New Puppy with Separation Anxiety

Leave the crate open in the kitchen while you are using the baby gate. From now on, feed him in his crate (leave the door open). Make sure the crate has a comfy cushion or blanket and some stuffed toys (if he likes those). The Kong is also a good idea. He will probably eventually learn that the crate is not a terrible place to be.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to respond with some helpful suggestions.

He doesn't seem to hate the crate - he will go in and out of it with toys but I just can't lock him in it.

I do think I will move the crate back into the kitchen so he can spend more time in there of his own volition.

I am a fan of the "kong" - at least if I give that to him before he freaks out - it tends to occupy him while I make my exit.

To "emmastaff" I will PM you to get the name of the professional you know just in case this issues continues when he gets a little older.

He's getting anxious because he sees himself as the leader of his pack, which consists of YOU. Because of his dominant state, he is responsible for his pack and when you leave, he sees himself as failing to keep HIS pack safe. Thus, the way to cure this behavioral issue is to instill yourself as pack leader, the dominant one in the house.

To do this, I recommend watching The Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel. An acquaintance of mine has an adult boxer who is wonderful because he implements Cesar Millan's techniques, and a friend has a siberian husky who is a great dog because she uses these techniques.

Thanks Abuja, I ordered the DVD's of Ceasar Millan and ordered his monthly magazine. I do plan to implement some of his direction.

I wonder why it is just this puppy that is acting like this - over my life span I have raised up 4 puppies and never had issues with them and they were all treated the same way as this one.

I do tend to treat my dogs as my babies and I know that the professionals say that is a bad thing - but that is just the sort of person I am and my other Boxer who is 8 now has never had any issues with being pampered and adored.

Dogs can also be claustrophobic (sp?) believe it or not. I work in Rescue and have seen dogs that will totally freak out if they have to walk past someone in a hallway because it's just too close. I have seen dogs that just cannot be crated. If he is doing okay in the kitchen if you need to go out, it doesn't sound like Seperation Anxiety or he would be freaking out just as badly in the gated kitchen, trying to chew his way out, climb over, anything to get to you. There is a group on yahoo that is comprised of owners of anxiety dogs and rescue volunteers that may come in contact with anxiety dogs. Some of these people are rehabilitating completely feral dogs that have shut down completely in a home situation (curled up in a corner, too afraid to move at all for weeks). These people have a huge amount of experience with real life situations and are about positive reinforcement training. The group has Vets and Certified Behaviorists as well. There are members from all over, so they should be able to recommend pros in your area if you are interested. You are welcome to PM me and I'll send you the link.

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Originally Posted by L.West

Thanks Abuja, I ordered the DVD's of Ceasar Millan and ordered his monthly magazine. I do plan to implement some of his direction.

I wonder why it is just this puppy that is acting like this - over my life span I have raised up 4 puppies and never had issues with them and they were all treated the same way as this one.

I do tend to treat my dogs as my babies and I know that the professionals say that is a bad thing - but that is just the sort of person I am and my other Boxer who is 8 now has never had any issues with being pampered and adored.

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It's fine to treat your dogs sweetly and with adoration, but here's a tip: When you tell them to do something, stay at your level and don't step down to them.

Also, the fact none of your other dogs have reacted this way is probably because your previous puppies were more submissive in nature and this one probably has a streak of dominance.