Also what puzzle toys do you use because I have a kong that I fill with peanut butter but the second it is gone all he does is scream

I was always under the impression that always doing food (Meals) in the create increased the potential for "guarding"? It is "den like" and thought it might create "I need to be alone when I eat" vs. having a dog be comfortable with people be around, etc. when he eats.

Kodi will jump right into the crate for feeding .. it's the "being quiet when gone" that's the issue.. Thoughts? Do most feed their Siberians in the crate? I mean I can sit right next to Kodi, reach into the bowl and grab some food and hand feed him after he's done, and he doesn't have any issue, but I think that's because we've trained him to eat in the same spot, but in a spot near the kitchen where there's normal human traffic going on around him.. He doesn't gobble it down, etc..

Thanks..
Jay S.

Toys: Caper quickly loses interest in the classic Kong because he can't make any progress on extracting what I put in there. Some toys we use:

- the kong wobbler (Caper gives this 2/2 paws up, sees it and comes running)
- hide-a-treat sliding puzzle (doesn't last very long, huskies are too smart for this puzzle)
- twisted beach towels with treats tucked away in them
- yogurt frozen in cups
- fruit/veggie slices frozen into ice cubes
- ice cubes in his water bowl
- dehydrated animal parts + socks + smaller squeaky toys stuffed into gutted plush animals
- treats hidden under the mat in his crate
- baked hollow femur bones with oreo stuffing smeared on the insides (not the healthiest, i know.. but Caper goes crazy for it)
- occasionally, if I think I can tolerate extra cleaning up, i'll stuff things into an empty cardboard box for him to rip up. but it's not like i don't already have too much work...

Use your creativity! From my point of view, anything that has a crevice and that your guy won't try to eat is fair game for a toy.

Regarding space that he has:
Our apartment is only 350sqft (gasp) and Caper has access to everything except the bedroom and bathroom, so that means the kitchen & living room. Crating was hard when we started training for it, and although he would sit in there indefinitely with me in sight, he would freak out when alone and hurt himself trying to escape from it. So I left him out one day to see what he did while I was gone (with the help of Skype) and he didn't get into any trouble so we have been crate-free since. Hopefully another member can help you with crate training.

Potty-ing: His potty training seems to be down solid, and I let him out 3-4 times a day to potty. So I guess I am lucky here...

Ripping things up: He seems to know what is his and what is not his and has been an angel being by himself (I know that at 7 months adolescence is right around the corner, so knock on wood...) I didn't do anything specific to train this other than monitoring him closely when we first got him and playing with him constantly with his own toys and chewing toys (he has a huge tub full of them). I guess this taught him by example that when he wants to play or chew on something to default to these objects. This doesn't mean he wasn't tempted in the beginning to grab things or wrap his teeth around furniture. He was strictly not allowed to take something that wasn't his and would have it removed from his mouth and replaced with an appropriate toy. He would also be picked up and put down on the floor if he tried to stand up to get something on the counter or try to get up on furniture. After a while I think he just learned that he gets what he wants by asking a human get it for him rather than trying to get it himself. Also I think it really helps to set them up for success by not leaving tempting things out in the open or on the floor where he can get them, and being very consistent with correcting something that you don't want him to be doing. For example, if you don't want him to jump up on the couch and reach things while you're gone, don't ever let him do it while you are there, otherwise he'll think it's ok.

My thoughts: Dogs won't naturally distinguish between toy and non-toys so you have to teach them, and simply punishing them when they do something wrong doesn't show them what you DO want them to do. They will naturally continue to have those impulses, so it's your responsibility to make sure they know an appropriate alternative.

Hmm, maybe if crating doesn't work I will have to try something else. I will still use it for sleeping and keep trying now but I don't think it is the crate i think it's me being gone. Also, my complete goal is to be able to allow him to roam freely when I am not home because any dog I have ever known has been allowed to do that. It's weird too when he has another animal with him he seems to be okay (but my boyfriend and I will not be getting one for at least another year). He just hates being alone and I am having a hard time teaching him that it is okay. But I think we will get there, today I put him in his crate while I was making food and watching tv and he actually went in there WILLINGLY and laid down. Progress? I don't know but I really wonder what would happen if I left him, I just feel like he would rip everything up!

I will try those toys because I have a wobbl kong but he gets through that in twenty minutes and gets bored and screams again.

You really should find out! (Assuming that you can get him to not chew your stuff while you are present at the least).

If you have a smart phone, download skype on there and put your computer with webcam in a corner of the room where you can watch him. Make two skype accounts, one for you and one for Balto. Set the skype preferences on your computer to "pick up all calls automatically" and call the account on your computer from your phone. Then leave Balto for a few seconds and watch what he does from outside with the door closed. This is also SUPER useful for when you actually do leave him for a few hours and want to be able to see what he is doing (or what your roommate is doing with your stuff while you are gone... LOL) Saves you ~$300 on a petcam...

I think caper is so much happier being outside the crate now that he has earned it. Of course I am not condoning that everybody let their dog out of the crate while they are gone... the crate was created for a reason and some dogs' behaviors are that reason

I think that right now toys are being used like a bandaid to distract him from the fact that you are gone. Does he cry when alone even outside of the crate? If he is fine being crated in your presence but not when you are gone, maybe you can work on getting him to actually be ok with you gone first before moving on to being alone in addition to being crated. Try the desensitization thing without the crate for a few minutes at a time (but not for long enough for him to start destroying things if that's what he tends to do...) and when he stops being anxious with you leaving him then move on to crating him when gone?

Anyone with other opinions is welcome to chime in

Just a thought (and suggestion) of what we do with Kodi's toys. He has a couple of favorites, but we mix up the routine of which toys are out (He knows where we keep them even). After a couple of days, we'll rotate his toys (saves a little where and tear on the toys as well). When we go to the covered basket it's almost like Christmas for him and it's like he hasn't seen those toys in years. :-) May be worth a try..

All great advice in this thread! Just one thing that I have experienced: If you are going to cover the crate you might want to get an actual crate cover because I used a towel for Pongo when he was a pup and came home to it pulled into the cage and shredded to pieces lol. The crate cover is form fitting and much harder to pull inside the crate.

Just be consistent with training and eventually your pup will outgrow the "screaming". Boy do I NOT miss that haha. And I'm thinking of getting another one!