Can You Crate Train A Dog With Separation Anxiety?

You should not crate train your dog if he has separation anxiety — wait until you find a solution for the anxiety before proceeding with training. If the anxiety is mild and your pup is already crate trained, it’s possible crating him will help. If it’s a moderate or severe case, you may have to wait until the anxiety has been resolved. The reason it’s not a good idea to try crate training with an anxious dog is that they may struggle to get out of the crate and injure themselves in the process. Until you find a solution to resolve your pet’s anxiety, it’s better to enclose your dog in a small room filled with blankets and toys. 

Resolving Anxiety So You Can Crate Train Your Pet 

Once your dog is able to deal with his anxiety in a safe and healthy way, you can begin crate training. If you start too soon, you’ll make it more difficult to successfully complete the training. If you try to force him into a crate, he will associate the crate with anxiety. That makes it much more of a challenge for your dog to associate the crate with positive things.

Each case of separation anxiety is different, so there is no one treatment that will work for every dog. For mild anxiety, you can try some of the available calming products such as collars, shirts, and diffusers. If the case is more severe, you should seek help from a vet or animal behaviorist. Treatment may include prescription medication, behavior modification, or a combination of the two. It may take trial and error, but an effective treatment regimen can be found for most pets. Delaying treatment is a mistake, as the anxiety usually becomes worse over time.

Ask your vet for advice as soon as possible. Once you get started on treatment, crate training won’t be far behind.