[runpinkbunny]

I have a 4 mo Shih Poo. She goes into her crate, I introduced it properly, ect..

When I leave, the crying hasn't gotten better. She whins and whatnot. Typically, this should get better I would think. Anyway, today, I went running and left my FLIP Camera on. She whined, and jumped at the crate off and on for an hour and 30 minutes before the tape ended. (I came back around 2 hours)..

Is she just not used to being left yet? Is she too young to be concerned?

Thanks in advance

Brian - Covington, Ky

[lange]

How long have you been crate training? Is she thrashing around or is her crying more mild?

You say you introduced it properly but you don't mention what steps you've taken. Toys, long lasting treats? Are you physically putting her into the crate? Talking to her before you leave? Covered or uncovered crate? Wearing her out before hand? How long is she crated per day?..


Yes, typically it does get better. They get used to it but how well & how fast depends on each individual dog & the steps you take depending on the dogs temperament.

[muttsneedluvtoo]

Does she associate the crate with punishment? If she misbehaves and gets put in her crate, she may be crying now thinking she is being punished.
I found that making sure she was praised and not punished prior to being crated made the transition easier for her
When you put her in her crate in the morning or evening, always say its bedtime. Give her a treat and a toy. Any treats she gets during the day should be taken to her 'bed'.
With our Alley(7month old shi tzu poodle x) as soon as we say bedtime, whether we are talking to her or the kids she goes immediately to her pen lol.

[Taming Rover]

Originally Posted by lange

How long have you been crate training? Is she thrashing around or is her crying more mild?

You say you introduced it properly but you don't mention what steps you've taken. Toys, long lasting treats? Are you physically putting her into the crate? Talking to her before you leave? Covered or uncovered crate? Wearing her out before hand? How long is she crated per day?.

Yes would like to hear the answers to these questions before making a formal reply to this post but I would like to say that the one of the most important things to consider when crating a dog for extended periods is that you take them for a nice long walk and drain some of their energy before you crate them. Maybe you can go for a shorter run with her first (even just around the block) since she is still young, and then crate her while you go for your longer 2 hour run until she gets big enough to go on long runs with you.

[WCRose]

I have a Shi-poo as well. He is four years old and he hates the crate. There was a long period of time when he seemed to be okay with it and then he developed mild separation anxiety whenever I left to go to work. He has to stay in his crate for about 8-9 hours a day when I'm not at home. I feel bad leaving him that long but there's nothing I can do about it. I'd like to leave him out, but then he just pees all over the couch. I have considered leaving him in the kitchen but haven't tried it yet. I walk my dog Gizmo for 20 minutes in the morning before he is crated and then he gets anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour walk or run on the beach when I get home. He gets tons of attention once I'm home. In the morning he starts shaking and crying before he even gets into the crate and tries to run and hide in my room. Once he's in there, he makes horrible screaming sounds. I'm not sure what to do either. When I leave, I do the no touch, no eye contact, etc. It doesn't seem to make any difference.