Hello, so Tetra is not good in her crate whatsoever. I understand she's still a puppy and needs more time to adjust and learn, but we've had her for almost 2 months now and there's been absolutely no change. Honestly I think it's gotten worse. She isn't crated overnight and sleeps on the bed with us, but whenever we leave, we crate her. She's usually in her crate about 4-5 times a week for about 3-5 hours at a time and she still isn't getting any better. I've tried the crating while home and doing things in the room with her, and she seem's perfectly fine being in the crate as long as I'm in the room, but as soon as I leave she cries and doesn't stop for the whole time she's in there. She doesn't always poop in the crate but she always pees and when she does poop, it gets all over and I end up having to bathe her because it's so bad. She's about to turn 4 months old and also seems to have extreme separation anxiety from me even though I leave pretty much every day for school and work while she stays home with my boyfriend. Every time I leave the house she flips out and cries for half an hour and rams herself against doors to try to get to me. I was hoping it was just going to be a phase, but I'm not so sure anymore. He works from home so she always has him around but she could care less about him most the time. I just need some advice on how to help her tolerate the crate more and not have as much separation anxiety from me.

OKay, you said it in your last sentence. To me it doesn't sound so much like anxiety over the crate as separation anxiety and that's a whole other ball of wax.

Can you leave her in the house for a few minutes while you, for example, run out to the car and back?? Not suggesting, just asking to see how severe her anxiety is.

Like crate training which needs a gentle introduction for most pups, separation is a project without an immediate reward. You have to be able to leave for short times and then build her up to longer stretches ... as I said, this is not a "easy cure" it's more of a long term project.

aljones wrote:

Can you leave her in the house for a few minutes while you, for example, run out to the car and back?? Not suggesting, just asking to see how severe her anxiety is.

If I walk out of the house even for a minute or two to do something she still freaks out. As soon as I shut a door between us, she has a fit because she can't get to me. When she's sleeping and the boyfriend and I are doing stuff and we're all in the same room, if he gets up to leave the room, she lifts her head to see, and goes back to sleep and doesn't care, but if I go to leave the room, she gets up and follows me. If I'm showering, I have to keep the shower door open or she freaks out because she can't get to me. The only time she's okay being out of the same room as me is when I'm doing school work and not paying attention to her so she goes and plays with her toys.

I think it's normal for Husky puppies to bond to the main parent (me, the mom, in my case), and Sophia is a crier, too. I leave a potty pad in her crate when I go running with Grant because if she is stressed, she poops. Washing a poopy puppy is not fun. And Sophia is meticulous, so it freaks her out.

I'm learning she needs to go out at 5am, but she's sleeping through the night in her crate. Have you thought of crating her at night? I have Sophia right by my bed and keep a flashlight under my pillow to check on her if she stirs. I put my hand on the bars beside her to settle her and keep my energy calm and sleepy. The first couple of nights, she woke up a lot, but she goes 7 hours now.

I say this because crating at night establishes an expectation of settling down to sleep in her crate. Sometimes when I come back from our run, Sophia stays asleep until I wake her up, even if she was crying when I left. I leave classical music on the echo dot and tell her I'll be right back. It's becoming a routine, which puppies seem to thrive on.

All puppies are different, but I think crating at night improves the Husky's crating experience during the day.

Oh, and for now, Sophia goes in the bathroom with me when I shower, too. Haha It fascinates her. She's my shadow just like Grant was, but he outgrew it.

Mersea Lopez wrote:

I think it's normal for Husky puppies to bond to the main parent (me, the mom, in my case).
Have you thought of crating her at night?

The worst part is, Tetra is with my boyfriend pretty much twice a much as she's with me because he's always home and I have work and school 6/7 days of the week for about 5-11 hours at a time. She just seems to prefer women more, but you'd think she'd attach to him in some way with the amount of time they spend together, but she could honestly care less about him. She doesn't listen to him as much as she listens to me, and I'm pretty sure she thinks she's alpha to him. I've tried overnight crating and she does fine as long as she can see me, if not she'll cry all night long. When she sees me she still cries a bit when she wakes up in the missile of the night a little, otherwise she's fine when I'm there. It just seems to be as soon as we leave and she's alone she freaks out.

I have 4 huskies and never have i had this kind of behavior.. Its possible that husky give each other company where they don't show or experience anxiety when i leave or not home... hope its only a baby stage..

sorry i was not much help...

Huskies tend to really bond with who does the most for them. Like who walks them, feeds them, teaches them stuff. They see them as the caregiver, as the one they need. Mama. Separation anxiety takes time to work over and a lot of wandering in and out of the house at varying intervals until you basically desensitize them to you leaving and they become used to the fact that you will be coming back and that by disappearing you haven't just died. Even dogs who have other dogs to keep them company can have separation anxiety from their owner and having multiple dogs won't necessarily fix or prevent it from happening. It's largely based on the individual dog and the level of bond or obsession the dog has.

I agree with Jenn. Eventually, they relax.

Both Grant and Sophia behaved exactly the same: I picked each one up from the breeder and I timed it in the middle of the 8th week, so some sibs were gone already, but not all. Both were quiet for the entire ride home (two flights and a several-hour layover), so by the time they were in their new home, each was well-bonded to me.

Sophia cries more when I leave, but it's already getting better, and her brother's presence does help when I'm just stepping into the next room (while she's safely in her x-pen).

You can use this bond for training: breaking fellowship for biting, asking for a "sit" before releasing from the pen, reinforcing good leash behavior by rewarding with trips and one-on-one attention--"I get to go with Mom!"

This too shall pass (anxiety), but the bond is a positive part of making a good dog.