Help...I don't know what to do?

[boxertwins11hk]

Okay, I need some advice from all of you pets experts out there because I never had to deal with any of this with my other dog!

I have a dog that is HouseTrained except when we leave. He obviously has separation anxciety. I live in a community where I can not leave my dogs out side for a long time. He trashes the house when we are gone and poops everywhere!!!! So we bought him a kennel to help with this...I heard from a good dog expert that some dogs do better if you put them in a kennel while you away as long as its not too long obviously. (which mine never are.) But he poops in there too...which is odd because this dog expert said they normally wont! With my other dog he is well behaved and houstrained...it was easy training him... Today I left for twenty minutes...he did his business outside before I left and when I came back...I Had a dog to bath and a kennel to scrub....this is what it is everytime I leave....so now what...am I just Trapped in my home? {{{{{{{{{ANY ADVICE???}}}}}

[boxertwins11hk]

OH YEAH AND BTW....He is 1 1/2 old...we adopted him...sooo...is too late to kennel train....or teach and old dog new tricks....i am so tired of clenaing up poop...I have three toddlers...and poop is never ending with them as it is

[Canner81]

The kennel might be too big, they say that our kennel should be JUST big enough for the dog to lie down and that's it. If it is too big, rather then get a new one, put a box in the back of it to make it smaller.

Not sure if that is the answer, but it's a start.

[lizzybeth727]

If your dog has true seperation anxiety, usually a kennel will only make it worse.

The easiest way to diagnose seperation anxiety and learn how to treat it is to get a behaviorist who will come into your home and assess the situation to see what's going on. You can do a google search for an applied animal behaviorist in your area.

[Brynn]

I had this problem for awhile, it seemed like the dog didn't even mind sitting in the stuff, here's what I did:

I suspected that my dog didn't mind having his feces in his crate because maybe he had gotten used to it before I got him (I think that's pretty much the only explanation for the behavior besides separation anxiety which min might have also had) I don't know how big your dog is but mine is a chihuahua so first when I would leave I let him spend time in a big crate with his bed and a litter box or puppy pad to show him that there was an option to not live in his own filth. I had been bathing the dog several times a day some days.

Then I started alternating a small crate for short times and the bigger crate with a pad for longer times, and then I went with just the smaller crate. People suggested using the smallest crate possible and a plastic enclosed one because it makes the dog feel like they are more confined with the accident and discourages them from having accidents. I felt bad leaving him in this thing but it worked, and it was much easier to clean than a wire crate.

I'm not a dog expert but my rationale of it was to let him know that he could not be in filth and that's a good thing and all he has to do is wait for me to come home. But now I'm dependent on the crate and don't know how to get away from using it so I might have no idea what I'm talking about!

[Baxter'smybaby]

what kind of dog is he? What breed is your other dog--and what do you do with him when you leave?
I solved this issue by using a room for "kenneling"--both of mine are able to be together in our bathroom--of course that means making sure there is nothing they can get into, or would be dangerous to them. But by being able to confine the two of them together, Baxter no longer gets worried when we leave. He did not do well in the crate--he chewed, broke the door, and I just knew he wasn't going to get used to it. My other dog loved her crate.

[Dekka]

I have used a crate (to me a kennel is a big thing, like where ppl board dogs) to help dogs with separation anxiety. It gives them a safe place to stay, where they know I will come back for them.

[Brynn]

I have a chihuahua and a mutt (border collie mix?) the kenneling is an option but I feel bad putting my older/bigger dog in just the bathroom when he has had free reign of the house for years

[Ohm]

i don't know what to say but i'm sorry you're going through this. i hope you're not blaming the dog. i hope you find the answers you're looking for.