# Help please - seperation anxiety and soiling crate



## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

This will just be quick as I need to get on with my work but I would really appreciate help on helping Daisy through the night. 

We had issues with the crate full stop, however Daisy now will happily eat and sleep in there during the day as long as we are around. As soon as I leave the room to say have my morning shower or when we go to bed she gets very upset. She howls and whines for about 20 minutes and then I had thought that she was settling. Last night however, I realised that I had left her collar on her so went down to remove it. She was shredding her blanket, panting like a little steam train and seemed very anxious. I would not let her out of the crate but sat with her until she was calm and then left again. She then howled again. I slept through the night (exhausted!) but when I came down at 6am she was awake and had soiled her crate. My husband said she had been howling and whining at intervals around 3am and 5am. This is a regular thing. 

Please can anyone reccomend a method of helping her confidence when we leave her? It might be a case of little and often but I hate to see her so distressed. 

Thank you as always.


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## kendal (Jul 16, 2009)

have you concidered a bark collar, the spray one. we had a cocker at training who was the exact same. then they came in one day and said that thdy tried a bark collar on her, and she didnt barm so didnt stress herself so didnt mess in the crate and didnt shred hed blanket. 

i think they used it for about a week, but said she probably didnt need it for the last day or two. 


iv been using it on delta after wet walk if i need to pop them in the crate to dry off. bu the other day i bad to switch as inca was making the racket and delta didnt make a peep. so i think it does work. 

it stops them barking so they dont get themselvea worked up.

its worth a try and wont hurt her. 

buy the bark collar online as i think its far cheeper than in pets at home.


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## Jane (Mar 2, 2011)

Hi,

Do you have to use a crate?

I have never used one, I bought Betty a lovely snuggly dog bed and she settles in that just fine. 

Just a thought.


Jane


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## andypandi (Jun 22, 2011)

We had similar problems with Milo. After advice on here, we did put the crate in the bedroom at night and it worked like a dream! After about 5 nights we moved it back downstairs. We now put him in it half an hour or so before we go to bed so that he is settled and then when we leave him his isn't quite so anxious. Some nights he will still cry but it doesn't usually last too long and if he gets disturbed in the night he will cry again but we try to ignore it.

I try and pop him in the crate for short periods through the day when I am around and he is improving. However I still can't leave him to go upstairs if he isn't in the crate and no-one else is around, he gets very upset!

We did try a Kong and various other chews but he really wasn't interested in them if he thought he was being left!

Hope things improve for you and Daisy soon.


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## Laney (Aug 7, 2011)

We had terrible nights (first 4) with Rocky in his crate until I popped a warm hot water bottle with a soft, fluffy doggy cover in with him....he snuggled up to it and we didn't hear another peep until morning. Now he waits for me to do it after his last trip out at night. He gets a "goodnight" treat and I pop the bottle in. He trots in happily and cuddles up. I did buy some different ones to make sure he didn't get too dependent on his first "bedtime buddy". Make sure the water is not boiling, just hot..in case its burst. Rocky has never chewed the bottle or case, he just seems to know its not for that. Good luck, whatever you try. You must be shattered. x


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## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

I will look into that kendal, would need to know more about how they work. It is no longer a crate thing but a seperation issue. She likes it during the day when we are around. If I was to leave her in a bed she would only be happy until I left the room. Then instead of destroying her bed it would be my sofa or something else. I think she would be fine in our bedroom but hubby is already getting tired and I don't think he would go for that. Will chat to him later. 

Kendal, did you say that if dogs are on raw it takes 12 hours to go through them? If so I am considering splitting her food into two meals, morning and night and miss out lunch.


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## M&M's mummy (Jul 12, 2011)

Sarah In general, raw dog food takes about 4 to 6 hours to move through your dog. Dry dog food takes a bit longer to digest and spends about 10 to 12 hours inside your dog.


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## M&M's mummy (Jul 12, 2011)

As you posted same question on other forum I did respond there but will copy my reply on here too 

I doubt if your hubby will go for this but I would try putting the crate in your room for a week or two until she is happy sleeping in there through the night.

Once she is happy about sleeping in their without any howling etc.... then move the crate to it's former place.

The other thing, I know you have said before about her having a poo at night/early hours maybe this is making her unsettled in that she wakes up wanting to go for a poo and gets upset ( they don't normally like to soil where they sleep) that she has to go in the crate. Then once awake she can't settle and becomes stressed....

Maybe adjust her last feed time and make sure she has had a poo before bedtime.

