At my wits end!

Holidays_are_coming

Holidays_are_coming

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My lovely bichon x is a pain he has his own room downstairs I started with a normal stair gate, which he soon learnt to jump. The only trouble is if he escapes he either pees on my bed if I forget to shut the door or if I'm gone a long time he will go near the door.

So I brought a extra tall one and the little bigger still can jump out, I caught it on video but I can't cut it! How do I keep him in, he hates me leaving him even though he has always had the same routine since I got him as a pup! Any advice please
 
You could try putting foil down where he pee's - we had to cover our duvet in the stuff, so the cats didn't pee on it.

Doesn't solve the problem though - crate, but as someone said, make sure he knows it's not for punishment! At least he can't come to any harm in a crate.
 
Definitely a crate. You need to make this his bed. Cover it with a blanket so that he feels secure and then what you see as a cage he will see as a den. Use this whenever you go out or to bed so that he gets to know the routine. Ignore howling/crying, he'll soon give it up when he gets nothing for his effort. Dogs aren't daft. I've had this system with every dog I've ever had and they use the crate happily of their own accord and these days we don't even shut the door, they just stay in there because they feel secure.
 
No bits they got whipped off ASAP! He refuses to go in his room even though it has his bed and toys and treats when he has to go in there he runs off and hides under the kitchen table and I have to drag him out!

I'm really bad he sleeps on my bed as I live alone and it makes me feel safe.

If I have a day off all he does is sleep all day so why he can't just chill when I leave him
 
Holidays_are_coming said:
No bits they got whipped off ASAP! He refuses to go in his room even though it has his bed and toys and treats when he has to go in there he runs off and hides under the kitchen table and I have to drag him out!

I'm really bad he sleeps on my bed as I live alone and it makes me feel safe.

If I have a day off all he does is sleep all day so why he can't just chill when I leave him
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OK, first bit, you've created a conflict so he won't want to go into the room, with the dragging etc.

Second bit, he has NO idea when he is supposed to be with you and when he is supposed to be apart from you, because you have blurred the lines....sleep on the bed, spend all day together when you are in the house...then you go out and leave him, suddenly and shut him away. He cannot understand that and feels isolated from your unit and so will wee and poo in distress.
You need to teach him that it's OK to spend short periods alone.

Go get a good book about dog psychology or speak to a trainer and start again with him, at the moment he is probably just really confused, he's not a human being, they don't think rationally like we do, or maybe PM Cayla and ask for her crate training guide.

ETA: Also, re the crate, you've taught him...if he whines and goes crazy, you let him out, so you've essentially taught him it IS a scary place.
 
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Holidays_are_coming said:
If I have a day off all he does is sleep all day so why he can't just chill when I leave him
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Because he has separation anxiety, from you molly coddling him! I recognise the sign as managed to do the same to my JRT.:o Oz would hurl himself at the front door when I left! It was only fear he would hurt himslef that made me man up and start to address his needs (even if it made me feel bad in the short term, in the long term I have a much happier and settled dog).

Oz has a crate (covered with a blanket and made all cosy), I introduced it carefully, so he knows it is his safe place and he goes in there happily with a treat when I go out.:) Oz never used to eat treats when I went out, I know now that it was because he was too stressed to eat.:(

Takes time and effort, but worth it.

FWIW he still sleeps on my bed! However he no longer stresses in my absence.;)
 
He doesn't eat his treats really, I've got to the point with his jumping out where I'm worried he will also hurt himself. Will get the crate back out and make it cozy and slowly introduce it back to him, I worry as when he gets stressed he tips his water everywhere is he ok to leave without it to start with
 
You have made the most basic mistake and created a bit of seperation anxiety and the urinating will be part of it.

As suggested the only thing he associates "his room" with is being "left alone" and you disappearing!
It takes literally a day to crate train a dog and it begins with the dog being in the designated space be it crate or room and you being "in full view";) however people don't they have the dog with them on the chair/bed at their feet and then place them in the designated area "when they leave" this causes panick and confusion.
I have crate trained a puppy husky x and a puppy spaniel in 2 days, both now run to the crates when I say "in":D both had a good screaming session, the thing is I withold affection (may sound cruel) but in place of it I walk them and they play with my dogs and I crate them infront of me (i.e when sitting typing on puter) they are sitting in their crates watching me and chewing on stuffed kongs/vegie toothbrushes/filled bones:D (would they have taken them if I had put them both in a crate) and locked them in a kitchen after hugging them on the settee all day (nope) they would have screamed blue murder:p

When they go into the doggy room their crate is covered over as it was in the living room after a few hours of them seeing me, it was then (cover over time)
Now they have accepted their "alone time places" I can give as much attention/affection as I please:) their new owners can carry on my routine then phase their crates out.

Start by getting your self a small crate for your bedroom (lovely comfy bed and cover it) no more on your bed (not perminantly) just for the purpose of helping him get into a "lone time routine) in the most user friendly way possible. It's a very positive place to be as he is in there and you are there too (win win):)
Bring the crate downstairs or get a second and have him spend one hour in and one hour out when you are home with him and he can see you and gradually start to cover the crate, so he has to guess weather you are there or not and fill it with goodies (he will be more likely to accept and enjoy goodies with you there) he wont touch toys or goodies when you are not (he is to anxious) you need to teach him to take them when he is not anxious.
Dont fuss him when your release him for his "time out of the crate" simply open the door and offer him a loo break then let him settle somewhere, and never let him out when whinging always when he is calm.
Feed him his dinner in there and again be present so he can see you at first.

In the meantime withdraw ott affection but give more exercise until you see him accepting crate time without displaying anxious behaviour.
You can later down the line move the crate to the kitchen and then over time start leaving crate door open then do away with crate and have him back in the kitchen:)
 
I often think of the great crate debate as my whipster has to be forcibly ejected from her crate each morning to go into the garden.....

She has 2 layers of vetbed, blankets and toys in there, plus a duvet and blanket over the top. We don't shut the crate door anymore, but it is always handy to babe to if needed.
 
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