My puppy pants indoors. How do I help her adjust to crated nights?

Belle may be having some anxiety. I recommend trying Composure chews and an Adaptil diffuser. Also, I recommend making sure Belle is getting plenty of exercise during the day so that she is more tired at night. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/dog/dog-health-and-wellness/dog-calming-aids/comfort-zone-diffuser-with-dap-for-dogs

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. It sounds like Stormy is dealing with separation anxiety. I would recommend feeding her dinner in her crate and making this a place where she wants to go and is comfortable for her. I would make sure she has plenty of room to move around in as well. You can try using the Adaptil products to see if this calms her down and relaxes her. It can take some time for a dog to become crate trained but the key is to make it an enjoyable place that she wants to be in. If she associates the crate with food and a place where she sleeps, she will hopefully find the crate less stressful. 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. Please remember to rate this answer as helpful or not. Thank you!

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 Carti is pretty afraid! I would give him a few days to relax, and maybe offer a warm blanket or water bottle wrapped in a blanket for comfort. If he is incredibly fearful or showing any signs of illness, an exam to rule out any health issues is also a good idea. If he remains fearful, and checks out healthy, a good next step would be to talk to a trainer or behaviorist in person, as this is not normal for a young puppy to experience 24/7. They can work with you on a plan to help acclimate Carti to his new conditions and address his fearful behavior. In the meantime, quietly talking to him, tossing a favorite treat whenever you approach, and giving him a chance to start exploring on his own may help.

It sounds like Gwen is a little anxious being in her crate. I would try DAP which is a plug in pheromone diffuser that helps dogs with anxiety. You can pair that with a Sentry calming collar. This also releases pheromones that help dogs with anxiety. You might consider putting a Thundershirt on her when she goes in the crate. Try these options to see how they work. If she continues to have problems with panting, then I would speak to the vet about prescribing her anti-anxiety drugs.

Hi there. Snowball sounds like she has a good life :) I agree with you, meds are not a good idea especially at this young age. You can try a natural remedy like Rescue Remedy (be sure to get the one for pets) or Comfort Zone (dog appeasing pheromone). Here are links to the products: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bach-Rescue-Remedy-Pet-Natural-Stress-Relief-for-Pets-0-35-FL-OZ/25581235 https://www.comfortzone.com/dogs The first thing you have to do is rule out a medical versus a behavioral issue. This can be hard to do. If she is really gassy this could be causing the restlessness. You may want to consider a diet change AND/OR the addition of a probiotic like Fortiflora to her current diet. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Purina-Pro-Plan-Veterinary-Diets-FortiFlora-Probiotic-Supplement-30-CT/43284986 It could also be that she has a urinary tract infection even if she is showing no other signs. Watch her closely for any accidents, excessive licking at the vulva or any changes in appearance/odor to the urine. This can be very uncomfortable. Of course, continue with lots of exercise. Sounds like you are doing everything right. She just may be one of those anxious dogs just like there are in people where you can't really pinpoint a cause. I hope this helps. Feel free to ask more questions if you need to. Best wishes. Dr. Amber

If this is a new thing I would recommend taking her to the veterinarian. They can listen to her and they may want to perform x-rays to see if it is heart or lung related. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.