12 week JR barks for hours in the crate!

Question
Hi,
I recently got a jack Russell (12 weeks old) and know alot about them, but when i put him in his crate when i am going out or need to take a shower he barks and screams. I tried putting him in the crate the 2nd day i got him to see how he would be, his crate is in the bedroom so it is isolated and i went inside to do work so it was very quite as if i was not home. He cried for almost 3 hours and probably would have keep going, but the minute he was quite i went in and got him. He did the same thing the next day i went out for about 3 hours and my tenents said he screamed the hole time and was still screaming when i got home and persisted for another hour, again i took him out the minute he was quite. I have raised many dogs and know not to take them out when they cry or it will persist, but have never encountered a dog that will not stop. If he does not stop i will have to get rid of him. I will be starting back to work soon and he needs to be able to stay in there. He is fine at night because he knows i am in the room with him. He has become very attached in a short period of time. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,  Nicole

Answer
Hi Nicole,

No offense but why did you get a dog if you have to go to work all day?
You might think it's very quiet in the house but he absolutely knows you are there - he can smell you and hear you. Dog's sense of smell and hearing is 100 times better than ours.
You should have two crates. One should be in your bedroom and be his bed for when he goes to sleep. Dogs are pack animals and even though he is in the crate, he still knows you are there. Oh I see he is with you at night, that's great.  No dog should ever be isolated.
The second crate should be like his couch, in a main room of the house and it should remain open all the time for him to come and go in as he pleases. Let him learn that it is a GOOD place. You can practice again but this time give him a piece of cheese when you put him as a reward for going in so nicely. Do this with the door open. You have to do this training for at least a week to ten days for him to understand that "hey, when I go in here I get a treat".  Gradually during training, close the door of the crate and leave him in there for a few minutes. Prolong the time period a little more every day.
You may also want to make sure that when you DO leave him for long periods of time, that he has something to do in that crate. Get a nice big Kong and stuff it hard and full with some treats for him to work at and get out. It will keep him entertainted and tire him out.  A good brisk 20 minute walk before he gets locked up is excellent for him too.
Perhaps if you are going to be longer than a couple of hours, you might hire one of your tenants to come and take him out for a nice walk or some play time.  He's still very young and needs a lot of attention and human contact as you know.
Good luck!!!