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Kaiser has never liked being in the crate, he has always whined and barked for a little while when he's there, but lately he has started going kind of frantic, barking and yelping and trying to dig his way out. He also hides under the couch if he knows it's bed time..

He will often follow a kong into the crate but if he hears us leaving he'll stop touching it, and will drag it out and eat it when we get home. He also won't touch any bones, toys, or anything else in there unless we are home with him. He tries hard to stay out of his crate, he locks right up when it's time to get in and I usually have to push on his rear to get him in. And if he knows that's where I want him, he'll bite at my hand if I reach for his collar.

We've been working on it for two months and he seems to be getting worse and panicking more when we leave now, and even when we're here (I crate him if I'm going to have a shower or just need a short break from him).. But whenever I go to take out the garbage, or go to the store around the corner I just leave him out and about with his bark collar on. I have yet to hear a whimper or noise out of him when I leave (I always hang around out of sight for a couple of minutes to listen).. But he tends to get into things quite frequently, and is always up on the counters.. We're getting gates to keep him out of the kitchen, but I don't know how to keep him out of everything else. He's only a year old, I definitely don't trust him alone.

Any ideas, suggestions? I don't think I ever did the crate training thing right in the first place, so I think that could be the problem, but would that make his anxiety when we leave even worse now than it was before? Should we just start crate training over? He hates being restrained in any way and will whine and cry if a door is closed or he's on leash, or in his crate, so I don't think a play pen idea would work.. Ideas on what to do about that? Is it just him being an adolescent and pouting because he can't do what he wants, or is it something worse?

It's getting irritating, always having to physically put him in his crate, after finding him and getting bitten for reaching for him. He won't even follow treats any more if I go upstairs with them, because his crate is upstairs and he knows that about half the time treats upstairs means the crate. I just want him to love it, like my dad's dog does. There's a blanket over top of it, maybe taking that off so he can see more would help..

I saw something a while back about a dog with seperation anxiety, they were crate training her and the way they started was they'd get her in the crate close the door then take a step step back then let her out, then after she became comfortable like that the owner of the dog left the room for a second closing the door behind her then came right back and let the dog out, never force the dog into the crate that makes it negative, if he wont go in and you're in no big hurry just walk away and come back to it in 5 minute and see if he'll go in.

There are pros and cons to physically putting the dog in the crate. The con is exactly what you said, you're making the crate negitive, But the crate already is negitive in his eyes. The pro really isn't a pro, if you tell the dog "come" instead of physically putting him in the crate, you're making "come" negitive, which in my opinion is worse. There are times when you NEED your dog to come, for safety sake.

>>Kaiser has never liked being in the crate, he has always whined and barked for a little while when he's there, but lately he has started going kind of frantic, barking and yelping and trying to dig his way out. He also hides under the couch if he knows it's bed time..
>>
>>He will often follow a kong into the crate but if he hears us leaving he'll stop touching it, and will drag it out and eat it when we get home. He also won't touch any bones, toys, or anything else in there unless we are home with him. He tries hard to stay out of his crate, he locks right up when it's time to get in and I usually have to push on his rear to get him in. And if he knows that's where I want him, he'll bite at my hand if I reach for his collar.
>>
>>We've been working on it for two months and he seems to be getting worse and panicking more when we leave now, and even when we're here (I crate him if I'm going to have a shower or just need a short break from him).. But whenever I go to take out the garbage, or go to the store around the corner I just leave him out and about with his bark collar on. I have yet to hear a whimper or noise out of him when I leave (I always hang around out of sight for a couple of minutes to listen).. But he tends to get into things quite frequently, and is always up on the counters.. We're getting gates to keep him out of the kitchen, but I don't know how to keep him out of everything else. He's only a year old, I definitely don't trust him alone.
>>
>>Any ideas, suggestions? I don't think I ever did the crate training thing right in the first place, so I think that could be the problem, but would that make his anxiety when we leave even worse now than it was before? Should we just start crate training over? He hates being restrained in any way and will whine and cry if a door is closed or he's on leash, or in his crate, so I don't think a play pen idea would work.. Ideas on what to do about that? Is it just him being an adolescent and pouting because he can't do what he wants, or is it something worse?
>>
>>It's getting irritating, always having to physically put him in his crate, after finding him and getting bitten for reaching for him. He won't even follow treats any more if I go upstairs with them, because his crate is upstairs and he knows that about half the time treats upstairs means the crate. I just want him to love it, like my dad's dog does. There's a blanket over top of it, maybe taking that off so he can see more would help..

>>>>>>>>>>>

Definitely discuss this with your behavior specialist. It needs to be handled in context with the rest of the program--VERY important to do that.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

I know you've spent a fortune, but wonder how he'd react to an ex-pen, one with a top on it?
I'd be concerned that he not get his collar hooked on anything if you have him in wire.

To continue with the same routine & *allowing* his repetition of resistance is working against all the other positives that you are doing.

It does almost seem that he is choosing his battles.

Sorry I can't be more help. but let us hear what your behaviourist says.

I am talking to Yvonne I just wanted to see what the general opinions here were.. It seems we're going to just start over from the beginning on this, as well..