Looking for some support - 5 month old choc lab

Discussion in 'Introductions & Saying Hello' started by Jlee21, Oct 3, 2021.

  1. Jlee21

    Jlee21 Registered Users

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2021
    Messages:
    1
    Hi all , I have practising leaving my pup from the day I had him but we just aren’t making that much progress . He barks when I go upstairs (behind stair gate ) and when I leave he’s fine (crated) but when he wakes up maybe an hour later he starts barking . How do I teach him to be ok with being alone , when I go upstairs and do I can go out for a few hours ? Do I take him out of the crate and try the training with gradual exposure … anyone who has had this issue would be glad to hear your solutions please
     
  2. Annamarie Gebar

    Annamarie Gebar Registered Users

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2021
    Messages:
    140
    Try staying home while you confine him but where he can't see you. And then randomly walk in and reward for quiet/calm behavior. I did that for Sophie in her playpen and after a week or so, she stopped barking, jumping, etc. She was horrible. After 5 minutes of being in her playpen she would bark and whine for 30 minutes at a time. But I rewarded her CONSTANTLY for being quiet and the bad behavior stopped. Also, are you associated the crate with something really good? For example, I always give Sophie either a stuffed Kong or a treat jackpot upon entry and I never have had a problem with her. She loves being in her crate. You also might need to build him up to being in there (which I know is hard - who has the time for that and sometimes you just have to leave - for me it was rough, I'm a single dog parent. I HAD to leave to get groceries etc. so I didn't have a week to build up her time in the crate. Also try not to use the crate for time outs, I always used a different place tp put her in for time outs because I didn't want the association of punishment with her crate. Also, just an idea, I work from home so when Sophie was small, I had to confine her during the day because I teach classes on line. Purchase a playpen for her was the best thing I did. I even used it at night for sanity breaks when I just needed to confine her. I made it a fun hang out place, and I used it for things like keeping her confined while I was working, when I had to go outside to pick up poop or take out the trash, pull weeds, etc. I never left home while she was in it, but she did great and it was the thing that kept me sane. I felt guilty putting her in a crate for all that, but the playpen allowed her to walk around, play with toys, sleep, etc. She ended up loving it. I just got rid of it this month (she's 5.5 months) because she's so well trained now I don't need it! I use baby gates sometimes to confine her in a single room like the kitchen if I think she might get into trouble while I'm showering, eating dinner, etc. Hang in there, sometimes it's trial and error on different things!
     
    AndyandMatt likes this.

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