08/06/2021
One of the most common questions I get from people going through my program is asking about how to get their dogs to be okay in the crate. Often dogs bark, whine, cry, drool excessively from anxiety, paw at the door, or in extreme cases start hurting themselves.
Obviously we don't want that, if we want our dogs to spend time in their crates (which we do!) we want them to be comfortable and enjoy being in there.
One option is you can use a pen instead of a crate. Personally, this would be my last option after I've tried the best method I've found, which is below:
There are a million videos and articles on how to fix this, but the best is Marc Goldberg's video on using Straw, which sounds strange, but it works like a charm. You can watch it here if you've never seen it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmAIqLWTf9k
Note: This straw method won't fix separation anxiety if that's the root of the issue, but it will allow you to leave your dog in the crate peacefully while working on the separation anxiety.