Originally Posted by
Ivy
I wanted to update you all on our progress. After some of your advice and some other stuff I read online, I had an epiphany. She loves her crate and is fine there all night, and even goes into it when we are home. She doesn't mind when we are in a different room, she just hates being alone outside. I stopped leaving her alone outside at all, and started making sure she had chew bones and toys and a stuffed kong, and a few hidden dog biscuits in her crate any time I left the house. I also closed the crate door sometimes when we were home.
I actually think leaving her outside was her biggest trigger, and it would upset her for days afterward, even if I later put her in her crate the next time I would leave. It doesn't make sense to me why she wouldn't rather be in our big, fenced yard with a covered deck and food and water, but the fact is that she just doesn't. She is so well behaved in the house now that I decided to stop leaving her in the backyard by herself any longer than it takes her to go potty. I let her in as soon as she comes back to the door. I thought I was doing her a favor by trying to get her to take some outside time, but she hates it. No more window jumping, and no more drool puddles in her crate when I leave. She is happy when I get home, but doesn't whine or act crazed when I walk in the door. My only problem left with her is that she refuses to go outside and use the bathroom first thing in the morning-she doesn't want to leave us, but it is just because I have sympathy for her poor bladder-it doesn't seem to bother her.