It sounds like SA to me as well.
Ideally you don't want to leave your pup alone in a
crate for more then an hour/month old they are. It sounds like your not over taxing Nike with staying in there too long so this probably isn't the issue here.
If it does indeed happen after you've been gone for just 20 minutes like you say then it's more then likely related to stressing too much over the separation from you and the loss of control of the bladder. This still happens to a lot of us from time to time when we over tax our dogs. Tika is a year old now, and if I leave her OUTSIDE of her
crate while I leave the house for a couple of minutes she can become very stressed, and the first time we did it she even urinated by the front door.
Your best bet here is time and consistency. I don't know what you do for a living or how much time you will have to work on this but the more you put Nike through it the more she will become used to it and relax.
Like Shawna said, exercise exercise exercise. If you can tire Nike out before you
crate her she'll go into fight mode for a bit but she will only be able to stay that way for so long. She'll soon pass out and sleep. Tika gets a 45 min walk in the morning before we leave and an hour walk/run at night. Nike is far too small for that amount of exercise just yet but even a 15 to 20 min walk before you
crate would go a long way.
Next thing you need to work on is positively reinforcing the
CRATE. It sounds like Nike like treats but won't eat them while in the
crate?
If this is the case you can work up her food motivation to reinforce the
crate. If she isn't food motivated you can find something she really really likes and use that instead but being food motivated is by far the most effective if you can find the right treat.
Hop into this great thread if you haven't already and it will give you some ideas you can work with
https://www.itsahuskything.com/t918-crate-training.
Somethings you can do to help your pup relax in the
crate are:
1) Start feeding her only in the
crate, Make her relax and wait for her food before you release her and allow her to do so. Leave the door opened at first and close it when you see a noticeable improvement on anxiety.
2) After feeding with the door close let her bark and woo and whine to come out until she relaxes and then open the door... May seem like torture but just be in another room until she relaxes (Don't do this too early, many pups REALLY need to pee after eating so you would just be setting yourself back).
3) Use some time to slowly amp up the amount of time Nike is inside her little den. Start with 30 minutes while you go to the store or something and then slowly increase the time. Try doing it on weekends or if you can, start now if you have the spare time. Being able to hold your bladder 5+ hours in a car ride with your humans is different from doing it when your scared and alone. Put the
crate somewhere you can see it from your balcony or deck and go out with your significant other and have a beer or glass of wine. The sooner Nike gets used to it the better in the long run.
4) Name the
crate. Call it bed, Call it
Crate, Call it Den. Something, anything. Nike is 4 months old you should be able to teach her that command. We use Tika BED. At first I would lead her in with the leash or by the collar, and reward / praise when she went in. When she learned that, we would reward when she went in all alone without the command and then only upon command. Now in the mornings she walks right in all by herself and waits for her Kong.
5) Get a KONG if you don't have one. If you have one get Two
. http://www.kongcompany.com/products/dogs/kong-rubber-toys/classic/kong-classic. Pumpkin, Sugarless Peanut butter, Yogurt, or her favorite treat. Stuff the kong with it, Freeze it if possible and leave that in the
crate with her. Your getting close to teething season as well so this will help with more then just SA.
6) Be proactive. Cut off the water supply 30 or 45 mins before it's
crate time. Make Nike Pee right before getting into the
crate. Spending that extra time limiting the possibility of mistakes will go a long way. And before long you won't have to cut off the water at all.
7) Lastly understanding, sympathy, and time. Don't overtax Nike, if you set a dog up to fail it will fail 90% of the time. dealing with SA is all about understanding that the only reason this is happening is because you, the sun and the stars in your pups eyes, are gone. Don't get mad of accidents, don't overreact, and take it slow. If you push too far and too fast the only thing your pup will learn is that peeing on myself, though unpleasant, is what I have to do when I'm in my
crate. Gradually increase the amount of time Nike is crated if possible to avoid any set backs. We went from 1 hour, to 2 hours, to 4.5 hours, all the way to 9 hours. This spanned from 4 months old to 10 months old. And this is coming from a pup who defecated herself in 30 seconds when we tried to
crate her the very first night.
Others can give you some other ideas on how to positively reinforce the
crate, but try and keep how ever you do it with RELAXATION in mind. you want your pup to sleep and be comfortable inside the
crate, not amped and ready to play with a toy.
Love, time, and commitment. All things you guys already have considering you got a Puppy
Just take it slow and enjoy the baby step
I'm sure with your guidance and help Nike will be a little pro in no time.
If you guys are already doing any or all of this your going in the right direction. She keep at it and tell yourself "One day it will be over"
.
Hope it helps in someway shape or form.
~Chris~
