Why does my dog destroy his crate? How can I make him relax inside?

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your question. Luna is likely experiencing anxiety when in the kennel. I would recommend providing plenty of toys for her in the kennel and even consider using products such as the Adaptil collar and NaturVet Quiet Moments calm chews with Melatonin, which can be found at your local Petco. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

It sounds as if your puppy is developing serparstion anxiety. The good news is that she is still young and you have time to correct her behaviors so she can live a long happy life! I would recommend first commiting to crate training your dog. This will help prevent her from destroying things and keep her safe so she doesn't get into anything that could harm him. Crate training can take a few weeks but once she is used to the crate she will begin to feel safe there. I would also recommend taking her on a fast paced walk before you have to crate her to help drain some of his nervous energy. You can also try giving her a chew toy like a kong in the crate to keep her distracted. If these tactics do not work I would recommend talking to your vet about starting her on an anti anxiety medication until she becomes more accustomed to her crate. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

It sounds like poor Jack has severe separation anxiety. Some dogs will adapt well to their crate and it will help with the anxiety, but other require additional help in the form of medication. I recommend having him seen by a vet first thing on Monday. You can discuss with your vet his anxiety problems, and the vet can talk about medication options to help him deal with his anxiety. Unfortunately some dogs just need that extra help because their anxiety is so severe, and it sound like Jack could be one of those dogs. I hope this helps!

Poor Crash! In most cases, dogs who tear up their crates and try to escape from them during the day have severe separation anxiety. This is a serious problem that will require professional help to treat, so I would recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist who can evaluate him in person and help you put together a detailed treatment plan to work on his anxiety. This may include prescription medication to help keep him from panicking while you work on training him to be more comfortable by himself during the day. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org If you don't have a behaviorist nearby, you could also consider working remotely with a trainer who specializes in this problem, such as Malena DiMartini: https://malenademartini.com/

Siberians can be quite "active" if left alone for long periods. Are you by any chance scolding Luna when you find the mess? If so, that can set up a situation where she thinks that she is going to be reprimanded every time you come home, which leads to anxiety while you are away, which leads to more mess-making! It is useless, and even counterproductive, to correct a dog for a behavior that occurred even five minutes ago. She just won't make the connection, even if you "show her," etc. Try leaving her a big Kong toy stuffed with peanut butter (make the night before and freeze) to occupy her. You may need to resort to a crate, because if she deoes something naughty and is not IMMEDIATELY corrected, she will not understand that it's wrong to do it. For additional help, you can click on the prompt to start a consult. (I had Siberians for 40 years, so I know how they can be.) Good luck!

This does sound like Rexxy has some separation anxiety. Some things that you can do to help him are to make sure he gets plenty of exercise, especially before you have to leave for an extended period of time; put him in a crate/kennel before you leave to prevent him from being destructive while you are away; and you may want to consider talking to your vet about medication for anxiety. This may help his transition and make him be more calm in your absence. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

Destructive behavior like this when you're not home is usually caused by separation anxiety - some dogs will chew things when they're bored, but if there is significant destruction and it only happens when you're gone, anxiety is much more likely. If you want to know for sure, I would suggest videotaping her the next time you go out - it's usually very easy to see on the video if this is anxiety vs. boredom. There are a few things you can do to try and help her. You can try crating her, but be aware that many dogs with this problem are more anxious when they are confined - she won't be able to do as much damage to your home, but she may injure herself if she panics trying to escape. I would strongly recommend leaving her with a special long-lasting treat of some kind every time you leave the house, like a Kong toy stuffed with peanut butter or something similar. You may also want to try a DAP pheromone collar along with a natural calming supplement like Composure or Zylkene to help decrease her anxiety. If you don't see improvement within the next 1-2 weeks, you should talk with your vet about the problem as she may need prescription medication to treat her anxiety, at least for a while. You could also request referral to a veterinary behaviorist for additional help if the problem is severe.