Literally FLIPS out when we walk out the door!!!

[Emmasmom]

Good luck. My two youngest get really upset if I leave them loose. I do this if I am only going to be out for a couple of hours. They are crated when I am at work. Liam will actually hit the door, he gets so mad. Emma barks like crazy. If they are crated, they will bark and then settle down. When I was giving them the kongs and cookie, they didn't even realize I had left.

 

[JLSOhio51]

I find this thread interesting because my previous Sheltie would get a bit annoyed if one of my daughters left the house "without his permission". He didn't "FLIP out", but he would pace around by the door and whimper (obviously very annoyed) for a few minutes before settling down.

That said, Shelties&Shoes, I found this part of your comment a bit intriguing...

... If I crate him, which I hate to do, he is fine, no wigging out whatsoever; ...

My question is: If he is fine with being crated (I am assuming just until he has time to forget about his humans who left the house so unceremoniously) and, there is no "wigging out", why would you "hate to do it"? Wouldn't that choice be preferrrable to his elevated stress level?

 

[trini]

Unfortunately, many people think of a dog crate as a "cage" and feel it is unkind to use one. But to a dog, their crate is their "den" and a place of safety if it has not been misused for punishment or way too long periods of being left alone.

We had one adult rescue sheltie boy who went so bonkers when anyone would leave the house that we were afraid he would break his neck as he would literally propelled himself head first into the door that was closing. Nothing, except crating, worked to keep him in one piece. In his crate, he was calm and happy...

Now, our little Pixie does the grab and "kill" the nearest stuffed toy when one of our other dogs is coming into the house from the yard. After trying all kinds of training to no avail, we found if we use a happy voice and say "oh, what a good doggie you are" to the dog entering (NOT to Pixie LOL) she instantly stops and is totally at peace with their entrance. I guess she sees herself as our hired security guard and her "siblings" are only allowed "free passage" IF they have our voiced approval.

Maybe if you praise anyone leaving your house and tell them how good they are to be leaving, they will get "free passage". <g>

Each doggie is such a character...you have got to love them even when they are driving you bonkers too!

Trini

 

[shelties&shoes]

I am a first time dog owner and i am 45 (OMG I can't believe I said that outloud!) So, yes to me the crate seems like a cage and we really only used it for crate training and when he was a puppy while we were at work. Never thought about it being a safe haven for him, as I would never crate my human kids and I think of Kirby and Emmett as my furry kids.

I love all of the advice and suggestions. Not only are shelties awesome little furballs it seems as though they have pretty awesome parents too.

Kelly

 

[trini]

So, yes to me the crate seems like a cage and we really only used it for crate training and when he was a puppy while we were at work. Never thought about it being a safe haven for him, as I would never crate my human kids and I think of Kirby and Emmett as my furry kids.

I think most of us think of our doggies as our furry kids. But I assume your human kids have rooms of their own that give them a safe place to spend time...and a private place to retreat to when they are might be upset, tired or just want some quiet time to themselves. For a dog, their crate is the same as your human child's room...it is their safe place and their comfort zone when the world around them becomes too overwhelming. I would never make my furkids have to daily cope with an uncomfortable situation when they could feel far less stressed in their safe place...their crate.

Trini

 

[JLSOhio51]

...yes to me the crate seems like a cage and we really only used it for crate training and when he was a puppy while we were at work. Never thought about it being a safe haven for him, as I would never crate my human kids and I think of Kirby and Emmett as my furry kids...

I understand your reluctance re crates now. The whole crate training thing is new to me also. When I had my first Sheltie many years ago, I never used a crate. After being a member of SN, I am aware of the whole crate training thing and I realized pretty quickly that, properly used, crates are not punitive environments.

An interesting aside is that my companion found his own "crates/safe places in our house and we just allowed him to use them. Our dining room had a long bench on one of the long sides of the dining room table. One of his favorite places to nap was under the bench. His other little "den" was in a small walkin closet that I converted into a darkroom. He spent so much time under the work table, that I put his downstairs bed under the table. He loved it there.

