Barking/Pottying in Kennel

Question
QUESTION: I have an absolutely gorgeous 11wk old male yellow lab named Jesse. That being said he is driving us crazy. We have had him 1 month and he has been barking, howling, and crying in his kennel from night one. He does it any time he is in the kennel. He also pees and poops in it and it is the small size. I thought he would not do this because dogs supposedly don't like to sleep where they go but screaming where they go doesn't seem to be a problem. I make sure kennel time is a positive experience like we were told to do. He gets a treat to go in and we also have tried the 'kong' filled with peanut butter to occupy him. One evening I took him out ot potty and usd a treat to put him in but forgot his kong. I closed the kennel door, went to the kitchen to fill the kong, came back and he had already pooped. He frequently does that immediately when we put him in after going outside. What is that about? He quite literally "freaks out" in the kennel, jumping and "going" all over the place. He has baths ALL the time. I have never witnessed a lab behave like a toy or terrier. I am used to calmness from my other one. We own his full blood brother, a 2 year old male chocolate lab named Rudy from a previous litter and he is the perfect dog. He is calm, sweet, obedient and was wonderfully kennel trained. He no longer needs his kennel and is left to roam freely. I hate it but the puppy is now in the far end of our house at night in the sunroom with the french doors closed, as far away as possible so everyone can try to get some sleep. We were very hopeful at first that he just missed his littermates and would give up the howling and barking after a night or two but it has only gotten louder as his voice and body have gotten bigger. The vet and her technicians have only said be patient but it is obvious to us that he is developing a terrible habit that is only growing. This is unfamiliar territory for us because our other lab is near silent, never urinated or defecated in his kennel after the first few days and would go lay in his when it was open during the day. We need sleep and peace we dare not put him in during the day like we have read to do when we cannot supervise him during the kids bathtime for example because we are afraid more kennel time will traumatize him further so then he is soiling the floor all over and messing up housetraining. It is a vicious circle, one filled with loud noise and excrement I must add! We desperately need advise we cannot seem to get from the vets office although we do love her. What can you suggest to get our house back in check? Thank you so much I hope a provided you with enough info.
Denise

ANSWER: Hi Denise,

I understand what you are going thru and don't envy you.  It seems like you are doing everything right.   

What type of crate to you have?   I always recommend an open wire crate such as the bargain hound or the life stages brand that can be purchased from any petsmart or petco.     Some dogs develop an anxiety if you use the plastic crates, which - in my opinion should only be used for transporting in a car or airplane.   

If you are already using an open wire crate, while MOST dogs will adjust to them, some never do.  Some dogs can actually hurt themselves trying to get out of them.  In this case, I usually recommend gating the dog in a room where they can't destroy anything - get into anything dangerous - or hurt themselves.

Do you know anything about the background on where your pup came from?   The frequent "potty in the crate" issue is usually seen in dogs from breeders or puppy mills that constantly keep the dog in a crate or a small kennel and that is the only place where they could relieve themselves and don't know anything else.   It can be very hard to retrain them once this is learned and it really takes a lot of patience.  

So, my first step would be to hang in there for just a little longer doing what you are doing.  Keep Jesse clean, as you are doing already and clean up his messes good so he doesn't smell them.  

When you let Jesse outside, is your other dog with him?  I often find that a dog will be outside playing and forget to do his business if there is another dog around.  If they are going out together, perhaps leave Jesse out for a few minutes longer than the other dog so he can maybe focus on what he should be doing.

As for his anxiety, they have some holistic medicine that you could give the dog as a relaxer.   Something called Rescue Remedy is a good, generic flower essence that is used to calm the dog.   It is available online or at many healthstores.  Just a drop in the water every day helps alot.  

I recommend that you use the crate even during the day when you can't supervise the dog - until this is resolved.

If the anxious behavior continues for more than another month, I would explore non-crating options as well as hiring a professional trainer.   It is hard to give advice over the internet without knowing the dog, but I can tell you have a serious problem that will take a lot of work and patience.

I had a choc lab pup that had a similar problem.  It took 6 months for her to "get it" re the crate and going outside.  I was beginning to wonder if she would ever turn the corner -- but she did.  Now she is wonderful.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: You have given me hope with the 6 month story. Any time in the future is better than never. We do use a bargain hound open wire cage. He is super when we are home and not really any more hyper than the next puppy and he loves to sleep on his pillow. I wonder sometimes if he longs to be with his big brother buddy. They have especially bonded, is it possible he wants to be out because the other one is? I found out that our pet sitter (our vet tech) let Rudy sleep in large kennel when she had them at her home for 5 days of the month we have had him while we went on vacation. I did not recommend this and I feel this may of set us back. As for the breeder, I know her pretty well. They are great people who have bred the mom 3 times in her 7 years and had are having her spayed after this last litter. She also bred our other dog as I mentioned and he has no issues. The puppies are in a giant playpen type enclosure in the garage and out in another one in the yard to play during the day. They DO potty in there, but I am not sure what else you would do with nine puppies as you sell them since they have to be corralled somehow. I agree that 7 wks of pooping in an enclosure takes re-training but it did only take a few days/a week for the other one. I will keep at it. I know nothing about "bark collars", are they too awful? They seem a little mean but what is the scoop? Is he too young if you agree with them at all?
Thanks so much,
Denise

Answer
Hi again Denise,

I'd be willing to bet that the answer is definitely that he is barking and going nuts because he wants to be with the other dog.  He wants to play.  It does sound like they have a very strong attachment already.  I'm wondering if it might help to put the other dogs crate right next to the pups for a week or two and keep them both crated.  I know the other dog doesn't need it, but it might help the pup to feel secure.  If he can calm down, I'm hoping the accidents will stop.

I really don't like the bark collars, assuming you mean the shock ones.  I have seen them have reverse affects on the dog and cause aggression. I've never agreed with them, but that is just my personal opinion.   If there is persistant barking that is driving neighbors crazy, I would use a citronella collar.   It is along the same lines as the shock collar, but instead of getting shocked when they bark, they get a nasty spray of citronella.  They work.  I fostered a Coonhound and I've never heard a dog bark so loud in my life.  It was either use the citronella collar or have animal control knocking on the door!   

With either collar, they are not recommended for dogs under 6 months of age.  

Cathy