# Neapolitan Mastiff Crate Problem



## hankandkooper (May 24, 2010)

Hello all,

I have a 1 year old Neapolitan Mastiff. We got him from a breeder at around 4 months old. He was crate trained by his breeders and we continued the training as soon as we got him. He is now used to and comfortable with laying in his crate and sleeping all day (7 hours) while we are at work without any accidents.

However, recently he has started peeing in his crate every single day. He is always barking and crying when I come home and these are completely new behaviors and just started 2 weeks ago. 

I was thinking of taking him to the vet to rule out a UTI, but he never wakes up in the middle of the night to pee, so that leads me to believe that something else is wrong. I would think if he had a UTI he would have to go more often at night as well as in the daytime.

Does anyone have any clues? Is it possible for a dog to develop separation anxiety although the atmosphere hasn't changed? I'm not sure what else to consider!

Thanks so much!


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## agoodman (Apr 3, 2010)

I have a lab puppy that has seperation anxiety. She is still crate trained but when i have to leave her in her cage for only a few minutes to a few house, she will cry and bark for the entire time. I am also looking for any type of answer as to trying to make it easier on her.


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## MyCharlie (Nov 4, 2007)

Separation anxiety was my first instinct too, but there are others on here that are waaay more knowlegeable about it than I am. 

I wouldn't *think* it would deveop after 8 months of being with you, but I anything's possible. Is he right around 12 months old? If so, he is still maturing and could be going through a developmental stage and it could appear now. 

Hopefully others will have better advice! One person you could ask if they don't reply here is Darkmoon, she had a previous dog with bad separation anxiety and maybe she could give you pointers on early warning signs.

Good luck!


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## Stephanie-Abel (May 18, 2010)

Hi HankandKooper,

I am sorry to hear about the issues you are having with your dog.

Based on the information you have supplied (and assuming there isn't an underlying physical issue) this seems like a clear case of separation anxiety to me.

My research has revealed that true separation anxiety is actually much more common than many people will have you believe. Also contrary to popular belief, this condition *is curable* if you follow the right program of treatment and you remain consistent.

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You will hear a lot of people tell you this is rubbish and impossible, but I am here to tell you that they are wrong.

The more I learned about dog separation anxiety, the more I realized there is very little information at all (not to mention good information) on this topic, and more importantly on how to cure it.

Why not check out my website at www.dog-separation-anxiety-cure.net and answer the checklist on the page. If this points to your dog suffering from this disorder, why not get yourself a copy and see how it goes for you?

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If you have any questions, I would love to help you!

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## Ayanla (Jun 11, 2009)

hankandkooper said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I have a 1 year old Neapolitan Mastiff. We got him from a breeder at around 4 months old. He was crate trained by his breeders and we continued the training as soon as we got him. He is now used to and comfortable with laying in his crate and sleeping all day (7 hours) while we are at work without any accidents.
> 
> ...


The barking and crying could be a behavior you taught by accident. He barked/cried once, you let him out right away, so now he barks/cries when he hears you to let you know he wants out. Or it could be that he doesn't want to stay in there with his pee. Is there a way you can monitor, in some manner, what he's doing when you're not there? Like with a webcam or video camera or something? I would think a mastiff with separation anxiety would cause a lot more disturbance than just peeing in his crate and barking. Our Boston nearly tore a toenail off digging at the crate when she was left alone without Odo for less than an hour...and she's only 20lbs. 

I'd definitely try to monitor behavior before I jumped straight to separation anxiety and went spending money on books.


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## hankandkooper (May 24, 2010)

Thanks everyone for your feedback. 

Ayanla - I had a very similar thought process that you're having so let me answer your questions. There isn't really a possibility that we taught him to cry/bark because we only cage him when we leave for work everyday. So, we literally have him walk in his crate, ask him to sit, give him a kong w a small treat inside, and then don't return for about 8 hours.

I think maybe he is barking and crying because he doesn't like sitting in his pee, but that still doesn't stop him from actually peeing. If I put a towel/blanket in there, he pees on the towel. If I put nothing in there, he ends up having to lay in his own pee and is covered in it when I get home.