Another thought- have you tried her without a crate? maybe she might be happier just in a dog bed. Worth a shot maybe?


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## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

M&M's mummy said:


> Sarah In general, raw dog food takes about 4 to 6 hours to move through your dog. Dry dog food takes a bit longer to digest and spends about 10 to 12 hours inside your dog.


Thank you! You don't need to reply in both places :hug:  but I suppose it is useful for other members to see advice given aswell!  (I posted on there as I am hoping a particular trainer will respond, if not I might pm her later). It is great to hear from as many members as possible if they have any experiance of this kind of thing.  

I have spoke to hubby who says that we can try it but if she yaps and howls then she has to go back downstairs. But he is willing to give it a go. It is unfortunate he is so precious with his sleep but I am used to getting about 6 hours which has in the past been disturbed by Henry needing a wee! 

So...if I feed her last meal at 4pm then she should poo before I go to bed which is normally about 11.30ish. Some of the problem I think is also that when I take her out about 10pm she is so tired that she just lies down at my feet in the garden!  Maybe I need to take her out for a mini walk round the block to get things going! 

The best night that we had was when there was no poo and that night there was also less chewing. I think although the seperation anxiety will take more work I think I need to see the poo thing as a seperate issue. If I can sort that then maybe her nights will be a bit less disturbed?


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## M&M's mummy (Jul 12, 2011)

Sezra said:


> Thank you! You don't need to reply in both places :hug:  but I suppose it is useful for other members to see advice given aswell!  (I posted on there as I am hoping a particular trainer will respond, if not I might pm her later). It is great to hear from as many members as possible if they have any experiance of this kind of thing.
> 
> I have spoke to hubby who says that we can try it but if she yaps and howls then she has to go back downstairs. But he is willing to give it a go. It is unfortunate he is so precious with his sleep but I am used to getting about 6 hours which has in the past been disturbed by Henry needing a wee!
> 
> ...


 Yes as I said I do feel that maybe her wanting to poo is causing her some stress.

Mine are fed around 4 and they poo on their evening walk at around 8ish. Though mine are on dry kibble.

When Milly was Daisy's age I also use to put her into the garden just before going into crate around 11-11-30 ( though I am now up later lately) but the most she did was a wee - and the odd poo.

Also take into consideration any treats you are giving too.


So after feeding her at 4 does she not poo ? ( apart from in the crate)


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## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

No, she doesn't, not always. I think the best night we had also happened to be when she had weed and pooed about 10pm. I think I need to wake her up a bit more.


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## M&M's mummy (Jul 12, 2011)

Sezra said:


> No, she doesn't, not always. I think the best night we had also happened to be when she had weed and pooed about 10pm. I think I need to wake her up a bit more.


You need to get her in a routine so that she knows she needs to poo before going into crate at night, rather than during the night.

I'm surprised she is holding herself that long at this age. Little bugger 

What are her feeding times now and when does she normally poo?

Yes maybe a brisk little walk before bed to encourage her to poo. Do you use any words for going? if so keep reinforcing these as you take her out and then lots of praise.


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## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

I completely agree and I thought that's what might happen. Her routine has been 7am, 12pm and then 4.30pm. Then I changed the last feed to a later time but it was no different. Today I gone back to my original evening time but I am going to try and ensure she goes before bed!

She was a superstar after her dinner! She went outside, without me  and did her business! I was sooo impressed! 

I say 'get busy' which was stolen from another member on here, I can't remember who it was (sorry). They chose it because they didn't use that for anything else and being a childminder I am always talking about wees etc so it seemed like a good idea. I always give her lots of praise but she is not always interested in food treats. I think she is driven by love and fuss rather than her belly! :hug:

Thanks. x


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## M&M's mummy (Jul 12, 2011)

She's around about the age where you could consider going to two meals and this might help. ( though maybe different with raw so run it by Jo perhaps)

I would try and feed her no later than 4 so give you time to get her to poo before you go to bed.

Sure once you have got her not waking up to poo that will help a lot.


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## Sezra (May 20, 2011)

Well this morning was an improvement! 

Obviously still noisy at bed time etc but no mess in the crate other than chewed up bit if vet bed! 

I took her out at 6am (why did I stay up so late!) and she did her business! Yay, what a relief! I think the advice to feed early is good. I might feed her at 4pm tonight. I gave her a lamb rib bone for a change and it took her so much longer to eat than a chicken wing which was great as she is always so fast I worry about her gulping!

A good start to the day. Off to the woods later!


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## ali-s.j. (Jun 6, 2011)

That's a big step in the right direction Sarah, good girl Daisy


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