My 4 year old boxer shakes and whines anytime I put him in his "room". Can I do anything to help ease his anxiety?

I'm also not sure if his room is referring to a room or a crate.

Contrary to what you might read here, a lot of dogs never take to having a crate no matter what you do. It's a great idea in theory and for many, many dogs it's a great refuge or haven and it's also convenient for the owners.

But some dogs just don't like it and there's no reason to force it, in my opinion.

Jack was terrified of his crate and shook and cried in it for weeks before we decided that there really was no good reason that we could justify to put him through that. In the end, he just wanted to be with us, out of his crate, in his own sleeping area in our room. That's all. He never tried to jump on the bed or get next to us.

The crate just wasn't for him. Dogs are not "one size fits all" when it comes to training or situations like crates, so maybe consider that the way to ease the anxiety is to take away the anxiety-causing element. If you need to, you can always baby gate the kitchen as a room.

:-)

Jack answered on 10/16/09. Helpful? / 0