dog people advice, crates!!

I know there are alot of dog people on this forum. I have a dog that ABSOLUTELY needs to be crated when we are not home. He is a rescue and came from a shelter where he was for i think either 4 or 6 months!! I have done my best to introduce him to crates and desensitize him, however he has severe seperation anxiety and i think the crate makes it worse. He does ok for the first few days or so but then starts to destroy the crates and breaks out of them. Most recently he has injured his paw and broke some teeth on a so called Super heavy duty crate that he chewed to pieces. I have tried anxiety meds with litte effect. I think i need to try the plastic type crate people use to travel with their pets. The smooth interior wouldnt provide a place to bite and pull on. ANy thoughts? similar situations? attached is a picture of the $300 heavy duty crate he made short work of....

 

I've got a metal crate and I think a dog would be hard pressed to break out of it. The crate should be big enough so the dog can turn around in it and lay on it's side and extend his legs (not sure how big that crate is relative to the size of your dog). If a dog isn't crate trained, just throwing a new dog in a crate and walking away can be very traumatic. If you associate the crate with a positive things, they will learn to like the crate and treat it like their safe place. Try feeding the dog just outside the crate, then put the bowls just inside the door, then all the way in the back and let him eat with the door open, then, after a while, put his bowls in the back of the crate, let him eat and close the door behind him and open it right up as soon as he's done. Eventually you should be able to put him in his crate without issue. We give our dog a kong filled with some food and peanut butter when we leave him in his crate. We freeze it over night so it takes him a good 30 - 40 minutes to get through it. He only gets that treat when we leave for the day and he's put in his crate. Now, if we reach for the freezer, he bolts to his crate. He'll also go in there voluntarily if he gets scared from something. Also, put the crate in the corner of a room, not the center. Dogs are den animals so mentally that helps them out. Lastly, don't use the crate as a punishment! You want them to like the crate, not fear it. Good luck!

This is the crate I have for my lab. I've got the huge one for a great dane so it's very roomy for my guy.
http://www.petco.com/product/13372/PETCO-Premium-2-Door-Dog-Crates.aspx

 

best advice you will get on crate training.

 

Awesome, thansk for the input, i have done this with feeding him and so forth, he runs in no problem for food and with a kong when i leave, he gets in just fine. Its just later, once we are gone is when i guess he gets ressless and tries to get out. He svery strong and even more head strong. I guess i will just have to start over again and take it more slowly. He has destoyed 3 of those wire crates....

 

^^^ stop spending so much on the crate and spend it on crate training... Dogs are some of the most resilient creatures when left alone in an environment they don't wanna be in.. he'll continue to destroy the crates until you get him trained.. remember, training isn't just for the benefit of the owner, it's for the dog too.

 

^^^ Good one, Jim

 

Damn... strong dog! Do you excercise him in the morning? A tired dog is typically much less destructive than an active, awake and restless dog. Another thing you could resort to is maybe a dog walker to come by mid day to get him out of his crate until he gets used to being in there every day. There are also toys that take them longer to figure out or can be put on timers to release treats or toys 3 - 4 hours after you leave. This would keep him more entertained when in the crate when you're not there.

 

jesus buddy, you are living my old nightmare.

1st, kudos for adopting a dog.

i am 50/50 for success. my last dog, i failed. the dog tried to kill kids next door at the friggen daycare, and i had to get rid of her. my situation sounded like yours.

this time, i adopted an older dog with sep anx. he would bark, and whine. he is small, so not so strong. we opted this time for a crate. we went so slow. we fed him in the kennel. and snacks. he didnt get a stupid milk bone unless he was in the kennel. 100% of food, treats, sometimes toys were only given to him when he was in that kennel. zero exceptions. we would show him a dog treat, say.."kennel"..he got it. we can be anywhere on the property. and say the "k" word..he will run in. and wait for us.

we put the kennel next to us while we watch TV. he slept in it..door closed, right next to our beds. 100% happy shit happened in that box.

we won, now he sleeps in it, door opened. when we leave, we kennel him. kong goes in, dog goes in..leave ZERO FANFARE> just leave...IMPORTANT PART coming up..when you get home..DO NOT immediately let him out. take your time..take off shoes, pee..do random things..flat out ignore him. no eye contact, to chitchat.. at some random time..walk by..open the door, and continue to ignore him. if he jumps, turn your back. you dont want him sitting in there anticipating your return..only later, when he is calm and relaxed,,say "hi".

good luck.

 

X2 you may want to try different anxiety meds it takes a few weeks for it to start working. My lab was rescue was crazy for the firast year and a half, with meds and traing she is great now no more meds no more crate when we leave. Make sure you get your dog worn out, a tired dog is a happy dog, mine uses the tread mill as well as walks and retreaving. She turend out to be a great dog! Keep working with you dog it will get better. Good luck!!!

 

Pugga is right on..we exercised this next dog like he was a navy seal. he was so tired he couldnt afford sep anx in the beginning. before kennel, we would exhaust him.

 

Hes walked roughly 20 minutes in the morning and 30-40ish at night, and i mean walked, healing by my side, none of that in front of me business. Hes watching me most of the time listening to heal, and looking for other small animals/dogs to f with the other half of the time lol. I tether him to my bike and ride between 2 and 3 miles and what i would call and insane pace, he loves it, pretty sure he would do it until he dropped dead. He has been thru a 14 week basic obedience class, he did great. The mental stimulation is what really tired him out. I am working on getting the treadmill. He runs free in a field with my other dog playing fetch and taking hikes when i am off and have free time. Before my girl firend quit her job i was coming home everyday about 3-4 hours after he went in the crate to go outside bathroom and short walk. Its an anxiety issue, he thinks he is the leader of the pack and subsequently goes ape shit when "the pack" leaves him. i thought training would resolve this and it really hasnt. I want to avoid any more anxiety meds if possible.

 

i didnt see it posted but i might have missed it. try getting a cover for the crate, it gives a more secure feeling like a den, not an open jail, ya know? mine was fine with crates when i first got him them he had to stay at my ex's for a few months then i got him back with crate issues, he destroys his also. I noticed he like the more enclosed feeling, also praise him and make it a big deal when he goes in on his own, feeding in the crate also helps, try crating for short periods of time while your home, then let him out again make a big deal, its ok, they wont be in there forever, then make the crate time longer while your home. never send him to the crate as punishment...i use a floor mat in the corner for that its his time out corner.

 

this is wat i did with my pit hes learned to lov it n thr