I previously posted this thread about my beagle Lola who I was being destructive when I left her alone when I had to leave the house. [URL="http://community.dog.com/forums/t/113084.aspx"]Could This Be Separation Anxiety?[/URL]
I've been trying and failing miserably for about a month at crate training and trying to find a solution to her destructive behavior I thought was caused by separation anxiety. I had tried to do a few training techniques that are supposed to help with SA, and she wasn't freaking out the way she was "supposed to" when I would walk away or leave. She was perfectly calm. So I decided to do a little more research. I came across an article about claustrophobia and containment phobia, and it described Lola's behavior exactly. It also said that a large percentage of claustrophobic/ containment phobic dogs are misdiagnosed with separation anxiety. This would explain why nothing I was trying was working. Lola doesn't have the normal "den instinct" that most dogs have. She instead has an irrational fear of being trapped. This makes so much more sense.
Has anyone dealt with a dog with claustrophobia or containment phobia? Any tips? I'm definitely going to do more research and hopefully come up with a solution that will work for both of us.