I talked to Yvonne and she said that with Kaiser being allowed less and less to do the things he wants to do (biting, nipping, stealing things he shouldn't have) he's getting frustrated, like a teenager re-learning his manners.. This is one reason for his anxiety in the crate. It's the one thing that he has absolutely zero control over and it drives him crazy.. I told her that he whines if he's restrained in any way, be it on leash, by a door, baby gate, or in his crate. She says he's pouting because he can't have his way whenever he wants it, and that with a little extra work he'll get over it..
Basically we're starting crate training over from the beginning. When I got Kaiser he went into the crate fairly easily and would stay there without much of a fuss but as we got further in our training his reactions to the crate got worse. But because he was fairly good in the crate to begin with I skipped many of the formal crate training steps (bad idea!)
So we're using the clicker, and I say "get in" and when he does, click and treat.. Then when he would run from across the house to get in, I click and treat when he gets in, then close the door for a few seconds. He's quiet, so I open the door, click and treat.. Then I started closing the door, walking across the house, coming back, opening the door.. Within less than two days I can leave him there for 5 minutes without a sound..
I'm worried that crating him while I go out will ruin his progress right now though.. I have to go write an exam today, but after that I'll be here for more than two weeks and don't ever have to leave when Matt's not here, so that gives us some time to work the crating up to us actually walking out the door without him panicking.. I don't know if that's enough time but hopefully we'll have seen some considerable progress by then..
