LonG story short, am I messing up the training

[nomoreexcuses24]

am I messing up my puppy. I let him sleep in bed when we had the super cold freeze, can’t move the kennel much in a travel trailer.I kennel during the day, he has a Rover that comes over and lets him out. But he’s a screamer. 5 months old. My camera tells me he’s screaming. How do I fix this? Kennel at night and during the day? Also, I don’t respond to trolls. I’m a great dog mom. I know that. I just haven’t had a puppy in years. Please ignore the trolls

 

[naturex]

@nomoreexcuses24 What are you doing for exercise and mental stimulation to balance being confined so much? Also how did you crate train? Sounds like fall out from the “cry it out method” ?

 

[pellebroekveld]

@nomoreexcuses24 Sounds like a clinical case. I would highly suggest speaking to your vet about medication that can help calm him down and also look at the book "Be right back" by Julie Niasmith.

When it's clinical like this no training can really happen because the dog is in fight or flight mode.

 

[carieinney]

@nomoreexcuses24 You could try feeding him in the crate as well, it helps make a positive association.

 

[geoffkey]

@nomoreexcuses24 Have you tried easing into it? I had a puppy who would do great at night in the kennel but scream all day. So I started teaching her how to be alone when she was awake, at about 4 months, by leaving (at the start for 5 seconds) coming back and giving her a treat. It was a slow go til about 15 minutes, and then by that time, 15 isn't so different from 20, 20 isn't so different from 30, 30 isn't so different from 45. It took about 2 months but we got up to 4 hours really quickly. And now (granted she graduated from her kennel and has free reign) she can go 7 if I really need her to, although I don't do this often.

 

[crossnote]

@nomoreexcuses24 How long are you gone during the day and what breed(s) is the puppy?

Also when you return during the day do you immediately let him out even if he’s screaming? Does the dog walker let him out if he’s screaming or does he wait for calm behavior?

 

[scourge]

@crossnote [sup]wish[/sup] OP would answer this. To my knowledge, this is where the TRAINING should start. HOW is the dog going in and out of the kennel? Is the owner leading and in charge of the process, or is the dog running the show? Sounds like a normal young dog that just needs trained to behave themselves.

What insane other suggestions tho!? Re-home? Medication!??! Highly doubt that’s needed, do more homework/research on being in charge. Search up Michael Ellis talks on Kennel Behavior, great spot to start.

 

[crossnote]

@scourge Right! It’s a very young dog doing pretty normal puppy behavior. It’s past the sleepy quiet neonate stage and into full on doggie childhood where it’s going to try to figure out how the world works. As humans it’s our job to guide them on what behaviors work our world and which ones don’t, and screaming in the crate will never get me to open that door. I will sit on the floor doing nothing as long as it takes for the puppy to relax and lay down so then we can have a good time.

 

[pellebroekveld]

@scourge It's not insane. A normal dog will not scream for hours even with the typical cry it out method.

What the dog is doing is very extreme and not something that a normal dog will do. Being in charge won't help a dog who is literally scared or anxious.

 

[scourge]

@pellebroekveld Could be! So hard to say from descriptions.

 

[pellebroekveld]

@scourge 100% which is why usually an IRL person or even a zoom lesson with a trainer can be way more helpful than the internet. If it's as bad as OP says then I'd advocate for medication for peace of both dog and human mind with training.

If it's just quiet whining with no real destructive tendencies then if OP wants to use cry it out I won't throw a fit about it. But dogs who tend to be worked up or increase their anxiety to levels where it gets worse as time goes on tend to do horribly or cause expensive vet issues to themselves with cry it out.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@nomoreexcuses24 How long are you leaving a 5 month old puppy in a crate during the day? Not judging - serious question. I’m a big fan of crates. But for that age you must be careful with how long your leaving him alone at once.

If it’s a trailer - what is the day time activity light? Are their loud truck engines? Loud noises in general?

 

[lovechrist14]

@nomoreexcuses24 Where you let your puppy sleep as a stand alone thing wouldn’t ruin them, or your training. It’s more about your overall relationship and how you set and stick to your house rules.

You’ll need to establish why he’s screaming. If he’s bored, has some unfulfilled need or if he has separation anxiety for example. How you deal with it depends on the cause.

 

[jag]

@nomoreexcuses24 I always tell people it’s fine to let them sleep with you but you want to make sure they’re crate trained (for those occasions you might need it in the future) and 100% reliable on potty training first. Most dogs get this around 8months to a year but it’s your dog so your call. If he sleeps through the night fine it sounds like he has at least one of these down, but you might consider still having him sleep in the crate occasionally so he doesn’t backslide and start crying at night just because he wants you.

As far as crying during the day it sounds like more of a separation anxiety problem. If you’re not already practice giving him a high reward treat every time you leave him in the crate to build up positive association with it. At that age I train them to go in the crate on command and treat them every time they go in on their own. If you have room you could also set up a circle pen around the crate so he has the option to go in or just hang out with a little more space.

Don’t let him out of the crate if he’s barking. When you first start this you’ll probably have to wait for very short pauses but as he starts to get it you can start to raise your standards. It’s also a good idea to quietly slip a treat into the crate whenever he’s quiet. I understand this requires you to be there and might not help while you’re gone but it’s worth a try.

If none of this is working I would find a trainer who specializes in separation anxiety.