Nipping the nipping in the bud?

[Tiga's_mom]

Hi again all. Annie is doing well overall. She's back to her normal self, aside from the itching. I've been working with her quite a bit and although we're seeing some progress, other things are not getting any better. I realize she wasn't feeling well and maybe that's part of it?

 

She is very, very nippy and she barks when she doesn't get her own way. I'm not sure how to approach it. If I ignore her and walk away then she will find something to chew on or chase me and nip at my feet and ankles. Or she'll chew something she shouldn't like the coffee table or a shoe or sock. If I try to give her something she can chew on she'll usually ignore that or try to nip my hands. I say "aact!" (or however you spell that) loudly but she has no reaction to that at all.

 

She tries to pester Tiga a lot and if he doesn't play back then she'll bark like crazy and the only thing that will stop her is if he'll play back. When she's like this she's wild and won't focus on anything. I end up crating her with a kong at that point but then she'll eat a bit of the food in the kong and then cry to get out. She's fine in her crate at night and she will calm down in there most of the time but there's almost always a couple of minutes of crying when she goes in there.

 

I know it's only been a little over a week so maybe I'm expecting too much too soon? Her most wild time is in the evenings from about 7 or 8pm until 11pm or midnight. I've been reading an online book that was suggested called "After you get your puppy" and it's helpful, but a little overwhelming and so far it hasn't really addressed my questions. I really don't remember Tiga being this wild.

[olivehill]

She sounds a whole lot like my Tripp, who I think is about the same age. We've had him longer so have that as an advantage, but the personality and tendencies sound very similar. He too tends to be bitey and he too has a wild time in the evening (and sometimes other times of day, too.)

 

I recently posted a thread making sure we are on the right track with him and it basically describes how we handle the biting (which is under control with him at this point, but from the sounds of the replies will need consistent reminders for a couple years...) Here's that thread: http://www.bordercollie.org/boards/index.php?showtopic=33455

 

On the wild time, when Tripp gets wild I put him in his crate for quiet time. He's been crated here since day one and crates very well, but it's still a good option for Annie and I think she'll learn to crate it may just take some time. When I put him in he does not get a toy. The way I see it, he's wild because he's over stimulated. His play starts off fine, but then after just so much he seems to get too into it and thats when his self-control disappears. With this in mind, the reason I'm putting him up is because he needs to relax and unwind so giving him a toy seems counterproductive to me. I want him to lay down and chill out, not lay down and continue to let his mind go a hundred miles per hour. Personally, I'd nix the Kong.

 

Another thing is that while I know some people put the crate where they spend a lot of time, I find it more helpful to the dog to have it in a quiet place. In the same vein as the kong keeping his mind going too much, it's hard to give him quiet time if we're in the same room watching TV or doing something else. It's also hard to completely ignore them when they're crying and even if your response is just a tightening of your jaw or a different posture, if they can see you, they can see they're getting a rise. So if the crate isn't off in a quiet place, you might try that to curb the crying. A crate cover could also work if you don't have a quiet room to put it in. Whatever you do, do not respond when she cries. You don't want her learning that crying gets her out of the crate.

[TEC]

If/when Annie nips, dramatically say "OUUUCH", or something you would say, but good and sharp, like you would upon accidentally smashing your thumb with a hammer. Should that not quickly stop her nipping (within moments) put her alone in her crate, so Annie can calm down. Ten to twenty minutes should be enough, then let her out to play/socialize. If she winds-up again, back in the crate to settle for a few minutes. Seems I recall evenings after my puppy's dinner...some pretty excited moments. The above is how we worked the problem.

 

Don't forget to begin working hard at puppy socialization well before 18 weeks of age. Good off-leash puppy classes involve supervised play/exploring among themselves (all sizes and breeds, also under 18 wks), while from time to time integrating some command, such as "here", into play.

