I’ve never had a dog that *wouldn’t * go into a crate, so obviously we’re doing something differently.
I’m wondering if your new girl is having a hard time adjusting…after all, she lost her first home.
You say she does this when you are traveling. Maybe she is sort of undone in a strange place…it’s OK to be left alone at home because home is familiar, but when you travel, she is out of her comfort zone. Since she’s been rehomed so recently, her anxiety may be at a higher level than is usual for her. From her point of view, a lone dog is a dead dog. You are her new pack. When you leave her in a strange place, even if you are close by, she wants nothing more than to be with you.
It’s good that she has learned that you are coming back when you are at home…my rescue, Chance, didn’t think I was coming back for a long long time (lots of trauma for him, poor baby).
Borders are so smart and they are also pretty eager to please. What I did with my Neilli when she was a puppy was to crate her with a stuffed kong and leave for increasingly longer periods. The kong (or whatever you give her) needs to be something that she never gets except when she will be crated for an extended period. My aussies are pretty food oriented, so this works well for them. I don’t know what will work best for your girl. TMine are so occuppied with their kongs when I am gone, they do not care whether I am there or not, and because they only get this very special treat when they are crated and I am gone, they do not connect my leaving with a negative experience for them.
Another technique is to put her in a situation where you know she will bark (like in a closed utility room). Say “quiet” when you close the door and open the door again relatively quickly and praise her excitedly if she has not barked. If she has barked, open the door and give her a squirt with a spray bottle (my girl loves water so much I had to put a bit of vinegar in her spray bottle). Again, say “quiet” and close the door. Repeat with the “quiet” command lasting for longer periods, and always ending with tremendous praise when she succeeds.
Hopefully she will get the message that noncompliance has a consequence she does not like. If all else fails, my trainer suggested going to a glass of water, then a bucket of water (obviously, a drain on the floor is a big plus here). The whole idea here is to praise praise praise the wanted behavior and correct for unwanted behavior. Training sessions should not be longer than 10 - 15 minutes…you’ll probably develop a feel for what your girl needs.
My trainer told us that dogs get up every morning wanting to do nothing so much as make you happy and that the best thing you can do is to clearly communicate your wishes (in a non-high-anxiety situation) which the dog can then generalize under more stressful situations.
Hope this helps
lissener, you might be the person to ask. I have heard that certain beards of “lap dogs” like Pugs do not do well in crates. The theory being that through breeding the “den security” has been removed. Anythng to this? Or is just that dogs like Pugs need a lot attention in a crate or not?
Lissener, I’m not understanding why you think having her in a crate will somehow help us get this behaviour to stop?
GraphicsGal - thanks for the advice. Unfortunately she doesn’t have any toys that she really loves, and she has no interest in her Kong. The only thing I’ve found that occupies her for a while is a rawhide chew, and I’m really leery of leaving her alone with it, because she will keep at it until her mouth bleeds unless we’re there to take it away. She’s just a fairly serious dog who really only appears to have fun if either McDeath or I are interacting with her.
I’m thinking of maybe the next time some friends go out of town, we could ask to use their house as a training area. We can put her in a different room, perhaps in her kennel, and then leave her alone, and do what we can to reinforce the desirable behaviour and discourage the unwanted behaviour.
She’s such a great dog in so many ways and it’s very important to me to get this behaviour under control so that our friends and family can enjoy her as much as we do. She’s much too attached to me in particular right now, and I’m hoping soon she will have more of a sense of security that we DO come back!!!
S.
What exactly is a kong? I’ve had dogs for a long time, but have never heard the term.
Not to criticize Stainz (more to validate knowledge), but isn’t a border collie considered to be a poor house pet? I seem to remember these being a breed that can turn very destructive if given nothing to do.
If all else fails, consult your veterinarian regarding DAP (Dog Appeasement Pheromone). I have seen very good results when it is used appropriately.
http://www.feliway.com/html/comfortzone-with-dap.php3
Also, if the dog is diagnosed with seperation anxiety, clomipramine can work wonders.
Here is a page that might help:
It discusses the difference between separation anxiety and boredom, some treatments for the problem, and the possible use of drugs and Dog Appeasement Pheromone as vetbridge pointed out.
Good luck.
Never heard that; sounds fishy on the face of it. But I haven’t worked with a lot of pugs. They do need a small crate; it should be cozy, not just confining. THink of it as a bed, not a room.
At first I thought this was happening at home. Having her in a crate, once she’s used to it, will give her more of a sense of security, so she may be less likely to whine in the first place. In the second place, stomping across the house and saying NO if you know exactly where she is; if you try that trick without a crate, you’d have to actually leave the house, and then stomp and yell more loudly through the closed door.
If she’s away when she does this, the familiarity and comfort of her crate may make her feel less likely to whine as well; she has her home with her.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=5116993
It’s a red rubber toy that you can stuff with tasty treats. In my case, I plug up the tiny end with cheese, turn the whole business upside down in a coffee mug, then stuff it to the rafters with goodies that my dogs only ever get in a kong (which they only ever get if they have to be crated for an extended period). I have used rice, potator, bacon bits left over from a baked potato, little bits of cheese…really really tasy stuff. My dogs love their kongs so much (and it takes them hours to unstuff it), that they really and truly do not even know I am gone when they are eating one.
You know, Stainz, it might be usedful to set up a socializing schedule for your new girl. Get her used to as many different people as possible. These new folks should always approach full to the gills with whatever she likes best. This might help mitigate her attachment to you by helping her to attach to a whole bunch of people…just a thought.
One word about the crate thing…I believe it is useful to have my dogs crate trained if only because they must be crated from time to time (like at over night vet stays). It is much more comfortable for them if they are used to a crate and don’t flip out when they must be crated. I moved recently. I crated my dogs while the heavy liting was going on. They were safe and I did not have to worry where they were. Once we were in our new home, I noticed the puppers spent a LOT more time than usual in their crates (I leave them up with the doors open at all times) I think because their crates were a safe and familiar place. When they got used to our new digs, they went back to laying around wherever they wanted 
Maybe the RIGHT link will help! Sorry all.