Our 2 Dogs :)

Question
We have a 2 year old Toy American Eskimo (Koda) and we just got a 10 week old Chihuahua/Pomeranian Cross (Trinket).  First of all, Our Koda is a wonderful dog, house broken, crate trained, does great tricks, etc.  He's great up until someone knocks on the door and then he goes CRAZY barking and growling.  He also has severe barking fits when we leave the house without him, or when he's in the car and we get out without him.  We suspect abandoment issues possibly.  Any suggestions on what to do with him?  
Secondly, Trinket is learning to be house and crate trained.  Unfortunately we are at a loss as what to do.  We have referenced your website and while the tips were helpful for US they dont seem to be helping her.  We put her on the pad over and over and over again telling her to "go potty" and give her multiple treats in an attempt to associate the pad with good vibes, but it seems that the second we "give up" and let her get off the pad she decides to go.  There isnt a specific spot that she's going in either, just where-ever she is.  She also seems to LOATH her crate.  She literally screams and howls and cries and barks while she is in there.  Any suggestions for her?  My carpet and my ears cant handle much more!! :) Thanks in advance!!

Answer
Hello, Jason & Brittany. First, I'd like to address your issues with Trinket.

1. Keep a leash on her at all times when you are home and she is loose.
2. Rather than just taking her to the wee wee pad randomly and trying to get her to go, keep an eye on her and learn her signs that she needs to potty, and only take her to the wee wee pad (preferably it is inside some sort of litter box, as I suggest on my housetraining web page) at those moments. Do not pick her up; you want her going to the pad on her own, so use your happy voice - and the leash if necessary - to get her to follow you to the pad when she starts showing signs that she is about to go.
3. Do not give her treats on the wee wee pad; dogs instinctively do not want to potty where they eat and sleep.

4. When it comes to the crate, you may want to try the desensitization technique with her. There is a link to it on the housetraining web page, but I will provide a direct link for you below:

http://housetraining.angelfire.com/crate.html

You did not say exactly how long you have had Trinket, but it generally takes >>at least<< a week for a dog to become comfortable being in his crate (and being quiet) if you just use the ignoring-the-dog-whenever-it-is-making-noise method. Some dogs adjust more quickly and some take longer. You just have to be patient. Also, keep in mind that a 10-week-old puppy should only be crated for no more than 2.5 to 3 hours at a time, providing it has gone to the bathroom immediately prior to being put in the crate.



Now, for Koda's issues. He sounds almost exactly like my neighbor's toy American Eskimo, with the exception that yours has some training, and my neighbor's dog has actually bitten people (including me).

In regards to his barking and carrying on whenever someone knocks at the door, I would suggest teaching him to go to a certain spot (his dog bed, a special rug, etc.) on command, and then when he is doing that reliably, start adding time. Practice until you can tell him to go to his place, even from across the room, and have him stay there for up to 5 minutes without him moving off that spot. Then, start practicing doing it whenever someone knocks at the door. To begin with, one of you or a neighbor will need to be the one at the door. At first, you are not going to worry about going to the door or letting them in or anything. You are simply going to focus on having Koda go to his spot at the sound of someone knocking on the door. Bear in mind that when you add the knocking, you will have to start pretty much back at step one with Koda, when you first began teaching him to go to his place on command.

Practice this until he will go to his place without a fuss whenever someone knocks at the door, and stay there for up to 5 minutes. Then you can start practicing going to the door, then opening the door, and finally letting the person in, while Koda remains in his place. You should not immediately release him as soon as you let your visitors in, but instead, you should tell them to ignore Koda (which means they should not even LOOK at him), and allow them to get in and get settled before you release him to say hello.



For his barking fits whenever you leave the house or get out of the car without him, you need to work on desensitization. Practice getting ready to leave, and then going out the door, but immediately coming back in and putting your stuff away as if you had gone somewhere, all the while completely ignoring Koda. Then, practice standing outside the door for 1 second, 2 seconds, 4 seconds, 7 seconds, 15 seconds, etc. before opening it and coming back in. Then, practice going to the car and turning right back around and going back in. Then starting the car, turning it off and going back in. Then, pulling out of the driveway and down the street a block or two. When you can do >>that<< without him going into a barking fit, then you should be fine to actually GO somewhere. It is going to take some time, though.

When you take him places in the car, do you crate him, put him in a seat belt, or just let him be loose in the car? Does he ride in the front or in the back? Perhaps confining him in some way, either by crating him or simply preventing him from being up front with you, would help. You could give him something, such as a long-lasting chew treat or a Kong that you've smeared the inside with something yummy and frozen, to keep him occupied as you got out of the car. Your other option would be to put a bark collar on him before you start getting ready to leave, in either case (for the barking at home OR for the barking in the car), but this would only be an option I would consider if he were disturbing your neighbors and you were at risk of getting in trouble with your landlord, etc. or if you were unsuccessful with the desensitization training.