 

Additionally, about twice weekly, invite as many family/neighbors/friends as your living room will accommodate sitting on the floor. Provide good treats (For puppy. People-treats come after the training session ), and have them feed dinner from their hands. If Annie acts fearful of a few guests, provide them the highest value dog treat, and those scary people will no doubt become best friends. Have her meet guys wearing hats with deep voices, as well as children, elderly, and young men and women...everybody. The time before 18 weeks is critical for socialization, but it should continue afterwards. Have heard the figure 100 used, for the number of different people to meet prior to 18 weeks. Don't know how many meetings that equals, perhaps a multiple of 2 or 3. The number of meetings and effort involved may sound out of reason, but trust me, it's not. Once the magical period of puppy-hood is gone there's no going back.

 

Best wishes with Annie. Happy she's feeling better. She has a caring home, and lots of people rooting for her. -- Kind regards, TEC

[Tiga's_mom]

Interesting. Everything I've read says to make the crate a fun place to want to be and encourages the kong. If I put the kong in then she doesn't cry right away. She will if she gets frustrated with the kong or finishes it. She does not get out of the crate when she is crying. She does respond to "settle" but the length of time that works is variable. She also seems the most calm if she can see someone. She hasn't been left here along much since she's been here but she wasn't feeling good and we didn't want to leave her alone.

 

How much do you crate? We currently have the luxury of having someone home all the time and for part of the day, if she's not being a maniac, then she's out and I'll train her or we'll go for short walks or she'll sleep on the floor beside us. I just don't know how many hours a day and for how long at a stretch, on average should she be crated? And how long should she be calm before I let her out?

 

I did read your thread but the biggest difference is that she does actually chew and nip and she does not have a soft mouth at all. She does not respond well to correction. If she's calm and we're working on things like sit and down she doesn't tend to be as bad but most times she just wants to nip at our hands or anything at all really. I'm not sure how to break that.

[olivehill]

Well, I guess I'm a bit of a hard ass, but I don't agree that the crate has to be fun. You don't want it to be a negative place, but you don't have to go to the extreme opposite with that either. Safe, quiet, comfortable? Yes. Fun? Not so much. Fetch is fun, tug is fun, work with your human is fun, treats are fun, car rides to the bank where they hand out treats are fun. Quiet time is... necessary and restful.

 

Sounds to me like she's quiet in the crate sometimes, not because she knows how to crate well, but because she's too busy to notice. Another reason I don't give toys when I teach them to crate. And I think that also plays into her wanting to see you all the time, because she hasn't learned to self-soothe and be alone.

 

"Settle" is a response. Do not respond. Don't even look at her. Any interaction reinforces her crying. Which is why I think it's easiest and quickest to crate train if you put them somewhere quiet and secluded, you can't inadvertently make the process harder. When I first crate train a dog, and Tripp was no exception, I'll stand right around the corner. The dog can't see me, doesn't know I'm there. I do not make a peep, not a move. As soon as the dog settles for a second, I pop around the corner and let them out, play for a bit and then put them back. Repeat as needed.

 

I couldn't even wager a guess as to how long he's crated each day. I work from home so there's always someone here, but just because I'm here doesn't mean he needs to have free run of the place. He crates all night from 10 or 11 until 5 or 5:30, depending on what time my husband wakes in the morning. He gets out to potty right when DH gets up, but then goes right back in until I get up at 6 or 6:30. At that point he goes out for a little longer to potty and play with the other dogs (other dogs are older and can't be bothered to get up at 5 am to pee or do anything else). He's out until mid morning, goes back in until around lunch time. At that point he either gets out to play here or sometimes we'll go meet DH in town for lunch and I take him along, we'll eat in the park and then go for short walk. He usually then takes another quiet time until mid afternoon at which point he gets out for most of the afternoon and evening. What time he goes back in depends on his behavior. If he gets wild at 8 or 9 he goes to bed then, and is just let out to potty before we go to bed, if he has a pretty good night of not getting too riled up he stays out until we go to bed.

