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puppy destroys the house when you leave? Chewing the couch, scratching the door, pacing at the window… that’s been my life lately.

I talked to a local trainer (Cailyn from Always Faithful Dog Training) about it, and her first suggestion was way simpler than I expected: proper crate training as a safe space.

She explained that for a lot of dogs, the crate can be a comfort zone where they can decompress and avoid getting overstimulated, instead of having full access to the house to spiral into anxiety. The idea is to teach the crate as a calm, predictable place before leaving, not just throw the puppy in when you walk out the door.

We’ve been working on: Making the crate a “good things happen here” spot (meals, chews, calm time).

Sending the dog to the crate on a cue while we’re still home.

Practicing super short in‑crate periods with us stepping in and out of the room, then gradually out the door.

It’s obviously not a magic fix for serious separation anxiety, but even this one change has helped my pup relax instead of going straight into demolition mode.

For those of you in the puppy‑destroyer stage:

Did crate training help at all? Anything you wish you’d done differently when introducing the crate in the beginning?

I have a 4 month old white Swiss shepherd who gets waaaay too excited about the cats. (and other dogs. people. kids. leaves on the ground. snow. etc etc)

Im looking for some good stories and tips about how you got your shep to get along with the cat?

My one cat wants to desperately be the pups friend. very curious. isn't afraid of being near her until the excitement kicks in.

the most I’ve done is feed a churu to the cat while giving the pip treats for calm, and theyve been about a foot away. Cats always have an escape route and the dog is tethered to heavy furniture to avoid catastrophe for when she tries to chase.

tips? Success stories? I could really use some support.

Hey everyone

🐾 Poppy, female, 18 weeks/4mo, 3lb maltipoo

I’ve posted on here previously in regard to Poppy’s sudden disdain for her crate. She used to be able to sleep through the night in her crate, even go in of her own volition at bedtime, but not anymore. She will bark and dig for up to 40mins straight, on and off all night. I’ve lost so much sleep that I’m tempted to give up and let her roam the bedroom at night since she is potty trained. But I hate that idea so much, almost like I’m failing one of the core tenants of properly raising your dog. I also simply don’t want her out and about yet. She’s too little. But I am straight up suffering. Do you think I should let it go and hope she becomes normal again, or tough it out? FYI, she’s been suddenly misbehaving like this for over one week now.

I know adolescence comes with neediness and that usually begins to dim with developing independence at the 5/6mo mark. That said, here is my situation. For context, Poppy’s bark is…. It is the most ear piercing, most echoing, most loud bark I have ever heard. It is so insanely high pitch and it just drills into your skull, and she does not give up. When I lay on my bed, she wants to climb up, but I don’t want that, so she whines and whines and whines. Does anyone have any training advice to detour this? Because I am at a loss.

I love Poppy so much, and I know that it doesn’t help that I’m a naturally anxious person. I could really use some advice.

We have a 6 mo old spoo and he is a fantastic dog overall. Happy, confident, friendly. Potty trained, crate trained, stellar in scent work already, whip smart and easy to train. He’s learning to heel and progressing well in loose leash walking. We are home all day and play with him each session he’s awake. He’s also learning to settle well.

So my one issue is jumping and mouthing (play-biting). All the things that are supposed to work do not. I’ve tried freezing, removing myself immediately, giving him a cool down in his crate, and even using treats to teach him when he’s NOT jumping he gets rewarded. I’ve even tried putting my knee out, firmly saying no (this actually escalates him). He’s definitely getting excited and sometimes there’s humping involved (which he only does with me and not my partner).

I usually have a house leash on him and sometimes can easily get it under control by taking the leash and leading him to his bed. But if I haven’t gotten his leash on yet or we’re in transition, he’ll be all over me even as I try to walk away. Which is incredibly frustrating to say the least.

Hi all,

This is a vent but I’m also seeking crate advice.

I’m raising my 5 month old Samoyed puppy alone. His training is going well, he’s well behaved in general and I did work hard on him, but I also had support from my mom since I got him. She has been helpful since the beginning, gave me good advice, and put a great perspective on a few things. There is just one thing we cannot agree on: the crate.

I have crate trained him since day one. It took a while, but he eventually got used to his crate and he goes in it peacefully. But my mom sees the crate as a prison for him and feels pity for him that he’s caged up. It ends up with us having big fights about it every time she comes over, and she rambles about how she had dogs in the past, she never crated them and they turned up fine. Which is great but she had them 40 years ago while living on a literal farm with huge space; I live in a much smaller townhouse.

I can understand where she’s coming from, but the crate has helped me a LOT during training and it gives my dog stability during the night. He’s still young, and while my plan is to eventually let him sleep with me full time with the crate as a choice, I feel like it’s too young for him to have access to a big space at night. Just today he had not one but three accidents in the house, and even if he’s pretty much clean, his bladder/gut system aren’t fully developed and we still are in a work in progress. She doesn’t seem to understand my point, and is trying to make me feel bad for not letting him sleep with us.

Soon I’m going to rearrange my setup. Right now puppy is sleeping in his crate in the living room that is also used as a support for the playpen during the day. I want to make the playpen bigger, more stable, and the crate is going upstairs with me.

I have two big questions: number one, how should I transition from the crate in the living room to the bedroom? Is it better if he’s on the same floor but in a different room? Should I let him on my bed asap?

And two, how should I deal with someone who doesn’t agree with my methods? I would appreciate that there is no judgment towards me or my mom. I’m just tired of feeling like my boundaries are too much to ask for, and her coming over is making me feel anxious (for context she lives far away from work, I live much closer and sometimes she sleeps at my house to avoid trafic and the long road during winter). At the end of the day, it is my dog, not hers, I do not want to feel influenced or guilt tripped for how I raise my puppy, who by the way is amazing and everyone tells me so. Not to toot my own horn but it must mean in a way that I’m doing something right.

Thank you for reading and I appreciate the feedback 🫶