him . I don't think he has an aversion to the crate itself , as he does so well at night , its just a bit of separation anxiety during the day , slowly slowly is the way to go x
Hey Jenem, I'm so sorry, but don't despair, I think we've all been there. Does he have a favourite toy that can occupy him while he's in his crate? Or a favourite treat? River, our 17 week old lab, completely forgets about us when we put her antler chew, or a pig's ear in her crate. I timed her eating the pig's ear and it occupies her a good 30-45 minutes (depending on the size) to eat it . We do cover the crate with a blanket as well and have the radio turned on for her, which soothes her for some reason. Might be worth a try.
Bless you and him xx It’s a learning process for you both. Wind it back and, at first, just leave him the length of time it takes him to eat his Kong. Then add a minute or two and build it up from there.
Thank you Kate, Dimitri and Boogie - I really appreciate the replies. I hope you'll see this - I'm not sure how forums work and whether I need to copy and paste parts of your comments so you get notified that I've replied? We'll start putting him in the crate for a few minutes as suggested, and use a Kong which we haven't done before. He's had chew treats but they probably don't last long enough to keep him occupied. We have had Classic FM on sometimes so will try that consistently. We tried to buy an antler chew the other day but the chap in the feed store said Wilson was too young for it yet. Is that the case? We've had a cover over most of the crate right from the start and he certainly seems to like it in there when he goes in of his own accord. I think we should have done much more of putting him in for short spells on our terms. He loves his fox soft toy and that's always in there with him but perhaps we'll try to find something else too. Thanks again - it's such a help to hear from other lab owners, and in such reassuring tones!
Going back to basics and building up from there will solve the problem Don’t worry or feel guilty - you haven’t caused any lasting harm. It’s a steep learning curve as others have said. You obviously care deeply about your puppy and want to learn as much as you can and do the best you can for him - with that approach you are a very good owner in my book. Just a note about Antler chews - they are really hard and will wear teeth down, so they’re best avoided at any age, IMO. You can never have too many Kongs though You can wet their kibble a bit, put it in a Kong and freeze it. You can use his normal kibble allowance so you’re not increasing his food intake too much. You can also put mashed potato, pumpkin, or anything soft into a Kong (frozen or unfrozen). Whenever we go out we always leave our boy with a Kong or similar (he’s 5 years old). Just makes departures easier for everyone.
Definitely a Kong will help ease the transition. My lab's absolute favourite is peanut butter, with the bonus that it takes a bit of time to lick off. I always leave him with a Kong smeared with a nice glob of peanut butter and he couldn't care less that we're leaving once he has that There's a Kong thread somewhere with more creative ideas if you do a search. Is it possible for you to keep Wilson in the kitchen when you leave, behind a baby gate? That's what we did with our lab and he was a lot happier for it, and never developed separation anxiety. Our routine is take him for a nice walk, then leave him with a Kong, at which point he falls asleep when he's done with it. he isn't destructive in the kitchen though, some Labs are, so it just depends on what Wilson is like. Our dog is 1.5 now but we've done this with him since he was a puppy and he's always been fine with us leaving. When you're home and he's separated that is a different story though, as he knows you're home and wants to be with you. Our lab was like that but he grew out of it, so there's light at the end of the tunnel
This is how I do my Kongs. I fill them with food from their allowance, then put in a cup and fill with water. Leave for a couple of hours to soak, then tip the water off. I put a teaspoon of peanut butter or tuna in the top then freeze. As soon as I start putting my coat and shoes on to go out Tatze checks, and if they are not dog walking clothes, goes straight into her crate, without me asking - she loves her Kongs. I find talk radio best to leave on for the pups
Kongs are amazing. Since Harley was a puppy she's always had a Kong or similar when I've gone to work. It helps keep them busy and tires them out too. As everyone else has said, small steps are the best way to go. Good luck.
Kongs are definitely worth their weight in gold! If I'm going out for a short time I just smear a bit of peanut butter inside a Kong (or mush up some banana or carrot). If I'm going out for longer they have frozen Kongs filled with banana, sardines or tuna and plugged with peanut butter. Just like @Boogie's dogs, mine seem to check when I put my coat on (or even the radio!). Tuppence goes straight to the freezer door or to the sink (I prepare the unfrozen ones on the draining board), then rushes to her crate. They're not shut in their crates, but go there out of habit to wait for their Kongs.
Thanks Kate. I replied to you, Boogie and Dimitri on a new post in this thread but am not sure if that's the right thing to do in a forum. I'm new to all this I've just seen the Reply button each person's comment so will use that now. Thanks so much for your help.
Thanks SilverFalcon, that's really helpful. We could keep Wilson in the kitchen as it's a self-contained room with a stone floor and we have wondered about that but we have wooden furniture and unfitted wooden kitchen units so are a bit concerned about potential chewing when he gets a bit older. I'm also a bit worried he might wee and poo if left loose as he seems to be house trained now although we always try to time going out when we know he's done both so he can safely go in his crate. Do you think he would do any toileting if left loose in the kitchen now? (daft question I know because you can't know what he'll do, but I'd be interested in your view )
I just wanted to offer some reassurance. My puppy used to scream the house down when I was out of sight but he did get better and now can be left for 4 hours without any fuss. If you go back to basics I'm sure your pup will learn to settle happily on his own
If he's reliable in the house currently, and you've taken him to do both just prior, he probably won't have an accident (at least this was our experience). Regarding chewing the wooden units, it's hard to say. If you have a way to watch him live while just outside the house you could test and see how he does? My lab was destructive in some ways but never when left in the kitchen. I've no idea why, it just never crossed his mind I guess Regarding leaving him with chews, I personally wouldn't give chews unless supervised because there's a choking risk. I once had to shove my hand down my dog's throat because he tried to swallow a flap of chew and it got lodged in his throat.
We left Nibbler in the kitchen when he was younger with a gate and never had any worries with pees or poos - he just gets the run of the house now -well living room hall and kitchen -mostly lies on the sofa. He’s 8 months. All dogs are different though.
Oh my, I have to admit if that were to happen to River, I would also be very cautious in the future. I mean the moral of the story is to supervise them and check on them, as you said Silverfalcon. In terms of weeing/pooing indoors, I'd read somewhere that you can't really be sure a pup's fully toilet trained until they passed the six month mark. I'm quite adament to have our pup, River, in her crate for the time being if we go out. In terms of the wooden work tops, I think there are sprays out there that you can buy which are meant to stop dogs from chewing. However in what capacity they work i'm not sure. Not to mention, even though they might not chew it, who says they won't scratch it. For my own sake, a crate is her safest best or is there a way you could make his kitchen space smaller so he can't get by the cupboards?
