Dog hurting herself in crate

I'm really glad to hear that. With Conrad, also, it was just like that. He still didn't eat or chew on anything we gave him while crated when we were gone for another couple years, but now he has his breakfast in a Kong and other chew toys left with him as we leave every day and he goes right to town. It just takes time as you work on an overall program to deal with the dog's anxiety. But it is so much easier to do that once you have a management system so you're not freaking out constantly about the dog hurting itself or destroying your home.

Gingerdog, what a GORGEOUS dog you have!!! She is so beautiful!! Such gentle eyes, a very soft look to her. Very pretty! I'm glad to hear she's doing better in her plastic crate. I've made a note of that suggestion, it definitely makes sense.
 
ETA my signature! LOL!

Your dog is experiencing seperation anxiety and this is very common in shelter/rescue dogs. My advice is to get the dog accustomed to being left alone but do this little by little. It may take some time and you can't rush this.Start out by putting your dog in the crate. Pick up your keys, purse, whatever you take with you when you leave the house.Ignore the dog!!! Don't say anything to the dog because the more you fuss over it, the more anxious the dog becomes.Go outside, lock the door just as you would normally do and do this so your dog can hear you. Stay outside for a couple of minutes then come back in. Ignore the dog. Go into another room for a little while then repeat the above. This time when you go out, stay a little longer. This shows the dog that you will return. When you let the dog out of the crate, don't say anything to the dog, just let her out. If she tries to jump on you or tries to get your attention, ignore her. It's going to take time for your dog to learn that you will return because your dog lost it's home before and is now anxious about being abandoned again. Not that dogs analyze this, it's just that when they experience abandonment, they don't forget it.Before I leave my house I put one dog in her crate, give her a treat and close the door without saying anything except, "crate". My other two dogs don't stay in crates but I don't say anything to them either. When I return, my dogs are very excited to see me (just as lower ranking pack members would behave when the pack leader returns) but I ignore them. I open my mail, put my things away, take off my shoes, all the while my dogs are on the other side of a gate that seperates my kitchen from the rest of the house. After a few minutes I let my crated dog out, go to the back door, have them all sit and wait, then let them out into the yard. All I have said to them is, "Sit. Wait. Go."If I made a huge fuss about seeing them, they would just go crazy and one of my dogs has seperation anxiety but not as bad now as in the past.I hope this method will work for you but you must be diligent about it. Good luck to you.

ORIGINAL: creatureteachers

ORIGINAL: Gingerdog
Her wire cage has 2 doors, one on the side and one on the front. I figured out that she is pushing her nose into the bottom of the font door (under the bottom latch). There is just enough room when she is pushing hard against it for her nose to get caught in there. Since the crate is strong and her nose is raw it has to hurt like crazy and it makes no sense (because there is no way she can fit through that inch space) but she still does it. I went over the whole crate though and this is the only spot where it can be pushed against and get some leeway like that. On the side door the latches are further down so it is not possible.

You have hit the nail on the head ... it makes no sense for the dog to do this, yet this is exactly what animals with separation anxiety do. It comes from a place within them, like a panic attack ... and the things they do are not logical. Please take care with your dog, because dogs like this *will* hurt themselves in their state of nonthinking.

I have one dog who has such panic attacks in new situations. We had to work with a vet to medicate him every time we move ... otherwise he will chew into his own leg when left alone for the first time in a new house. (He litterally eats his own skin off.) There is no reason in such things ... just a dog in pain.

If you adopted the dog from a shelter, it is worth seeing if they have support services. I have found that a few shelters out there employ behaviorists to help you through initial problems you have with the dog. You may need to bring an in-home trainer in to help you if the problem continues.

If you bring in a trainer, or behavior specialist, to your home, be sure it is someone who uses positive methods.  Punishment of any kind will make an SA dog MORE anxious, not less. 

Do leave a Buster Cube or stuffed Kong for your dog and make the stuffing something extra high value.  Most dogs with true SA will not eat, but at least this will be another indicator for you that your dog does suffer from SA.  Most dogs who injure themselves actually do so in the first 20 minutes you are gone.  SA protocols in McConnell's book will teach you how to be unpredictable in your routines, and low-key with greetings, etc. so that your dog builds up a tolerance to being left alone. 
If you cannot get a handle on this with the training that is outlined, don't give up.  Try a DAP (dog appeasing pheromone) diffuser, consider a consultation with a homeopathic veterinarian, and as a last resort, consider asking your vet, or a veterinarian behaviorist, about Clomicalm or other medication that can help your dog get "over the hump" while you are training him.

THANK YOU so much for posting this! I recently rescued a dog and am experience the exact same thing. It breaks my heart to go home everyday to see her face covered w/ blood...I cannot handle it.  I'm going to Petsmart on my way home from work!!

experiencing*