Hi , We moved house a few weeks ago into my partners mums house temporarily. Dexter my 19month old Golden Lab is with us . He normally is fine in his crate and had grown out of any signs of seperation anxiety ... Until now If he knows I am in the house he will bark constantly if he is either put in his crate or put in the garden. He has to be put away as its a very busy house with lots of visitors and sometimes he just gets too excited and gets naughty. It's gotten to the stage were I can't even go an shower without me putting him in the car ( he loves the car ) . I've tried ignoring him until he goes quiet and then letting him out or rewarding him ... But he doesn't seem to be getting the idea . Plus I can't leave him bark for hours as its not our place and its unfair to expect everyone in the house to put up with hours of very loud constant barking . I'd be very grateful for any advice or info . Thanks Rachael
Hi Rachael and welcome to the forum. To me, it sounds like he is comfortable in his crate in the place his crate always was, and now it's moved, he's not. With all the added upheaval of moving, a new environment and new people, it's not surprising he's stressed out. I'd advise going right back to the very beginning of crate training with him, as if he was a brand new puppy. Forget that he can already "do this", because he can't in this new situation. You will almost certainly find that he progresses through the steps a lot faster than he did the first time round, because it's not all new, but it's the best option to set him up to being comfortable. This article, whilst aimed at puppies, will walk you through the stages: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/crate-training-your-labrador-puppy/
@snowbunny is right and I've just been (still going?) through the same with my spaniel. We had the kitchen redone so the dogs moved into the lounge for 6 weeks and he had been out of his crate. Then he ate a remote control - luckily just mangled and he didn't eat the batteries - so he went back in his crate in the now finished kitchen. He's hated it! But I simply couldn't have him roaming if he was going to chew stuff. We went back to the beginning, fed him in his crate, put Kongs in his crate, retrained his 'go to bed' cue. He did make a bid for freedom when bored and the crate wasn't securely fastened but apart from that he's gradually got better and better. Best of luck!
Sometimes putting a cover over most of the crate so it is darker like a den helps. Full disclosure: I've never crated a dog after the first 6 months, so I don't know if this helps with older dogs.
Thanks guys , I will try and 're-crate' him as best I can although I'm not entirely sure that is the problem . I'm told by everyone when I'm not in the house he's perfectly happy in the crate it's just the second he sees me or hears my voice, basically when he knows I'm around he starts to bark and doesn't stop until he is out.
It's important not to let him out till he stops barking (no matter how hard it is to hold your nerve!). If you let him out while he's barking then the barking will only increase because it's being rewarded with freedom. Only reward silence with freedom.
Obi was like that when younger. Used to shout if I went upstairs for too long or if I took Riley into the garden and left him behind. I just had to build up the time he'd let me out of his sight. Door closed and then reopened. Upstairs then straight back down. I never returned when he was barking. Eventually he chilled out a bit. He's still staring at the door waiting for me when I get back down though
It really does sound like everything else in training; you have to proof against the things that the dog finds difficult. In this case, that's when you're around and he's in his crate. So that's what you have to work on; him getting comfortable with that situation. Again, it's very easy for us to try and rationalise an issue by saying "he's ok with this so he should be ok with that", but that's not really how it works. This (being in the crate when you're not around) is a great first step, but now you have to work a little bit more until he's just as happy with that (being in the crate when you are around). So, pop him in the crate and potter in the same room as him. Pop him in the crate and leave the room for an instant. Only ever reward him (by letting him out, talking to him, making eye contact with him) when he's quiet. Build it up slowly and you'll get there in the end.
