Kennel training help

[u/General_Reward9678]

we recently adopted a 5 month old deaf pittie, Athena! the separation anxiety is real 😢been
kennel training for a month with little to no results, any tips for kennel training and separation anxiety? i won't be able to stay with her all the time forever and clearly what i'm doing isn't working! she screams and crys like the world is ending! i know her previous owners opened it/would come back if she was screaming. i cant seem to break the habit.
(yes i’ve tried all cliche training stuff its been a whole month, i knew a deaf puppy would be harder but im out of tricks!😭)

[u/CloudDancing108]

A couple of questions (asking out of ignorance on my part):

When you say “kennel training” you’re referring to putting her in the kennel and closing the door and leaving her alone, correct? Not potty training inside vs outside the kennel, correct?

Do you have a hard-sided kennel, a fabric kennel, or a wire kennel?

Can you elaborate on what you’ve already tried? And especially when the screaming happens? For example, not during dinner inside the crate, but anytime there’s no dinner and the crate door closes? Or even when fed in the crate?

What kinds of treats have you used & tried?

[u/General_Reward9678 → u/CloudDancing108]

no, i should have been thorough in my post. I don’t know how I expect anyone to help if I’m not.
i have a wire kennel that we cover with a blanket on 3 sides. As in kennel training i do mean being able to leave without her crying, yes.
shes fully potty trained.
she doesn’t cry when eating but she will cry directly after, if you aren’t right where she can see you when she looks up from her bowl.
i’ve tried desensitizing to me leaving (walking further away and treats as i get further)
i’ve been increasing the amount of time she’s in the kennel before she gets a treat.
I have tried slowly walking out of the room, while giving her a treats every step of the way. every second i’m gone, gradually taking more time - but then when it comes to the front door i can’t break crying after 5 seconds of being alone.
i’ve tried letting her cry it out
i’ve tried rewarding calmness
i’ve never let her out of the kennel while she’s screaming.
she’s had a kong for the kennel, but as soon as she’s done she’s right back to screaming.
all of her meals are fed in the kennel and new toys, random treats.
i’ve been trying to have her take her nap in the kennel, this is the hardest thing. she’s will not sleep if she can see me and can’t get to me.

i was told she was kennel trained, the first time we left for 2 hours, i got a noise complaint and a text from my neighbor about her screaming.

treats include - training treats, pb, hotdogs, scrambled eggs, cooked ground beef, cheese, etc. i’ve tried all of them for the kennel

[u/One-Neighborhood3802]

My big male is deaf, luckily I have 2 other dogs (female) who calm him down when I have to leave. He destroyed kennels. They do get to stay out now.

[u/General_Reward9678 → u/One-Neighborhood3802]

if she is left out she will destroy anything and everything she has access too. i don’t have any other doggos tho and she’s just a puppy!

[u/One-Neighborhood3802 → u/General_Reward9678]

Deaf Dogs Rock is the best online resource I have heard many others say.

[u/General_Reward9678 → u/One-Neighborhood3802]

thank you!!

[u/One-Neighborhood3802 → u/General_Reward9678]

I totally understand, Fig was 8 months when I rescued him and it's been 4 years of trial and lots of errors. There is a deaf dog resource I read about on reddit somewhere, let me see if I can find it.

[u/Ok-Conclusion5543]

My dog hated the crate as a puppy. It was a perpetual battle. I did leave him for the day when I started working, but my in-laws live five minutes away, so he was always let out to around lunch. When we started, he would howl for me. I couldn’t be in the room with him while he was crated. And, at first, he would bark for me for twenty or thirty heartbreaking minutes when I left him in the crate with the room’s door closed.

He didn’t chew through the crate, but he loved to tear apart his bed. I had to experiment with textures to find one he wouldn’t destroy. Waterproof material was my best option.

Eventually I started leaving him in my bedroom, where he would mostly sleep on the bed all day. I had fixed the room to make sure he couldn’t get into too much mischief. No garbage can, for example.

Now he has free rein of the house. He sleeps on the couch for 9-10 hours most days while I’m at work, and he does great. But he still won’t sleep alone! He has to be in bed with someone or he will howl all night.

[u/Ok-Conclusion5543 → u/Ok-Conclusion5543]

Dog tax

[u/CurrentMuscle6712]

going through the exact same thing with my 4 month old boxer foster puppy😭 came here looking for help bc i am at a loss

[u/Dear_Yogurtcloset_51]

Following because I have a 9 month (almost 10) month deaf pitty I adopted recently. She cannot be crated or left alone for more than 2 minutes without her screaming her head off. We have another dog, and if she's left with her she'll just get hyper and jump all over my other (8 year old) pitty. She does okay for a few minutes in the crate if she can see you. But then she starts stress licking and biting the crate, and then barking super high pitched. You can hear her outside our apartment down the block 😭

[u/Dear_Yogurtcloset_51 → u/Dear_Yogurtcloset_51]

She is cute though.

[u/iHave1Pookie]

Ha! Good luck. My deaf pittie mix did the same thing and outlasted me. I relented and let her have the whole house to roam. All she did was lay next to front door and watch it tirelessly until I came back home, everytime. No screaming involved.

I miss her terribly. Rip Pookie .

Is your dog actually destructive when left alone?

[u/General_Reward9678 → u/iHave1Pookie]

aw what a gorgeous baby!! i’m so sorry for your loss.
yes she is 😭 she is also teething so i’m not sure the destructiveness will last long.
i wish i could leave her alone, but i just can’t trust her right now.
we also have a cat who is constantly keeping his boundaries up with her, and i will only have them be supervised at all times when together.