 

I'm sure some people will disagree but this is what works for us.

 

On the biting, Tripp didn't respond at first either and he didn't have a soft mouth at all. To soften up his mouth I'd put a treat in my fist and hold it down, when he'd bite my hand (trying to get the treat) I'd kind of squeal "NO BITE!" and either let my hand go limp or pull it away. At first all his bites were hard, so I did this every time. Within a couple minutes he started to bite a little softer, so I'd let the softer bites go and only reprimand the hard bites. As the hard bites disappeared I'd reprimand the slightly softer bites, but let the real soft ones go. And so on and so forth until he learned to be easy with his mouth. Eventually he'd pause and just look at my hand and then I'd give him the treat, even if he only paused for a brief second. We then progressed that to no biting at all, which is what we do now, and it's worked well enough so far.

[Tiga's_mom]

Thanks for the advice. I stopped saying settle to her when she cries and she cries for longer but eventually settles down. I've also been staying out of her sight more today when she's in there. Her crate is in the dining room so when we're watching tv on the couch she can't see us, only if we sit in the chair or if we go to the bathroom or kitchen. I may try keeping it in the bedroom tomorrow. We move it in there at night time so I can hear if she has to go pee. She's been sleeping pretty good through the night. Usually goes from about midnight until 5am. We take her out to potty then and back to bed until about 7:30.

 

We also worked on the biting again today when she was calm. She's not too bad when she's calm but she just gets so worked up sometimes and there's no talking to her. I think her itchiness plays a factor in it as well.

[Tiga's_mom]

We seem to be making slow progress. Her down is getting better. Recall is good as long as I have liver or chicken hearts. Well they'll both focus real well with that.

 

Nipping is a slower process. And she pesters Tiga constantly to play bitey face and will bark her fool head off if he won't play back. It's hard to train her when all she wants to do is wrestle and play. We've been crating her when she gets wild but she still cries for a couple of minutes pretty much every time. Sometimes for up to 5 mins. I'm hoping she'll get past it.

[olivehill]

Good, glad to hear it.

 

I'm not sure how others do it, or if it would help, but maybe try working on only one thing until that thing is solid and then move on. Not necessarily 100% in 100% of situations, but... well, solid. 100% in low distraction environments, and say 80+% in high distraction environments. If nothing else, it gives you something to fall back on. If they're not consistent in anything, when you get to that point where they get distracted you don't have any way to pull them back in and end on a good note.

 

One great piece of advice I got for Tripp on recall from other members here was to keep him on a long lead and reel him in. He was so easily distracted -- much different than the other breed puppies I've had that always thought I was most interesting -- that it would have been a losing battle otherwise. If you're not already doing that, maybe give it a try.

 

Good luck! One day she'll be such a great dog all of this will seem like ancient history... or at least that's what I keep telling myself.

[bcnewe2]

Faye is about 6 months now. she has turned into a rotten teenager which comes with all sorts of new tricks. Not all to good either. For a while she had graduated out of her crate more, now she's back in. If I can't see her or pay attention to her she's in the crate. Otherwise things go down hill quickly. She quit chewing socks but now eats (and I mean consumes) any thing she can tear up. Specially paper. Not that big a deal but I wasn't watching the other night and I swear she consumed the insert to my shoe. I caught her with the last little bit. Thank doG she's got rather large poo, cause I can see what comes out and we haven't had any issues. But it does mean watching like a hawk or in the crate.

 

Faye gets the zoomies almost every night. If possible I let her outside at that time so she can run them off a bit but if not I totally except her to calm down when I tell her to or into the crate she goes. Not as punishment just a place to keep her safe form harm. I think it's us that puts to much emphasis on if a crate is a bad place or a good place. For us it's just a place you have to go if I decide it's time. She eats in there, sleeps in there, goes in if we're leaving the house. Usually I toss in a treat but not all the time. If she whines...to bad. if it gets on my nerves she gets told in a not so nice voice to "QUIT or QUIET" she has learned that's my serious not taking any crap voice.

