Dog Community

Crate- claustrophobia?

Posted : 5/23/2006 4:45:25 AM

I'm just wondering if it's possible for dogs to be claustrophobic. My Shih Tzu is 10 months old now and I started crate training him as soon as I got him at 9 weeks old. From the very beginning he absolutely hated being in there. I've crate trained other dogs without the issues that I've experienced with him. He would whine and work himself into a frenzy to the point that he was growling and biting the crate door. So it's obvious that he didn't like being in there (despite a blanket, toys, treats, etc) and I never let him out unless he was quiet. I'm wondering if he feels claustrophobic in there. I know I would freak out if I were trapped in a small enclosed space....

Anyway, this past week I've been leaving him in the bedroom with the door closed and everything was fine. He had his food, water bottle, puppy pads, toys, our bed to lay on, etc. But then this past Saturday, after being at a Wedding all day I came back to a disaster! [

] He had pulled the comforter off the bed, pulled back the sheets and chewed up the egg crate mat, his food was everywhere, puppy pad crumpled up, dumped the trash can (I forgot to pick it up) and shredded receipts were everywhere. So, I think it's most likely separation anxiety since I know he doesn't like being alone. I'm a housewife so he's rarely without me.

I just found this article, so apparently it is possible for dogs to have claustrophobia. Still not positive that's what we've got here though.

[linkhttp://www.karyngarvin.com/containmentphobia.htm]http://www.karyngarvin.com/containmentphobia.htm[/link]

Firestorm

Posted : 5/23/2006 6:00:11 AM

Oh boy sounds like he was saying how dare you leave me mom. I think you really should try the crate training again. It will atleast keep your home and items from getting destroyed. I just got a two year old Shih Tzu who I started crate training. He wasn't thrilled about it at first but now he loves it. All training takes time. by the way your dog is a cutie!

Luvntzus

Posted : 5/23/2006 11:46:15 PM

Thank you, I think he's adorable and your little guy is really cute too! [

]

I figured out what his motive was behind destroying things. I slept late today, woke up this afternoon to find that Gingerbread (who was in the bedroom with me) had tipped over the trash can and shredded tissues were everywhere! Apparently he discovered that it's a fun thing to do when he's bored. I emptied the trash can so there's nothing to get into.

As far as crate training him, if he really is claustrophobic then it's borderline cruel since it's a phobia that causes him to truly panic. I'm going to have to find other ways to manage..... I'm thinking if I tire him out before we leave he'll hopefully sleep most of the time, then I'm going to have to puppy proof the room even more, including not even leaving food down since he just scattered it everywhere. And then I'm thinking I can only leave him only for 4 hours tops. So hopefully this plan is going to work!!

agilebcs

Posted : 5/24/2006 7:24:51 AM

How about confining him to an x-pen?

Luvntzus

Posted : 5/26/2006 9:59:24 AM

An ex-pen could possibly work, there are a few problems though. We're in a small one bedroom apartment, so we would need to put it up and take it down each time; we don't have a good place to store one. Also I'm worried that an ex-pen is small enough that he might still be claustrophobic in it.

For the past few days I've been able to take him everywhere with me, but I'm hoping that exercising him before leaving, puppy proofing the room better and leaving him alone for a shorter amount of time will work. If not, then I guess an ex-pen.....

Firestorm

Posted : 5/26/2006 10:24:25 AM

WHat type of crate do you have? Is it the metal or the plastic travel kind?

Luvntzus

Posted : 5/26/2006 12:41:41 PM

It's the plastic kind.

Firestorm

Posted : 5/26/2006 12:49:09 PM

When I got Harley, He came with a plastic crate and it was a small one but I guess it would be considered the right size for him...anyways he would raise hell in the crate one night for almost 3 hours...now he didn't give me his potty bark it was get me the heck out of this cave. Well, DH and I got him one of those wire crates at wal-mart for like 30-40 dollars and its cockerspaniel size. Now he enjoys his crate...he can see what is going on and very often he just decides to go in there on his own. I just leave the door open on it. He has his blanket and several of his favorite toys in there. Now after his last potty all I do is say Harley bed and he goes right in and knows it is night night time. I also crate him when we go and he is fine he hasn't destroyed anything or gone crazy in it like he did in the plastic one. Think about it would you wanna be in one of those dark crates or would you rather be in a metal one where you can see what is going on?

Luvntzus

Posted : 5/26/2006 1:14:48 PM

Yeah, the thing is I got the plastic kind because I'd read they make dogs feel more safe and secure, as in more den like, I guess not for every dog. [

] I kind of think that even if I got a really big wire crate, Gingerbread would probably still hate being enclosed in it.

It might be worth a try though if the crate is only $30-$40.....