[Momsbug]

My five year old yorkie whom I have had for a month pees in his crate all night long. If he lays in the bed with me he won't pee. We leave him in the crate when we leave and he pees all over. So I started putting him in there at night. We take him out all of the time and always make sure he pees and poops before bed. Why is he doing this ?

[Lucky098]

He has separation anxiety. Dogs with this type of anxiety will act out in strange ways to protest the fact that you left with out them.

Separation anxiety is never cured, it is managed.. some dogs do better with other dogs. Maybe a second dog is an option for you? If you do get a second dog, stay away from puppies. Your dog will teach a puppy to develop separation anxiety and/or its OK to pee in a crate. Another older dog would be perfect for you.

You can do obedience class with your dog. Obedience is more than just teaching your dog "sit", it teaches your dog that you are leader and it enhances the bond between owner and dog. Separation anxiety dogs are lost, confused and need to find their place in the pack. The "stay" command will do you a lot of good..

Separation anxiety dogs, no matter what degree of anxiety they suffer from, can be managed with "pack leader" training. They also enjoy the company of other dogs..

Find a trainer.. a GOOD trainer.. not petsmart or petco (they're awful)... Someone who is either a borderline behaviorist or is a behaviorist... They will get you were you want to go.

As for the peeing in the crate.. if your dog is indeed a separation anxiety dog, there isn't much to stop it. He's going to continue to do it until you've taken some action with training.

[Momsbug]

Thank you so much. I will check into that.

[Lucky098]

You're welcome.. good luck! If you have any other questions, you can always come back and ask :) We love to read about updates!