 

I've recently had to walk Faye down because her recall fell apart. It's been pretty good ever since. If I see she's to engaged to hear me I will go over and get her attention (nicely) before I recall her but I always expect her to come, if not, back to walking her down. She responded much better to that than my other dogs cause I started it from day one. No treats, just come cause I say so. Life can be tough round here but if you do as you're told it's also fun fun fun! She also learned her recall whistle via the other dogs. It was something she did cause they did. Now it's just rote.

 

Sometimes it's the darn cuteness that gets you off track. But realize this is the structure you are setting for life and once they are older they're still cute but not if they are acting like spoiled little brats. So keep working on the things that aren't going to be cute later. Don't let the sweet little brats get to you. Other wise you'll be sorry later!

 

And the biting or nipping you part...I squeal like I'm dying and she stops dead in her tracks. But you have to sound like you're dying so they get the idea easily. If Faye nips me I'll squeal and she gets all sweet and worried that she might of hurt me. I also feel that teaches a soft mouth or at least to control the bite. If she puts her teeth on me softly I might allow it a bit but never hard. I had a pup that I always said no to and would shove a toy in her mouth she never learned how hard her bite was.

[Tiga's_mom]

We're trying very hard to be consistent. I don't feel so bad about crating her because a lot of times it's the only way she'll calm down. She doesn't seem to really like the kongs too much anyway so I haven't really been giving them to her. She wasn't really playing with the toys we put in there either so I stopped putting them in.

 

She's definitely a wild one. I try squealing when she nips but it doesn't really phase her much at all. There are times when she's better then others. All we can do is keep trying. We start puppy classes on the 26th so I'm hoping that will help. She's not very cuddly either. I don't think she was held too much before she got here. We've been petting her lots (when she's not nipping) and trying to get her used to being touched more.

[bcnewe2]

I have found a chewie that can't be beat round here. Even the old dogs are chewing them. Mule deer antlers. You can order them on line. At the moment faye is laying across the top of the couch chewing away. We've been working on the same 4 antlers for about 1 1/2 months and they're lasting. I usually give her one of those in her crate. I do hear her chewing on it at night.

Faye is only cuddly when she's tired. My poor yard is.hole central. I think she's trying to find the tunnel to China! Really, I think shew digging mole holes. She is the only dog I own that uses her.nose like a bloodhound

[Tiga's_mom]

Annie's a digger too. And she LOVES to chew on sticks and wood of any sort. If I'd let her she'd just stay out in the yard all day chewing on sticks, digging and laying in the bushes. I'll have to look into something like the deer antlers for her to chew on inside. I'm having a hard time finding something that motivates her though. She's food motivated somewhat, but nothing like Tiga.

 

I found out today how old she really is. I guess she was born on Feb. 15 so she's a little over 4 months. Almost a month older then we thought. That explains why she's so big. The guy we rescued her from said he got her on April 11th and she was 8 weeks old that day.

[MommaLove]

We're trying very hard to be consistent. I don't feel so bad about crating her because a lot of times it's the only way she'll calm down. She doesn't seem to really like the kongs too much anyway so I haven't really been giving them to her. She wasn't really playing with the toys we put in there either so I stopped putting them in.

 

She's definitely a wild one. I try squealing when she nips but it doesn't really phase her much at all. There are times when she's better then others. All we can do is keep trying. We start puppy classes on the 26th so I'm hoping that will help. She's not very cuddly either. I don't think she was held too much before she got here. We've been petting her lots (when she's not nipping) and trying to get her used to being touched more.

