Cockapoo gets too lonely.. What to do?

[BrandyJo]

My younger sister got a cockapoo about a month ago and when we got him we were originally told he was house-trained. Which was not the case. He was "crate trained". Meaning, while he was in his crate, he wouldn't make a mess on the floor. We didn't like the idea of locking him up at night, but thought we could try it until we got him housebroke, unfortunately, the very first night we put him in there, he barked so loudly all night that we had to let him out after a short while. He's the same way anytime he is left alone. My mom leave for work in the morning at 7:45, the same time my sisters leave for school. And my dad gets in from the barn around 10 most days. And I like to sleep in... and usually get up around 9:30. however, the dog barks from the second my mom walks in the door until I get up or my dad comes in. It's so frustrating and we don't know what to do about it. Sometimes I'll be sitting in the living room, and if he is in the kitchen with my dad, if my dad goes outside, the dog thinks he's alone again and cries and barks very loudly, even though I'm right there...

Basically, I just want to know what to do about this. We got him for free. the woman said she sold him to a lady for $350, but she returned him because he barked too much....The woman said that we could have him because we got a cockapoo fom her once before and it ended up dying. She assured us that he only barked before because the lady he was with kept him locked up too much and didn't play with him. But even if we leave him alone for 5 minutes he goes crazy!

Any tips on how to get him to calm down and not go nuts when he's alone?
P.S. He's only about 7 months old.

[Kayl]

Your pup either has seperation anxiety or has just learned that barking gets her out of her crate.

If he has seperation anxiety, you'll need to look up seperation anxiety--my poodle has it because she's 14 yrs old and blind, but not too badly.

If it's not seperation anxiety, then you'll have to spend a weekend working with him. Put him in his crate, stand next to it, and let him out when he's quiet. Give him a treat. Let him play for a bit. Put him back in, step away from the crate, and grit your teeth. Don't let him out until he's quiet. Give him a treat. Repeat, stepping further and further away, but do not let him out when he's barking.

If you give in and let him out when he's barking, even after 3 hrs nonstop, he will just be reinforced that barking gets him out of the crate, and will continue to do it.

As he has figured out that barking works, he will bark for a long time. There will also come a point where he will bark for hours nonstop--more than before, probably frantically. They have a name for it that I can't remember right off hand, but it means that the behavior is about to go away. Don't give in. This will only work if you're firm, and everyone else in the family is too.

Incidentally, there's no such thing as a cockapoo. It's a Cocker Spanial/Poodle cross. A breed has to breed true for I think it's 3 generations before it can be considered a breed, and cockapoos are completely unpredictable as to how they will look and act. It's the same thing with Labradoodles and Pompoos, and the other crosses out there.

[brandy pup]

NO Do not get another dog yet!! You must take care of this dogs situations first. You poodle mix needs to learn manners, obeidence, and be neutered first.

Minding Your Peas and Cues
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/pub/4_12/features/5414-1.html

Crate Training
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/pub/1_6/features/5346-1.html

CRATE TRAINING
http://www.perfectpaws.com/crt.html

DOG OWNERS SITE INDEX
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/idx1.html

[brandy pup]

YOUR NEW PUPPY
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/tpuppy.html


Does this pup have any shots, been dewormed, on heartworm preventive?

[abfleck]

Your pup either has seperation anxiety or has just learned that barking gets her out of her crate.

If he has seperation anxiety, you'll need to look up seperation anxiety--my poodle has it because she's 14 yrs old and blind, but not too badly.

If it's not seperation anxiety, then you'll have to spend a weekend working with him. Put him in his crate, stand next to it, and let him out when he's quiet. Give him a treat. Let him play for a bit. Put him back in, step away from the crate, and grit your teeth. Don't let him out until he's quiet. Give him a treat. Repeat, stepping further and further away, but do not let him out when he's barking.

If you give in and let him out when he's barking, even after 3 hrs nonstop, he will just be reinforced that barking gets him out of the crate, and will continue to do it.

As he has figured out that barking works, he will bark for a long time. There will also come a point where he will bark for hours nonstop--more than before, probably frantically. They have a name for it that I can't remember right off hand, but it means that the behavior is about to go away. Don't give in. This will only work if you're firm, and everyone else in the family is too.

Incidentally, there's no such thing as a cockapoo. It's a Cocker Spanial/Poodle cross. A breed has to breed true for I think it's 3 generations before it can be considered a breed, and cockapoos are completely unpredictable as to how they will look and act. It's the same thing with Labradoodles and Pompoos, and the other crosses out there.



Iagree :yawn:

[BrandyJo]

Thanks for the tips :) I'm going to check out that website you gave me, Brandy_pup. Yes, he got his shots and everything before we got him. My mother has the vet records somewhere..

We hadn't been keeping him in the crate, due to the barking... but he's not totally house trained yet and it'd be nice to keep him in there. This weekend, I'll work on him, with your tips in mind. Thanks everyone :)