Ok, This morning was rough. I woke up at 5 because Nicko was slapping me with his paw. I took him out and he did his business. We both laid down for about an hour until I had to get up for class. I left hime in my room while I took a shower and he would not stop crying and he also pooped on the floor. This is not the first time. He does this even in his kennel. I cleaned him up and the floor and took him back outside one more time before I left. When I put him in the kennel he started throwing a fit. I left and realized I left my schoolbag. When I went back in to get it, He was being quiet untilhe saw me then he started crying again. After I left, my brother said he quieted down until he got up and when he saw him he started whining again. I'm not an expert, but I don;t think this fits seperation anxiety. What do you all think. He sleeps in the bed with us, and never has an accident(except for the one time I didn't get up when he wanted me to. My fault, not his). The pooping happens in the kennel as well and I always have to bathe him when I get home. Is he just haveing the bowel movement because he is working himself up so much? Thanks for your help.

How big is his crate? Because if it is too big for him, when he needs to go potty, he will find a spot in his crate to do his business. By getting a crate with JUST enough room for him to lay down, you are teaching him to hold his bladder & maybe by letting him sleep with you n not in his crate all the time you have not properly taught him how to hold his bladder?. As far as the whining goes, they just need to get used to it, my dog does the same thing, but after a while when she realizes no one is reacting to her whines, she calms down. Don't let your dog out until he stops whining.

Dogs don't usually poop where they sleep, that's why you need a smaller crate probably.

Quote :

I left hime in my room while I took a shower and he would not stop crying and he also pooped on the floor

He freaked out because you were not in the room.

Quote :

When I put him in the kennel he started throwing a fit

He's learned that being in the Kennel means that you are soon going to be leaving. Even if it's not that just the fact that he can't get close to you is a pretty big thing. locked away and not able to reach his Human.

Quote :

When I went back in to get it, He was being quiet untilhe saw me then he started crying again

Your pup accepted the fact you were gone but popping back in alerted him you were still there. Again wanting to be close to you he started to get excited or panic again.

Quote :

After I left, my brother said he quieted down until he got up and when he saw him he started whining again

Again this is only because he was crated while someone was moving around the house and your pup could see / hear him.

Quote :

I'm not an expert, but I don;t think this fits seperation anxiety

It's exactly separation anxiety. Your little guy is just working himself up so much and panicking simply because you are gone. It's not uncommon for young dogs to lose the ability to control their bladder when panicked.

The first night we had Tika we tried Crating her in a different room from us. Within 5 minutes she had voided her bowels all over herself and her crate. This happened again the first few times we needed to leave her crated during the day.

The fact that they are good all night, and rarely have accidents shows it even more. It's simply the panic of being left alone, especially considering it happens in such short periods after you leave them alone (the time it takes for a shower).

The size of the crate itself will indeed help in this matter, it should be just big enough for your pup to turn around in and be possible to stretch out laying down. But if it is truely SA and panic the size will not hamper the loss of control of the bowels or bladder. It's just something that will get better with time.

Your best bet here is to slowly increase the amount of time Nicko is crated and invest some time in making them as comfortable with you leaving the room and the crate as possible. Kongs, Relaxation, and positive reinforcement.


First step. Take 5 mins to read this awesome post full of tips and tricks to help your crate training.

https://www.itsahuskything.com/t918-crate-training

Everything your going through is normal for early life stages. Time, commitment and understanding and you should be more then fine

https://www.itsahuskything.com/t4572-puppy-peeing-in-crate-on-herself-when-left-alone

Above is a post by another member currently trying to work through the same issue. You might be able to shoot ideas off one another or see what is working for the other.

As always best of luck to you, I hope this is helpful in anyway shape or form, and please keep us updated.

~Chris~

& yes, mine acts similar minus the part where she poops in her bed. But whenever one of us leaves the room she will whine & cry until BOTH my fiance & I are back. I have lost a lot of sleep & could not get her to stop crying. & sometimes when we leave our dog with Joe's parent's she will get mad & pee/poop on the floor in spite of us leaving her. She can be such a brat. > but thankfully people in this forum are extremely helpful & we will work with our dog to get her better. Best of luck to you & your pup.

I would say the fact that the dog quiets down once you are gone and then starts again when he sees you likely means it is not separation anxiety. Or, at the least, a very mild case. True separation anxiety will have the dog crying, panting, howling, shaking, etc. (not necessarily all, but some of these signs) the entire time you are gone.

I would focus on positive crate training. If you don't see improvement you could add separation anxiety desensitization training. As others noted the size of the crate might affect his pooping in the crate but it could also be nerves/working himself up too much about being crated.