He isn't nervous going into the crate which makes me still question the SA possiblity. However, he is a nut case when I come home and is panting/barking/crying and has peed. 

I'm stumped! We don't have a video camera, but this might be a reason to invest in one!


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## hankandkooper (May 24, 2010)

By the way, this is Hank


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## Dreadog (Jun 12, 2009)

What a super cutie. 

I agree that it sounds like seperation anxiety. 

First thing I would consider are:

1) How much exercise is he getting? Perhaps you should try taking him on a LONG walk before you put him in his crate in the morning. I believe that at 1, he probably doesn't need as much sleep as he was getting before, and maybe he is now awake longer in his crate and is getting bored, leading into some of the anxiety. 

2) Could you hire someone to come for awhile in the middle of the day to see if that helps?


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

Dreadog said:


> What a super cutie.
> 
> I agree that it sounds like seperation anxiety.
> 
> ...


 I would up the exercise, and hire the dog walker, but IMO this doesn't sound like SA. It sounds like a nice dog who is happy to go in his crate in the morning, but after he's peed all over it and himself, he wants OUT. (Wouldn't you?)


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## hankandkooper (May 24, 2010)

He does get PLENTY of exercise - 30 mins walk in morning plus 30 min walk at night plus playtime.

However, I may try to start coming home on lunch breaks to try to "ease" him back into the full 8 hours alone.

I still just don't know why he started peeing in the first place  I'm more concerned about why he suddenly pees in his crate every single day than I am about the barking. I agree - I would bark too if I had to lay in the pee all day.

Thanks for all of the advice! I very much appreciate everyone taking the time to respond.


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## Dreadog (Jun 12, 2009)

I still think he needs more stimulation/exercise before being crated for the day. If you wake up one hour before you have to leave for work and take him for a 30 minute walk, that is probably just not enough (I do not know your schedule, so I am just guessing). 

I would try giving him at least one hour of attention in the morning, maybe a 40 minute walk and 20 minutes of challenging training then feed him his breakfast in some thing like the Indestructible Everlasting Fun Ball or kibble frozen in a kong, don't even give it to him until after you leave for work. Once my lab/mastiff mix hit one year, I noticed she needed more simulation to keep her tired out and happy in her crate (or loose) during the day.

Good luck! I hope he returns to his happy self soon.


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## Stephanie-Abel (May 18, 2010)

A lot of great suggestions in this thread. You couldn't go far wrong by following them.

Can I ask, how big is the crate? Is it just big enough for him to turn around in a small circle? Or does he have room to go potty in one end, and then move a bit away from it at the other end of the crate.

Separation Anxiety does not have to involve violent behavior (such as destroying crates to get out), and the barking and crying seems to indicate a case of SA to me.

Best of luck,

Stephanie


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## hankandkooper (May 24, 2010)

The crate is just big enough to him to turn around and lay down in. It can expand, but we have a divider that we use to expand it as he grows.

After listening to everyone's advice and doing some research, I'm leaning much more towards separation anxiety than I was before. He is not violent about it at all or even really obsessive, but it does seem like he finds comfort in being with us and knowing where we are. 

For example, if I go in the bathroom and shut the door, he lays up against the door and waits for me to come out. He doesn't bark and scratch or try to get in, but I think he is comforted knowing that I'm in there and just wants to make sure I'm not leaving or something.

I've heard that this can just be a common Mastiff trait - wanting to protect and be close to the owner to watch over them (which I love about the breed). Looks like I need to find a way to keep that trait while not letting it cross the line to separation anxiety.

Any further insight is appreciated, just sharing my thought process here. I walked him much longer this morning and moved his crate to a different spot, so we'll see if that made any difference when I get home this evening.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

