Crate training and separation anxiety - so stressed!

[Tuck's Dad]

Johnfriction19, "Roger" was the name of my Poodle many years ago. We had a son with significant allergies, and a Poodle was about the only dog we could get (a few Terriers also met the bill).

When we got the dog, my wife was very excited about naming the dog as a family event/choice, and so we started discussing name options.

I had been in the military for about 5 years at that point, and typically used "roger" as an acknowledgement during conversation, so the kids would say "let's name him Bobby" and I said "Roger." then some one else would say "I like Bingo!" and I said "Roger." And so the naming selection process continued. The wife finally said "let's name him [forgot the name]." and I said "Roger." My wife looked at me with exasperation, and said in dejected tones, "OK, OK, we'll name him Roger!" I was stunned!

When I explained what I was saying/what was happening, the kids laughed and INSISTED we keep the name "ROGER" for the dog!

[Pennies4Penny]

Originally Posted by Johnfriction19

Thanks for your thoughts. We DEFINITELY do need more time, but unfortunately really don't have enough time to continue a slow pace for crate-training because my wife and I are both back at work soon. I'm worried it might be counterproductive if we force him to stay in the crate while it's still super anxiety-provoking. We did try this one time yesterday on the advice of a rescue agency friend, and he fought the entire way in there (pretty hard for a little dog!) and then was so scared he wouldn't even eat treats we gave him through the crate holes. It seems like there's mixed opinions online about if crate-training is the best option for dogs with separation anxiety.

We might look into dog daycare as a short-term solution, although places around here won't take him yet because he's too new from the shelter.

This is true, because it depends on the dog. Almost everything I read about dogs with separation anxiety says they hate their crates and/or crating makes it worse. My dog is the complete opposite. If we leave the house and she is OUTSIDE of her crate she goes nuts, barking, whining, scratching at the door.... If we are gone too long she will eat our clothes (apparently my husband's socks are a delicacy). And she will go to great lengths to get to those clothes, however... If we crate her before we leave, she is calm as can be. We say " go to your crate" and she gets up, trots in, lays down and is quiet as a mouse.

You just got your dog, so he needs more time. From fostering several dogs, I have noticed that it is about the two week mark that they really start to feel comfortable, open up and reveal their true selves (good and bad). We have had a couple fosters who hated ENTERING their crates, but were totally fine once in. I have small kids, errands to run and schedules to follow, so like y'all I HAVE to leave the house. Sometimes pushing them in was my only option as I can't have dogs running amok while I'm gone (note I would NEVER leave a panicked dog "trapped" in a crate). You can try to force him in and close it, then leave and just to see how he does, because he might actually realize, "oh I am okay in here" and stay calm, then you guys can work on him learning to enter voluntarily. If he does freak out, just let him out and continue with the slow training as others have advised. Unfortunately, sometimes these things do take a long time, but the majority of dogs DO eventually get it. Good luck!