Dog barking, whining, in crate when I leave for work

[wendibird22]

Update in post 22.


We are starting week 3 with our rescue dog. He's 1-2yr old. We've been crating him during the day and at night. First few nights were rough with him throwing a fit, which we expected. Then it got better. Then this past weekend it got worse again with him barking, whimpering, whining off and on for at least 30-45mins. But then last night he didn't make a sound and went right to sleep. We have a cheap webcam so I can look in on him during the day. I've been checking what happens after I leave for work. Again he barks, whines, whimpers every single time. Today he carried on for at least 30mins. He'd get all worked up, then settle and give up, only to start all over again. I'm glad I'm not in an apartment or condo or my neighbors would hate us. We do put a kong with treat and a nylabone in there with him. The first week we had an old towel in there too but one day he started tearing it up so we removed that.

Just now I could see him biting on the crate bars and the camera has a mic so I told him no and he stopped. He does eventually settle and nap all day. It's just that he seems to carry on for quite a long time when I first leave.

1. Will he always throw such a fit or do you think he will he eventually get used to it?

2. Is there anything else that I can do to ease the transition when I leave? He goes in the crate willingly if you toss a dog biscuit in there and he does really love the kong but he's a strong chewer so it doesn't take long for him to get the treat out.

[hillview]

Might try to leave a radio or TV on to help him hear noise and also be less reactive to any outside noise. Also does he have a crate cover -- does that help him quiet down? A sheet maybe (leaving the back or wall facing uncovered for air)?

[JBaxter]

maybe he just hates being in such a small confined space so much. What about putting him in a bathroom or laundry room during the day to give him more room

[TwinFoxes]

Is there a reason you crate him all day? My dog is crate trained, but we don't leave her in there all day. I've never tried to crate train an adult dog, we've always started them as pups, so that may be part of the issue, if your dog is closer to two, rather than one.

Maybe switching up the toys, my dog's favorite toy is a cheap rubber ice cream cone that a friend gave her for Christmas. It's crazy how much she loves that thing, maybe there's a toy that your dog will take to and he'll like having in his crate. You can freeze broth in a kong, that keeps them busy. I think you have to make it seem less like jail, and more like a bedroom. Does your dog ever go in voluntarily? Right now my dog is curled up in her crate with the door open. Maybe try getting your dog to go into the crate for toys and such with the door open while you're all around. Rather than only putting him in there only when you're not around. (You may have tried all of this already, these are just random thoughts.)

[pinkmomagain]

Make being in the crate a wonderful thing, even when you are home and he is not confined to crate. Lots of wonderful treats when he goes in there.

[Kindra178]

A few thoughts. My rescue (around 8 months when we got her) was horrible in the crate. My dh worked from home and he had to take calls in the bathroom. She regularly barked for 4-5 hours straight. A few tricks (one of which I got here):

(1) peanut butter. Give the dog a scoop of pb on the way in and out of the crate every time he goes in and out. Leave the pb on top of crate at all times.

(2) to practice crate training, put him in and out regularly. Start with 30 seconds, in and out. Do that over the course of an hour. Increase to a couple of minutes. Use the pb. Sit backwards by the crate but don’t look at him.


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[smilequeen]

Is he in there all day? Like no break at lunch or anything? That would be too much. I would hire a dog walker to take him out if he’s in there while you work full time. Also maybe get up earlier if you don’t already and take a 15-20 min walk to start the day. My dogs do better if they get some exercise right off.

I have only crate trained puppies and mine all like their crates. I do have 3 dogs though and their crates are in the same room. Older dogs might need different things that I don’t have experience with. I hope someone does for you.

Have you tried peanut butter in the Kong? It takes longer to get that all out.

I have a big chewer (although she’s outgrowing it now) and I never could have left her in a small room. She could chew up baseboards, dig holes in drywall, chewed on windowsills, chewed on corners...she either needed a crate or lots of room. A bathroom would have been destroyed. A crate is a great thing once they are trained for it...but not for more than 3-4 hours at a time during the day.

