This topic came up in another training group I’m in, so I thought it would be worth addressing. People often claim their dogs have separation anxiety due to the dog barking, frantically trying to escape the crate, barking in the crate, etc when left home alone. While separation anxiety is certainly a real phenomenon, it’s important to first make sure you aren’t dealing with *confinement* anxiety instead. Confinement anxiety is much more common and thankfully easier to manage! Think of confinement anxiety as being similar to claustrophobia.
A dog with true separation anxiety will be upset regardless of where he’s left in the home. If he’s in a crate, he will harm himself trying to get out. If he’s in a room, he may destroy the doors, walls, windows, or blinds. If he’s in a yard, he may eat through the fence/dig out of the fence, etc. He will often soil himself due to stress even if in a small area where he can’t get away from his own mess.
When a dog has confinement anxiety, he tends to be much more relaxed when left in a small room for example, versus being left in a crate or xpen. He will also show displeasure being confined even if you are home/near him whereas a dog with separation anxiety is fine until you leave.
It’s important to isolate the source of the anxiety: is it the separation or the act of confinement? True separation anxiety is a complex issue that requires a lot of behavioral intervention. Confinement anxiety is often as simple as changing your physical set up around to make the dog more comfortable.
Many cases of confinement anxiety are caused by an unfortunate bit of information that gets circulated throughout the dog training world which says, “A crate only needs to be big enough for your dog to stand up, turn around and lie down.”
Unfortunately, this is a half-truth. If your dog is traveling in a vehicle, a crate of this size is appropriate as it leaves little room for the dog to be flung about in an accident. If a dog is only being confined for a short period of time, this size is sufficient (for example if he’s at the vet’s office or groomer waiting for you to pick him up). If you are using the crate as a potty-training tool, this size will help prevent accidents so may be appropriate for night time. However, you must still get up to let the dog outside if he needs to potty as a young puppy cannot generally hold it all night.
One explanation put forth for this belief is that a small crate represents a “den” and dogs like “dens” due to their wolfy roots. There are a few problems with this. First, dogs are not wolves and depending on their upbringing experiences, they may not have this “denning” instinct at all. Even if they do (and many of them do), the open wire crates favored by many pet people do not approximate a den. Closed crates made of hard plastic or a wire crate that is covered do a better job of representing a den.
Many dogs love their crates, especially if they’ve been properly conditioned to one during their formative puppy weeks. However, some dogs do not do well especially if they aren’t exposed to the concept until later in life. Another issue often seen is that a dog who was initially crate trained is left in too small a crate for too long too often, possibly without a bathroom break and begins to resent the crate.
One way to avoid this happening is to be realistic about how long your dog will be confined daily. If your dog will only be confined 3 or 4 hours, you are probably ok in a small crate. If it’s going to be much longer than that a much larger crate, possibly with an indoor potty area for a puppy (such as a litter box or turf….never “potty pads”) is a better idea.
Over-size crates, large xpens, or confining to one room of a house can be a better option for some dogs. Another option for those with the room is to use “kennels”, as in the kind you would traditionally see outside, or in a boarding facility. They are usually much taller/more open and feel less claustrophobic to the dog. I’ve met lots of dogs who were a mess in a crate but fine in a “kennel”.
Another important thing to note is that your dog’s containment area should never be a place he only goes when left alone. Your dog should be fed in his containment area and put away for brief periods during the day when you are nearby. This will prevent him from associating the crate/kennel with being abandoned by you. If you have other dogs, it’s advisable to place crates near each other so the dogs are not completely separated or alone; however, you should not generally allow dogs to share crates/kennels are fights can happen in such a small space. There are exceptions to this on a case by case basis (I have 2 elderly toothless toy breed dogs who share a 4x4 xpen but they are not capable of farming each other and have been together for many, many years and are compatible).
All dogs should be crated trained; this can be necessary at the vet’s office, the groomer’s, or in the case of an unexpected evacuation/disaster. Crates are an EXCELLENT tool to keep your dog safe when you aren’t home as well. However, it is not coincidence in my opinion that the modern mindset in which crating dogs is a default has accompanied a rise in dogs who suffer from separation anxiety. When I grew up in the 80s, dog crates were not a part of the average household. Most dogs went into the backyard or a spare room when their family left. While I don’t support leaving dogs outside unattended in a yard for ANY reason, I do think we need to revisit the idea of the dog having his own “room” if he is going to be alone for extended periods of time. This is why I use larger pens/kennels (generally 4x4 or 4x8 depending on the dog’s size. This is large enough to provide a sleeping area and a potty area if necessary.
Though many try to claim you shouldn’t own a dog if you work full time, this is a fairly unreasonable request. Most of us must work and as dogs sleep 14-20 hours a day depending on their age, there is no reason at all to avoid owning one just because you must hold down a traditional job. However, to place a dog in a crate too small to stretch their legs or use the restroom for 10 hours a day is a questionable choice as well. We owe it to our dogs to provide them a comfortable and safe form of containment when we aren’t home.
Some people choose to send their dogs to daycares, which are problematic in their own right for many reasons beyond the scope of this article. Some choose to have mid-day walkers come over or have family/friends come check on their dogs. That is also a good option.
Hopefully this blog has provided you with some ideas to help your dog deal with any issues related to confinement anxiety. As always, I stress that I am neither a veterinary professional nor a professional trainer. I am a dog lover who has worked with/rescued/fostered/assisted with a great number of dogs over the years and seek only to share my hard-earned knowledge of what has worked for me.
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