 

Juno wasn't very cuddly when we brought her home, and shied away from the kids being affectionate with her. For several days, we patted her & gave a treat, patted her & gave a treat, patted her & gave a treat - you get the idea. By the third day, she LOVED being patted by everyone. We've been taking her out everywhere with us and having all our extended family members pat & treat as well so she learns that meeting strangers is a great thing. She's been with us for 10 days and went from being slightly hand-shy to loving the affection she gets.

 

Juno is nippy as well, especially when she gets wound up wanting to play with the children, but unlike your girl she really responds to a yelp. When we brought her home she didn't seem to know how strong her mouth was, but she's very soft now. I'd suggest that if Annie doesn't respond much to your yelps when she nips, immediately end what you are doing and put her in the crate. Soon she will realise that nipping makes the fun stop.

[Tiga's_mom]

Yeah we're probably going to have to start doing that. She really doesn't respond to much when she's like that. Sometimes I think she's making progress and other times not so much. We've been trying to socialize her as much as possible. We've been inviting friends over lots so she gets used to people. I don't trust her around kids yet. I'm looking forward to the puppy classes. I forgot how exhausting a puppy is. Our whole life has been puppy for 2 weeks now. Hard to believe she's been here that long already! We left her alone for a little while this evening during "devil hours" and we sat in the car in the driveway and listened to her bark and cry for almost 10 minutes. I almost went back in but decided to wait it out. She was fine when we got home. I thought she was doing ok with the crate.

[Tiga's_mom]

Frustrating day already. My other half is ready to get rid of her. Some days are better then others I guess. It's just really frustrating when she doesn't listen and then cries and barks and goes crazy when she's crated. I even took her for a longer walk this morning hoping that would help. I'm trying really hard not to take it out on her. I'm just a bit lost on how to deal with her. Sorry for the vent but I really want this to work without it tearing my house apart.

[olivehill]

So sorry to hear it.

[bcnewe2]

Do you have a wire crate or a plastic one? I use a big wire one (that is what I have) but I cover it with a light blanket so she can't see everything. She can see but I feel the less she can see the less stimulating it might be.

 

Remember, this will change. It's a phase and unless you set up bad habits she will out grow this stage (that is what i keep telling my self when Faye brings in a poop to chew in the house)

 

So Annie is 2 months behind Faye, How's the potty training going? We were golden then but Faye is doing a great job backsliding when I let her. NOW is the time I need to step up my own game. They are what we let them be.

 

I don't want to sound to cruel but there has been a few times where Faye has nipped (like accidentally getting a pinch of skin while she's chewing or playing with something else) and I have reached out and bopped her. Hard enough to back her up looking at me. My thoughts are, it only reinforces the part about not hurting me. If she is chewing on me and it hurts and she doesn't respond to my squeal then I'd probably reach out and knock her off me. Sternly so that she knew I wasn't happy. Not hurting her per say but not a sweet knock either. It's something she really needs to stop. I wouldn't let her put her mouth on you at all. Sounds like she's gotten away with some things so she is a bit harder headed than a puppy that was corrected sooner.

 

Where did you say you got her from? Was the guy someone you knew? Did she have litter mates?

What does Tiga do if she hurts him? Faye plays rough with Dew but if she hurts Dew games over and Dew can get rough right back. I've seen Dew put Faye down on the floor and stand on her growling. Quite meanly but only when Faye has been to rough. No blood or nothing lasting but still the message is clear from Dew. I would say my corrections are about as rough as Dews only in human form. Scares her a bit or makes her respect me, what ever you want to call it.

[Tiga's_mom]

We have a wire crate. I tried keeping it in the bedroom in the quiet but it was disastrous. She likes to be able to see everything. I can try covering it to see if that helps.

 

I'm hoping it's a phase. We're trying really hard. I really don't remember Tiga being this bad.

 

Potty training is going really well. She peed in the house a few times but that was only when she had a UTI and when I gave her the vanectyl p. She hasn't peed in the house in about a week and a half an she's never pooped in the house. She lets us know when she has to go out.