 

[labgirl]

When I was going to get Cadbury, I showed my grandad the crate I had bought. "You can't keep a dog in a cage!" He said, I had to explain the concept.

Six years on Cadbury sleeps every night in his crate, out of his own choosing. He loves that crate. He is insecure and that is the only place he feels safe. In fact if I have agility in the evening I have to prevent Cadbury going to his crate as normal, else he refuses to come out again

Merlin on the other hand hated his crate, it meant being unable to get to me. So I stopped using it fairly early on. Now the only time he is in a crate is when he is in the back of the car.

 

[Shelby's mom]

Our first sheltie hated her crate therefore we didn't use it like we shod have. We were fortunate that she never chewed and was house broken by 4 mos. But she would often go under our bed to use as her den.

Fast forward to Shelby, now 3 years old. We made sure to use the crate for her and what a life savings it has been. Shelby was a big chewer so she needed to be in her crate. Now every morning at 6am she is begging us to put her in her crate and go to work. I too was never fond of using a crate but I am very glad she likes it. I know that if there ever was a problem and she had to be crated (such as a disaster) I know she would be OK with it. In class she eagerly goes into the crate but she does bark because she can't wait to get out and start working.

 

[shelties&shoes]

I tried a few of the suggestions about giving a cookie when someone leaves and although it has only been a couple of days, we have had some decent progress!!!

Yesterday, people were in and out all day taking out trash or making several trips to the car to bring stuff in and we gave Kirby a bacon and cheese cookie before they walked out and he flipped out a little less. We forgot to do this on a couple of occasions, but Kirby only barked once then ran to the window to watch them. We gave him tons of praise and lost of kisses...and of course a cookie.

We did notice that there is a level of him flipping out depending on who is leaving...myself, hubby, two younger boys, or my daughter-in-law....he will seek and destroy anything in site, my parents or my oldest son, a few barks and dashing to the window.

He is not a fan of the crate because we only really used it for crate training, so he hides under the dinner table! He is learning he gets a cookie when he goes in while someone is leaving but after 5 minutes we let him out.

So, on that note, we are going through cookies faster than my 11 year old does! I am quite sure the cookies we are giving him are not low cal, suggestions on some healthier treats down the road?

Thanks for all the advice
Kelly

 

[corbinam]

I tried a few of the suggestions about giving a cookie when someone leaves and although it has only been a couple of days, we have had some decent progress!!!

Yesterday, people were in and out all day taking out trash or making several trips to the car to bring stuff in and we gave Kirby a bacon and cheese cookie before they walked out and he flipped out a little less. We forgot to do this on a couple of occasions, but Kirby only barked once then ran to the window to watch them. We gave him tons of praise and lost of kisses...and of course a cookie.

We did notice that there is a level of him flipping out depending on who is leaving...myself, hubby, two younger boys, or my daughter-in-law....he will seek and destroy anything in site, my parents or my oldest son, a few barks and dashing to the window.

He is not a fan of the crate because we only really used it for crate training, so he hides under the dinner table! He is learning he gets a cookie when he goes in while someone is leaving but after 5 minutes we let him out.

So, on that note, we are going through cookies faster than my 11 year old does! I am quite sure the cookies we are giving him are not low cal, suggestions on some healthier treats down the road?

Thanks for all the advice
Kelly

Glad you're seeing some progress! You may want to try a few things that last a bit longer so he doesn't even have time to "notice" that you're gone. I love stuffing a Kong with goodies and then freezing it. You can use treats (I'll mention a few things below) and then cover the tip in peanut butter or even mashed up banana (way healthier!) Keep a few in your freezer so they're always ready to go. I did that since mine were pups and now they practically shove us out the door in the morning to get their Kongs

As to treats, I love to use any fruits I have (blueberries fit nicely in the Kong!) or pieces of carrot. But, I know that not all dogs love those things. You can also use Cheerios, or my personal favorite for the "every day" treat that I feel like I can give a lot of, Wet Noses Little Stars. They are TINY, so you can give a lot of them without feeling guilty. Plus a ton of them come in a box, which is nice too.