[wendibird22]

Thanks all for the suggestions. He loves PB so I’ll def try that in the Kong. Does the broth make a mess as it thaws?

Yeah we couldn’t put him in a small room. He def chew up something. Or bust down the door trying to get out.

He is in there all day. Live in a small town and there’s no dog walkers. Asked at vet, asked at doggie daycare (he goes once a week), and checked Rover. I do take him for a walk or a long session of fetch before leaving. He’s super bonded to me still (though getting better at me being out of his sight) so I don’t know if he’d behave differently if DH was the one crating him in the morning, though DH is usually the one crating him at night.

He has walked into the crate from time to time to get his bone or kong but he doesn’t hang out in there. He doesn’t seem afraid to go in and I don’t have to force him in thankfully. Just wished he chilled out quicker.

Here he is snoozing away....https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180328/917e0eba2e95fc411e621daaab79b7fc.jpg


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[AngB]

When our dogs were young and had to be crated all day, we would freeze peanut butter in the kongs so it took a long time for them to get it out and they liked it. (Actually we went a bit overboard and put 1/2 a cut up hot dog under the peanut butter and topped it with the peanut butter and froze.) They LOVED it and wasn't too messy. They would run to their crates when they saw the kongs. We did keep a few of them for each dog so we could keep up with washing them.

[carolinamama]

Where do you have your crate? If it's in a little used space, try moving it to a main part of your house such as the living room. That way the dog feels like they are hanging out where his people do.

Make the crate seem as positive as possible. Leave the door open when you are home (crate in the main area of your home) and periodically throw treats in there. Feed him meals in the crate with the door open. Toughest Kong filled with frozen peanut butter when when you do leave him in there.

Good Luck!

[wendibird22]

Where do you have your crate? If it's in a little used space, try moving it to a main part of your house such as the living room. That way the dog feels like they are hanging out where his people do.

Make the crate seem as positive as possible. Leave the door open when you are home (crate in the main area of your home) and periodically throw treats in there. Feed him meals in the crate with the door open. Toughest Kong filled with frozen peanut butter when when you do leave him in there.

Good Luck!

Yes the crate is in our living room placed between our couch and our tv. High traffic area and where we spend almost all of our waking hours when we are home. We do leave the door open at all times so I can definitely try tossing treats in there once and a while for him to go in/out and see it as a positive thing at times other than when we are leaving the house or bedtime. Great idea.

Frozen PB kong sounds like a winner! I'll try that.

ETA: I've check on the camera a few times today and he's still comfortably snoozing. He's clearly changed position and moved around but seems content. It's just the drawn out leaving drama that seems to be the challenge.

[ChicagoNDMom]

I could not imaging crating a dog all day and all night. Unless a dog is still potty training, we only use the crate for 2 things: 1. If they are wet and need to air dry or 2. A worker comes to the house who is not comfortable with a dog watching them work.

You need to seriously re-consider your plan. It is not good for any dog to be crated that many hours in a 24 hour period.

[TwinFoxes]

The crate seems a tad small, I think the next size up might be better. We've always had some sort of dog bed in ours.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I could not imaging crating a dog all day and all night. Unless a dog is still potty training, we only use the crate for 2 things: 1. If they are wet and need to air dry or 2. A worker comes to the house who is not comfortable with a dog watching them work.

You need to seriously re-consider your plan. It is not good for any dog to be crated that many hours in a 24 hour period.

That’s what I was thinking. Size up, at least.
Any doggie day cares?


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[ray7694]

We crated our golden from puppy until he could be trusted not to chew up the whole house which was a long time. The crate looks fine to me and I think whining is normal as they miss you. Our dog would whine when we left and still does even when our of the crate. While we crated during day and overnight our dog was used to it. Was the dog getting more time with the previous owner?