 

I've thought about tapping her when she nips. I would never hurt her but I'm at a loss for what to do.

 

I do not know the guy we got her from. I found her online. I'm not sure if she had litter mates but I would assume so. He told me he got her at 8 weeks and that her mother was a collie mix about 40lbs and the father was a border collie mix about 60lbs. The guy we got her from said his kids were not very nice to her and that's why he was getting rid of her. I don't suspect there was much training that happened and I think I've mentioned it before but I think she was just kept tied up in the yard alone most of the time.

 

She's never really hurt Tiga but if she does he'll yelp and if he doesn't want to play then he'll growl and sometimes snap at her. She'll just keep on trying to play bitey face. If anyone gets hurt or I feel that she's getting too worked up, game over and in the crate she goes. She's been crying more in the crate then she did in the beginning for sure. Most of the time she'll settle down eventually. I went and bought a pig hoof for her today and she seems to really like it. I'm not sure if they're ok or not.

[TEC]

...I'm hoping it's a phase. We're trying really hard.

 

 

Annie is only about 4 months of age. Border Collie pups have enormous energy, as you have found, and caring for puppies is just hard. Hang in there. Hold your above thought. My suggestion is keep training. They aren't puppies forever. With effort and time, Annie will grow into a fine dog. -- Best wishes, TEC

[olivehill]

We have a wire crate. I tried keeping it in the bedroom in the quiet but it was disastrous. She likes to be able to see everything.

 

How long did you try it for?

[Tiga's_mom]

Not long enough I guess. We just couldn't handle the high pitched squealing/barking/crying. She sounded like we were killing her. We live in a building with other tenants and I can't let it go on too long or we'll get complaints. I guess it's just a bad/hard couple of days and I need to keep my patience. She's been pretty good today, but it's not the day that's the problem. Dusk is the worst time.

[bcnewe2]

I keep the crate in the living room where she can see me working at the table and see me in the kitchen too. We spend lots of time where she can see us but not always directly, more like hear us and see us out of the corner if she lies down and peeps.

 

I don't have her in my bedroom. To many grouchy old dogs in a rather small place and since Faye came from an outside kennel she never knew what she was missing not to be right by my bed. We do cuddle on it sometimes.

 

I would think it'd be hard to tie a pup under 4 months old outside. Faye was kept out but in a kennel. I could see her chew right through anything but a chain. And at this point she can scale a 6 ft prefiert kennel, ask me how I know this! She has taken allot to get used to kids, it's a work in progress.

 

Ya know....tapping her for biting you isn't quite what I meant. I don't mean beat her or really hurt her, but like you'd get a kids attention that was being bad. Maybe grab them by the arm, swat their butt or grab their scruff, or just be in their face is what I mean. If Faye hurt me nipping and we were on the couch, I'd probably not so nicely !!SHOVE!! her right off on her whatever hit first. Be it her head or her side, or her feet she'd definately know I meant business. With a very loud OUCH and maybe even a few cuss words thrown in cause that's just me . It's sorta more the intention of the correction than the actual correction. Said in a sing song voice "cut that out Faye that's bad" would have Faye laughing at my face. But in a I mean business voice (the kind your kids were/are a bit nervouse about) "FAYE KNOCK IT OFF" gets results. If not I'd have to up my energy to match what she's putting out there.

 

Repeat the phrase...this too shall pass.... and next week we'll be on a whole new or Hole new thing!

 

Don't get mad at her!...you're older an hopefully smarter , you can do this! I know you can!

[bcnewe2]

Just saw your new post...so if she is just howling in the crate., I'd wait for a minute or a second of quiet, take her outside to make sure she doesn't have to go potty, give her an icecube i ncase she's thirsty, toss a treat in there and start over. If she still howls, I'd pick up the back of the crate a wee bit (covered so she's sorta surprised) and again say "knock it off Annie" and pounce the crate down, probably not as mean as if she nipped or hurt me but still she would know I wasn't happy.

