[Nini_oscar]

Hi, I just got a puppy who is now 10 weeks old. Got him last week. At first, he would bark and whimper when I would put him in his crate. I tried using pee pee pads and a litter box. He use dthem for a couple of days but now wants nothing to do with them. He relieves himself as soon as I confine him: in front of the door, on my pyjamas, in front of the baby gate and on his blanket in his crate. He will go within 30 seconds on being put in his crate. I don't know what to do with this case of separation anxiety... he is driving me mad with all the cleaning. He always tries to jump on me. Other than that he is cuddly and loves to play with my cat. I put him in my small kitchen with a baby gate during the day, but I am sure to come back to poo even if I am only gone for 10 minutes at the video store... I have never had this problem with my boxer but this dog is from hell!! :confused:

Nini

[doggie_poopie]

At what age did you get your puppy? And from where?
It doesn't sound like a true separation issue, but rather excitement that the puppy feels. I know sounds pretty close to the same thing, but it isn't.
Post back so I can get you the right info!

[labman]

It is only natural that a puppy resists its crate at first. What the puppy
Wants more than anything else is to be with others, you, anyone else in the
Household, and any other pets. In our modern society, even if we are home,
Other things distract us from the attention an uncrated puppy must have. The
Only real solution is to crate the dog when you aren't around. Leave it some toys. Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter. Don't leave anything in the crate the dog might chew up. Rather than relaxing and catching a nap in their den, some puppies protest by fouling the crate, or maybe it is just the stress.

A wire grid in the bottom of the crate will help keep the puppy up out of urine and to a lessor extent stools. They are available with the crates, but expensive and hard to find. A piece of closely spaced wire closet shelving from a home supply place is cheaper. This reduces the mess, making the protest much less effective. The longer haired the puppy, the higher it needs to be. My old closet shelf fell apart a year ago after a number of puppies. When I got Holly in September, I bought a vegetable bin and drilled holes in the bottom. She hardly gave it much of a test, having very few accidents in her crate. It also helped block off much of the crate. In warmer weather, you can just haul the crate out and hose everything off. When the puppy sees you coping with the situation, and you stand your ground, most of them give up and learn to relax, and that you will return. One more thing that may help is using a smaller crate, or blocking off part of a larger one so the puppy can't foul one spot and retreat.

At bed time, with a new puppy, I have found lying down in front of the crate like you were going to sleep and speaking softly to it, or singing, until it settles down and goes to sleep works very well. Follow the pattern, a period of active play, outside to eliminate, and then into the crate.

You also need to be playing top dog. ''I am in charge here, and I have determined I am going to leave you here.'' A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start obedience training the day you get the dog. Build on the foundation of housebreaking. The younger the puppy, the shorter you must keep sessions, only a few repetitions at a time. A few minutes here and there, and by the time the puppy is 4 months old, people will be impressed with what a nice dog it is.

Here are some other ways to show a puppy you are a loving leader:

''Elevation for small puppies: Sit on the floor and gently put your hands around your pup's middle, below his front legs, and lift him up. He is facing you. Hold him for 15 seconds. Repeat until he no longer struggles. If he is past 10-12 weeks, lift his front feet off the ground, but don't pick him up.

Cradling for small puppies: Hold your puppy gently on his back, as you would cradle a small baby. If he struggles, hold him firmly until he quiets for 10-15 seconds. With larger pups, you can do this as your sit on the floor, with your pup between your legs.

Quiet lying down: Place your pup on the floor on his side, with all 4 legs pointing away from you. Use your hands on his neck/shoulder area and middle, to hold him in this position. When he is quiet, praise him. Lengthen the time that you keep him quietly in this position. When he accepts this position well, handle his paws and muzzle, while keeping him quiet.''

The quotes mean this isn't my original work. It is copied from my Puppy Raising Manual. I have long used these or minor variations of them, and they are very effective. You may want to give him a belly rub while he is on his back too. Helps bonding. There is a big difference between him rolling over and demanding a belly rub, and you choosing a time to roll him over and rub his belly. The latter cements your place as pack leader.