[123LuckyMom]

We are starting week 3 with our rescue dog. He's 1-2yr old. We've been crating him during the day and at night. First few nights were rough with him throwing a fit, which we expected. Then it got better. Then this past weekend it got worse again with him barking, whimpering, whining off and on for at least 30-45mins. But then last night he didn't make a sound and went right to sleep. We have a cheap webcam so I can look in on him during the day. I've been checking what happens after I leave for work. Again he barks, whines, whimpers every single time. Today he carried on for at least 30mins. He'd get all worked up, then settle and give up, only to start all over again. I'm glad I'm not in an apartment or condo or my neighbors would hate us. We do put a kong with treat and a nylabone in there with him. The first week we had an old towel in there too but one day he started tearing it up so we removed that.

Just now I could see him biting on the crate bars and the camera has a mic so I told him no and he stopped. He does eventually settle and nap all day. It's just that he seems to carry on for quite a long time when I first leave.

1. Will he always throw such a fit or do you think he will he eventually get used to it?

2. Is there anything else that I can do to ease the transition when I leave? He goes in the crate willingly if you toss a dog biscuit in there and he does really love the kong but he's a strong chewer so it doesn't take long for him to get the treat out.

This sounds like separation anxiety. If unaddressed, it is likely to get worse until the dog is hurting himself trying to chew and scrape apart the crate. This dog may not be a great match for your family since this dog may need to be with a family where someone is home most of the time, and the dog can be with people. I’d consult a behaviorist about this if you know you want to keep the dog. You need to start desensitization and counterconditioning treatments so the dog can learn to associate being alone with good things. Many treatments, though, can not be accomplished in a crate. Your dog may be experiencing severe boredom as well as separation anxiety (or possibly instead of, which would be great, but, of course, boredom will often become full blown anxiety eventually, and three weeks is a long time to be primarily confined to a crate.) For boredom, you’ll need lots of interesting puzzle toys that randomly release treats. Frozen peanut butter Kongs are good, too. But boredom toys can’t work in a crate. Do you have a small, safe space like a bathroom, mud room, or laundry room where the dog can have some room to move about but is still confined to an area where he can’t be destructive and that is easy to clean? If the problem is boredom, that will work, but dogs with separation anxiety really can’t be confined, or they’ll be very noisy, destructive and/or hurt themselves. I’d get a specialist in quickly!

ETA: look up “dog puzzle toys” on Amazon. They’ve got a lot! Be careful, though! Most of them require supervision because they can be dangerous if your dog tears them up or separates pieces. Look for hard plastic or Kong-like treat dispensers.


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[StantonHyde]

My vote is for separation anxiety. Talk to the vet. Sometimes they might need some doggy prozac for a bit to get over the hump so to speak. I had to put my rescue on it every summer for thunderstorms or he would try to go through windows. It might help him as he adjusts. Again--the vet can help you figure this out. I agree, the crate needs to be bigger. And the kong ideas are great.

[RiverRat]

I didn’t read all the replies.

Do you take him for a walk before he goes in? If he’s tired he may be more apt to go in.

If he’s a rescue, do you know if he came from a poor association with crates? This may be part of the issue. He hasn’t built up trust that you’ll be back for him.

Can you move the crate so it’s more protected? My dogs crate sat in a corner with a towel covering the top and about halfway down three sides. More like a cave for her.

Another option would be to try a soft sided crate. Mesh sides instead of steel. I have a pop up one I take with me to crate her when we are in a new place.

Don’t crate the dog at night. Or if you have to then I would consider keeping the dog in your room. I think he’s lonely.


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[wendibird22]

The crate is the size recommended by the rescue and our vet. He can fully stand up, sit, lie down and turn around with room to spare.

We don't now anything about his past. He was rescued from a high kill shelter in GA and brought up to NY. He isn't believed to have been a stray because he was at the shelter with his brother. His brother was also adopted out and both boys are doing well on their own. The rescue believes they were probably tied up outside all day long prior.