 

If it's sepration anxiety or I thought there was a real reason for her howling, I'd try to figure out what that was first. But Faye is a happy well adjusted dog, no sepration anxiety no real issues to speak of. By now you could tell if there are serious issues that are starting to show with Annie. Ones that might take a vet or behavorist.

 

I'm sure there are more positive ways out there, but that's what has worked for us. I love positive training but sometimes in my house nothing beats a correction that gets our/your point across. Just remember to never correct if you're mad, walk away if you are mad. You have to be in control so you can plan what your moves are going to be. But that doesn't always mean that my dog knows i'm not mad just that I always try to be in control of my emotions when making a correction.

 

I always thought the day I hit my children (I have 3 adult children) or dogs out of anger would be the day I was an abuser but a swat or grab in our house just reiterats I mean business. Maybe a tad bit of shame cause I was ashamed of them at the moment. I'm sure someone will tout I was/am an abuser...but it won't be my children or my dogs, they are all pretty happy well adjusted little beings!

[olivehill]

I only asked because this thread has only been up for five days. If you tried it after you started this there's no way you tried it long enough. If you tried it before, maybe it's a different story.

 

Do you know your neighbors? Can you go talk to them about it and let them know what's going on and see if there's a most convenient time for her to be a bit of a nuisance? Do they work? You said you're home all day, if they're not you could do it then.

 

I don't disagree about popping her when she's biting and not listening. If she's not paying you any attention when you correct her you need to up your ante... I always tell myself: as little as possible, as much as it takes. If it takes a pop on the nose or hiney to get her attention? So be it. Tripp has got a pop of five and one day when he caught me off guard and got me good on the inner thigh he probably thought he was inches from his maker, because my natural reflex is fight, not flight.

 

That said, the pop or whatever you do is only going to resolve the times when she's in her right mind. She still needs a place to unwind and relax when she's overstimulated so you need to get her crating well.

 

Just another thought, does she have any toys that really engage her mind? Puzzle type toys? We picked up a Kong Wobbler for Tripp early on and he eats much of his food out of it. It combines play with thinking and structure and seems to help keep him on a more even keel, something that physical exercise doesn't seem to do for him. It seems like he can run all day and not be fulfilled, but if I give him something to think about he's a happy camper.

[Tiga's_mom]

This too shall pass. Breath.

 

 

Well I've got a lot to think about. She did get a couple of swats accompanied by a very loud "OUCH" the last couple of times she nipped. She's been pretty good today but we'll see what happens when "devil hours" begin.

 

I've never shown anger towards her and if I feel myself losing patience I give her a treat and put her in the kennel. Today she's not so bad with the crate. Maybe a minute of quiet crying and then she's settled down.

 

The neighbor that I'm concerned about I do not know and she is very odd. She would never even answer her door so that I could talk to her. She lives right below us. How long am I supposed to let her cry in there? I know I didn't try the bedroom for long enough and if I didn't have to worry about neighbors then I would have tried longer. At night when we sleep her crate is in the bedroom and she's fine but in the daytime the crate is out in the dining room. Similar setup to you Kristen where she can see us sometimes but can hear us all the time. If she's in the bedroom it's not just quiet cries but very loud high pitched barking like she's being tortured. That's what worries me about the neighbor. I'm not sure what her schedule is. She seems to come and go at all hours. It could be separation anxiety I suppose but I'm not sure how to tell the difference.

 

She has a ton of toys, including treat balls etc, but she's only interested in things for a day at the most and then she could care less. Tiga loves his treat balls and kongs and won't settle down until he has them.

 

Thank you all for taking the time to help us. Today was just a frustrating day and I know there will be lots of them. We got through it with Tiga and I'm sure we'll get through it with her. We just need to figure out what works for her and for all of us and I definitely need to wear my patience pants. Right now she's sleeping quietly in her crate.