Hi all. We've had our 6mo mutt for a little over a month now and he is overall a great dog. My one problem I seem to continually have is non-stop barking in his crate when are at home in a different room. My partner and I work full-time, so he is crated during the day (sleeps outside the crate at night), but I come home mid-day to care for him so he is not left the entire workday. His general schedule currently looks like this:
Morning- potty, breakfast, short walk
Mid-day- potty, lunch, longer walk
Evening- potty, longer walk/playtime in the yard, dinner
The times of each of these are consistent. When my partner or I leave the house, he is quiet in his crate. No signs of anxiety or distress even without some kind of stimulation or toy. Similarly, when we eat dinner we crate him and he is fine–but we eat dinner in the same room as his crate.
HOWEVER, as soon as I need to get something done in another room for more than five minutes, he is non-stop crying/barking/pawing at his crate. His crate has blankets, toys, etc. and I normally leave him with a stuffed Kong with his favorite treats & peanut butter. I have been doing the normal crate-training protocol with games, treats, etc. and he goes into his crate with a command no issues. My partner travels for work frequently so having someone to watch over him all the time when we are home is not an option. I am losing my mind over here as to what I am doing wrong and if this constitutes some kind of separation anxiety that I need to consult a vet or behaviorist for. Any advice welcome.
submitted by /u/nosleepintennessee
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