[Banshee]

I have a 5 month old puppy pit named Banshee, she is the best dog in the world I got her at 8 weeks old from a guy who kept about 10 puppies in a garage in the dead of winter. I felt terrible and wanted them all but Banshee is enough!
From the first night I brought her home she has slept in bed with me and she became my best friend immedietly, on both ends, I got attatched to her & she became very attatched to me.
Now last week I started crating her, she cried the first night or two but now can sleep through the night, and when I go down stairs or to the bathroom & just random times for a few minutes I will put her in it to get her used to being solo in her crate buuuuuut for some reason...unless she is just plain beat from playing she cries and moans and makes every noise imaginable when I walk out of the room for 5 minutes or an hour, she has her eyes on me at all times.
Also, I feel a tiny bit weird saying this but ANY time another girl may be "spending the night" she absolutley loses it and will not stop and tries biting through her cage to get out and it drives me up the wall! ...I don't understand she sleeps and is fine when I am alone but the second a girl is around and spending the night she goes nuts and usually ends up with me feeling like an idiot because I can't stop her? or the other person leaving.
It's almost as if she has me trapped in my room...plus I have 2 roommates who are EMT's and are sleeping when I try to leave or have a guest over and she loses it forcing me to but stuck by myself or with a rommate who can't get the sleep they need...ANY advice please?
She goes to doggie daycare a few times a week and is totally beat afterwards plus I walk her several times a day, take her out in the yard, my parents yard, my uncles yard (I am always around family and bringing her) and we just play tons so I don't think that's it, the only thing that pops in my head is shes so attatched to me and jealous?
I love her to death so i don't get mad at her it's just I need some kind of social life back...So please any help?

[Holly's Rangie]

I would say that you really are having some problems. It is rough when your best friend destroys your social life. I would like to ask a couple of questions, though. Where has she been hanging out when you were gone before you got the crate? Secondly, is she sleeping full time in the crate now, or is she still sleeping in the bed every once in a while? I have my thoughts on what is going on, and perhaps some ways to correct it, but I want to make sure I have the facts right first.

[Banshee]

I have always had the crate but felt bad leaving her in it right away so she grew accustomed to just sleeping with me in bed, when I would leave her alone before the crate which was very seldom I would put the baby gate up in the kitchen and leave her with her favorite toy, water & bed. She has successfully slept inher crate the last few nights and I don't mind her at all in bed with me she very comfortable but I figured 1. she needs to get crate trained 2. it will help her be on her own a little bit plus like I said earlier it is just chaos when I a female is sitting next to me or spending the night, right away she goes into panic mode and loses it...and I hate it because I feel bad she is freaking out, I hope to hear back from you.
Thank you for the help...
p.s
Even right now she has been in her crate for the last hour (she fell asleep on the couch so I woke her and she walked into her crate) and is passe dout snoring loud as ever and fine. I don't get it...

[littledozer24]

Just curious, as I hate to give advice without knowing everything about each situation. Since you started crating her, do you ever give in when she puts up a fuss. That may sound like a trivial question; but I feel that if you give into her fuss (even once); she learns that if she fusses that she will get what she wants and she will fuss longer and louder everytime you give in.

[Rai_77]

have you tried putting a blanket over the crate?

[PNWPBR]

Im going to move this thread to Training and Behavior so other members can see and hopfully help you out more.

[maryellen]

she has you trained very well i see. pitch a fit and daddy gives in... ah the joys of puppies manipulating their owners LOL..

start crate training her again. treat when she is quiet, ignore when she pitches a hissy fit.. the more you teach her the crate is a good thing the less she will pitch fits, and the more she will start to stop running your social life.. now, you can have her out with you when you have a girl over, she would probably love the attention from another person, and when its time for you and the girl to get it on put the pup in her crate with a kong frozen with peanut butter.

the more you let her out of her crate when she screams the longer she will do the screaming .. if she screams for half an hour and you let her out then she know that after a half hour of screaming you will let her out..

just start all over again crate training her, and praise praise for when she is quiet, and start the crating slower, like 5 minutes here, she does good, praise and release out of crate. then increase to 10 minutes, she is quiet, praise, release out of crate, keep doing this until she can stay in the crate for a few hours, always praising and releasing her from the crate when she is quiet.

[EDOGZ818]

Don't use the crate as a jail / punishment. Use it more as a refuge. Treats , bones & goodies, should be reserved for the crate & training. Giving in will do more to reinforce the negative behavior , than eliminate it.

[Banshee]

I have her crate set up with her favorite bed, blankey and a few chew toys she loves it when she is tired or when she can see me...I tried putting a blanket it over her crate for awhile because I thought she'd like the privacy like it was her own little place and she did, right up until another female was in the room and around me then it was kind of funny because there was no way she could see anyone but she knew exactly what was going on and started freaking out, and I do feel horrible but I don't let her out when she cries and goes nuts unless it's 3am and my rommates are trying to get some sleep after working 48 hours straight, then I just feel like a jerk.
Also kind of funny anyone ever have their pup honk the horn to get their attention? ha ha, If I would stop by my parents house and run in to grab something I'd let her hang in the car for 5 minutes with the windows down...in the middle of a convo. w my dad we hear "HONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNK" HONK" HONNNNNNNNNNNK" finally I go outside very confused because we were all inside and theres banshee just laying on the horing waggin her tail, I would ocme out and at first laugh but then go "off" and shed sit down and just stare at me, then the second I turned away "Honk!" "HONNNNNNNNNNNK!" ha ha....she has only done it a few times but thought that's a good story to tel you guys...Banshee is training me!
But ya any other advice because I have tried everything and even lastnight she did it and would not stop and started tearing up her blanket and bed...she just seems "pissed" that theres "another woman" ha ha?

[Michele]

Be persistent with the advice given to you in this thread. Don't give in to the dog. Eventually, the dog will "get it". You might want to put one of your t-shirts in the crate. This way, your dog has your scent in the crate.

[Holly's Rangie]

All the advice given here is great! Just don't give in!! The t-shirt idea is wonderful.
I put a towel both my husband and I had dried off with. Make sure that you are consistent with the crate. That is her den (safe and comfortable place). When you are home and have her out, leave the crate open and praise her if she goes in on her own. After a while she will go in on her own when ever she just wants to relax. When my husband and I have our "special time", we put a special treat in the crate for our four and a half month old pit puppy - something that will take him a bit to enjoy. Our other dog just lays on his bed and chews one of his favorite toys. Eventually, your pup will get the idea that "special time" for you means something fun and tasty for her.

[littledozer24]

I know that you don't want to look like a jerk to roommates that have just finished a 48 hour shift; but if you give in any to her pitching a fit then you are reinforcing that negative behavior. JMO.