Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My 12 week old Siberian is doing great in all aspects exept one. She is good in the crate when I am there she whines a bit but soon quiets down and relaxes as long as i'm there. When I leave and my roomate is home I crate her so he doesn't have to look after her. She cries and whines like crazy, will not stop howling and screaming. I have never heard a dog throw such a fit. ignoring her doesn't work, my roomate said she did it for atleast 45 minutes this morning before he got up and screamed at her. Usually if you yell at her she will stop but this morning she just kept going untill finally he rattled the crap out of the cage. She stoped for a bit then started up again. So he fianllly said screw her and left for work. How can I go about dealing with her crying and screaming so he can sleep in the morning. I give her a kong stuffed with goodies which keeps her busy for a while but she soon starts the crying and screaming. I don't care if she does it when were not there beacuse there is no one to hear her but 45 min to an hour of crying is ridiculous and she would probably of went longer if no one stopped her. I don't give in to her cries and I only let her out when she is quite, so I am out of ideas, any help would be appreciated, thanks!!

Joe

Scolding the pup and shaking the crate to get her to quite down is counter productive- it's still giving attention to the behavior and it's confusing the poor puppy. Maybe you need to get a second crate and after you have taken care of the puppies needs and leave in the morning, you can crate the puppy in a second crate in a different part of the place so she doesn't disturb your room mate. Your puppy is lonely and wants to be with people, but the attention she's getting from crating a fuss in the crate is making hte problem worse. Now that she's learned it gets some response, she will ocntinue to do it. So, continue ot give the kong, but make 100% sure no attention is given at all. Fill the kong iwth even better treats- frozen plain yougart is good or frozen chicken broth with kibble is also effective.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

Our Sibe did the same thing for MONTHS. She would scream bloody murder, would howl for hours at a time, and would literally stomp her paws as if she was throwing a real life tantrum.

We knew that to truly crate train her that we had to stay true to our goal and that meant less sleep at first, but it sure paid off. I would say by the time she was six months she didn't really put up much of a tantrum and now (three years old in two weeks!) she rarely says a word. In fact, she enjoys her crate and will often go in there early before we put her in there - it's her space and we value that. I would never shake the kennel, I would never put her in there as a disciplinary action nor would I ever yell at her in there. It needs to be a place that she enjoys being in - I would give her treats and I would even play with her WHILE she's in there...it needs to be a happy place!

Good luck but stick to your guns!