Why are you cratng him at all while your gone? Is he destructive in the house? is he not potty trained??? His actions are all things that are def. pointing to OVER crating him and him developing anxiety from it. Whether it's seperation anxiety or another based anxiety is irrelivant really. It's Anxiety none the less. How long had the breeder kept him crated during the day? Really no dog should be crated for any longer than 3 hours at at time IF AT ALL. We as lazy americans have become too accustomed to crating our dogs to control their behaviors insted of focusing on what the ultimate goal should be of having the dog be able to be out in the house while you're not home. I would suggest ditch the crate and confinement train him with baby gates to a larger area such as the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room. By limiting his area in the house, YOU as the "Alpha" control the den and the amount of area that the lesser pack members are entitled to. By doing this you are playing on their primitive instinct of pack manners and respect for hierarchy thru a non-confrontational method. The Alpha can go wherever they please inthe den whereas the lesser dogs are dolled out living space by the alpha. Using baby gates when you're not home and even when you ARE will help cure the velcro dog thing as well as make him feel comfortable in the entire house. My house is rather big at 3000 sq feet and there are absolutely rooms that are not dog friendly such as my dining room/5 yr olds play room. EVERY dog that I have raised has been confinement trained and are out in the hosue reliably by 6 months. After a while I am able to take down the gates closing of the no-no rooms and they still don't go in there with out express permission. 

This problem WILL escalate and if you're letting him out while he's doing his happy dance when you get home then you ARE reinforcing the behavior. He is a guarding breed and simply by not permitting him to do the job he was programmed to do from birth could be the base of your anxiety right there. He needs to be able to range his space, and guard and patrol to satisfy those nagging basic instincts and you are not letting him do that. Personally tha twould cause ME anxiety. Sometimes you just have to have faith in your dog that they will do the right thing, and even if he doesn't anything he might damage are all certainly things taht can be fixed. Do you really want to keep a dog like this crated for the next 10-14 years? IMO that is the cruel. With proper crating just about every dog can be left out of a crate int he home with out being destructive IF you are consistant, responsible by picking up things and keeping his exercise and mental stimulation levels up. Ditch the crate, get a gate.


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## hankandkooper (May 24, 2010)

Dog_Shrink,

You bring up a very valid point and I think I may consider leaving him alone W/O crating him for some short periods of time this holiday weekend and see if he does anything wrong.

We were planning on stopping with the crate when we move into a new house (this August) that we have purchased. We currently are renting a house and therefore feel we need to crate him because if he does destroy something, we will have a serious problem since we don't own the property. We have felt fine with crating him thus far because up until 2-3 weeks ago, he was fine in his crate and just slept in it all day without any accidents or barking/crying. There were a few times I happened to be able to stop at home in the middle of the day and just checked on him through the window. I'm just trying to figure out what triggered the sudden change in behavior. 

I'll do some experimenting this weekend. Thanks for the advice and opinion.


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## Dog_Shrink (Sep 29, 2009)

You're welcome hank. Just a little food for thought, I highly doubt that any destruction that the neo does in your rental house will be unrepairable. You certainly can NOT be lazy with this breed and take a hands off approach. A stressed anxious dog of his magnatude can be MAJOR trouble.


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## winniec777 (Apr 20, 2008)

Not an expert here at all. Just a comment that if this truly came on suddenly like this, there may have been something that frightened him or made him anxious recently, e.g. someone coming to the house and banging repeatedly on the door. Being trapped in a crate in that situation with no option of escape would make my dog go bananas.


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## Darkmoon (Mar 12, 2007)

Stephanie-Abel said:


> A lot of great suggestions in this thread. You couldn't go far wrong by following them.
> 
> Can I ask, how big is the crate? Is it just big enough for him to turn around in a small circle? Or does he have room to go potty in one end, and then move a bit away from it at the other end of the crate.
> 
> ...


PLEASE stop posting incorrect information. *SA is NOT CUREABLE*. It just IS NOT Cureable. It is a medical condiction that needs behavorial MODIFICATION. You slowly modify the behavior over time but the behavior reinvert at any time because it is Medical. Anxiety isn't something you "magically" cure. Most SA dogs NEED to be put on anti-anxiety medicaions and then teamed up with behavioral modification which isn't 100%. You CAN NOT say that something like this is CUREABLE! It is only MANAGEABLE since the dog can change what it freaks out over at any time. It is something that is a work in progress for many many years to come.

PLEASE STOP SPREADING LIES TO JUST SELL YOUR BOOKS! Your going to end up getting dogs KILLED!


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## Namrah (Jul 15, 2008)

Have you ruled out a medical issue? If this started suddenly after he was fine for months, it could have a medical reason. I'd ask your vet about it.


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