I tried a frozen PB kong today and he seemed to love it and when I checked in on video a few times other than a few whimpers he settled down. He's been snoring all morning long.

I think after just 2.5 weeks with us, so really just a dozen work days, he's still getting used to us leaving all day. He's still working on potty training and he loves to chew things so we just don't have the ability to leave him out, even in a small room, all day or all night. He gets lots of daily exercise, either at doggie daycare, or on runs with me, and loves to snuggle with us on the couch at night. He was velcro'd to me the first 2 weeks never leaving my side, but is growing less attached to me. I think it may just take some more time. And your suggestions are all super helpful.

[123LuckyMom]

The crate is the size recommended by the rescue and our vet. He can fully stand up, sit, lie down and turn around with room to spare.

We don't now anything about his past. He was rescued from a high kill shelter in GA and brought up to NY. He isn't believed to have been a stray because he was at the shelter with his brother. His brother was also adopted out and both boys are doing well on their own. The rescue believes they were probably tied up outside all day long prior.

I tried a frozen PB kong today and he seemed to love it and when I checked in on video a few times other than a few whimpers he settled down. He's been snoring all morning long.

I think after just 2.5 weeks with us, so really just a dozen work days, he's still getting used to us leaving all day. He's still working on potty training and he loves to chew things so we just don't have the ability to leave him out, even in a small room, all day or all night. He gets lots of daily exercise, either at doggie daycare, or on runs with me, and loves to snuggle with us on the couch at night. He was velcro'd to me the first 2 weeks never leaving my side, but is growing less attached to me. I think it may just take some more time. And your suggestions are all super helpful.

Just that backstory definitely suggests some separation anxiety, but it sounds like the boredom alleviation with the Kong helps! I understand about needing to have him crated. It’s only a problem because it makes the puzzle toys less exciting when you only have a tiny amount of room for them to roll around. That kind of thing may be enough to do the trick, though. We used to feed our golden half his daily food in puzzle balls and treat dispensers! Keeping the crate the right size so that it’s cozy and den-like is better than getting a larger crate, I think. Keep throwing random treats in there and giving your dog some entertainment while you’re gone. If that doesn’t work, though, I really would get some professional help. Just like in people, untreated anxiety is a misery and gets worse with long stretches of alone time, especially when it’s the alone time that’s at the root of the anxiety.

Also, with peanut butter, be careful that you’re using a brand that is free from xylitol (a sugar substitute). It’s safe for humans but potentially deadly for dogs.


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[wendibird22]

Just a quick/funny update. So I had a few minutes before heading out of work early to attend DD2's student of the month assembly so I checked in on the webcam and to my shock/horror/surprise the crate was EMPTY! I'm staring at an empty dog crate, no dog in sight, and the crate looks fine. I quickly call DH and ask "Are you at home?" "Yeah, why?" "Cause I just checked in on the dog and there's no dog!" "Oh, yeah, I came home first before the assembly. The dog's with me on the couch!" Whew! I about had a heart attack!!!!!!

[wendibird22]

Update: things are going much better! Last week I decided to try having him sleep on a dog bed in our room and he did great. So we’ve been doing that for a week now. Eliminates the 10min whining in the crate at bedtime and the 4am whine to be let out. He will sleep there as long as I stay there. When I’m up, he’s up. Our only little challenge now is that if DH stays up later than me then the dog barks wakes up and barks at any noise he makes downstairs like he’s an intruder. He will even bark at DH when DH comes up to bed until he realizes it’s him.

I also got the stronger Kong (black one) and
Freeze PB in there and he LOVES that and only gets that when he’s in the crate on work days. So it’s a special treat. I’ve checked in a few times on the camera and he hasn’t been having any major fits.

Thank you all for the advice. Now if I could just get him past the mouthing and chewing stuff! He clearly didn’t have any training about mouthing before so now he’s like a puppy only 50lb! I remember this stage with our last dog. No fun.


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