- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
As much as we’d like to, we can’t keep eyes on our pups at all times. Sometimes we have to confine them to a specific space to keep them safe—that’s where crate training can come in handy. Some dogs, however, experience confinement anxiety and struggle with being restricted in a crate. So what’s a busy, working pet parent to do?
Fortunately, training can help. But you’ll have to move at your dog’s pace, and it really helps to work with a professional who can guide and support you each step of the way. Make sure to look up trainers who specifically work with confinement issues, and let them know your main focus points, advises Tiffany Song, CCPDT-KA, VSA-CDT, a professional dog trainer on Rover.
In this guide, we’ll cover what confinement anxiety looks like, how to address it, and how a certified dog trainer can help.
Identifying Confinement Anxiety
Signs that your dog is experiencing confinement anxiety in their crate include:
- Panicking as soon as the crate door shuts or latches
- Bolting as soon as the door opens
- Trying to break out of the crate by digging, clawing, or biting
- Urinating or defecating inside the crate, even when housetrained otherwise
- Excessive drooling and panting
- Continuous whining, barking, howling, or screaming
- Cowering, trembling, and shaking
- Inability to settle; pacing (if room in crate)
Confinement anxiety vs separation anxiety
Confinement anxiety and separation anxiety often look similar, with both triggering a fight-or-flight panic response, like excessive vocalization and destructive behavior. However, they are driven by two very different panic triggers. For separation anxiety, the distress is triggered when they’re isolated from people, most often their bonded owner. On the other hand, the distress for confinement anxiety is triggered by physically being restricted in an enclosure.
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Step-by-Step Training Guide
Knowing the difference between confinement anxiety and separation or general anxiety will impact your approach for training. For instance, to fully make progress with confinement anxiety, you have to address the root cause of the distress: your dog’s claustrophobia. Here’s how.
Step 1: Temporarily suspend crating your dog
For a while, at least while you’re working on training, suspend crating your dog entirely. That way, they won’t experience full-blown panic attacks and undo all your progress.
Instead of using a crate, Song says that a pen or a gate blocking off a dog-proof area makes a great alternative. Other options to keep your dog safe when you can’t supervise them include taking them to doggy daycare or hiring a pet sitter.
Step 2: Remove the door or keep it open
Take the crate doors off their hinges. Or secure them flat against the side with zip ties so they can’t accidentally bump your dog or close on them and cause distress.
Step 3: Build positive associations on your dog’s terms
With the crate door now open, scatter high-value treats around the entrance and just inside. Do not force or lure your dog into the crate. Instead, let them explore, sniff, and take a treat on their own terms.
To build more duration in the crate, place a long-lasting chew, a frozen puzzle toy, or lick mat inside it.
Step 4: Put the door back and add movement
After your dog is comfortable spending time in the crate with it open, add the door back. Slowly, while your dog is inside with a long-lasting treat, gently touch the door, and then jackpot them with additional treats. Next, move the door an inch as if closing and then swing it back open. Gradually increase the motion over several short sessions, slowly making progress to a closed door.
Step 5: Practice closing the door
As you progress in your training, you’ll want to work toward pulling the door against the frame, so it looks shut. Hold the door “closed” with your hand for a few seconds while feeding treats through the crate’s bar. Open the door before your dog finishes their food or shows any signs of distress. Repeat until you can hold the door shut for 10-15 seconds with your dog staying calm.
Step 6: Pair micro-latches with a high stream of treats.
Once your dog is okay with you holding the door shut, start gently latching and immediately unlatching the door. Pair the sound of the latch clicking shut with a jackpot of high-value treats. When you unlatch the door, stop feeding treats, so your dog starts associating the latched door with rewards.
Step 7: Add duration and distance
As your dog becomes comfortable with you closing and latching the door, gradually extend the time they spend in the crate. Start in tiny increments, building from five seconds, 10 seconds, and so on—rewarding them for each increase.
As you build duration, stay close to the crate at first. Only once your dog can stay locked inside for 5 minutes should you start practicing standing up and taking steps away—again gradually increasing the distance and pairing it with rewards.
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Jaclyn Vernace via iStock
Tips For Helping Your Dog
Small tweaks to your training plan can go a long way in preventing meltdowns and regression. Here are a few ideas to help boost your training.
- If your dog panics during training, immediately take two steps back in the sequence. For example, if your dog is distressed when you start locking the latch, go back to making micro movements with the door.
- Vary the durations and difficulty in your training. Don’t make every session increasingly harder. Instead, mix in easy, quick repetitions with longer, more difficult ones to keep expectations stress-free.
- Use a pet camera to monitor your progress. As you build duration and distance, leaving the space your dog is in, use a pet camera to make sure you’re ending sessions before your dog becomes distressed.
- Consider changing your enclosure/crate type. Some dogs might find wire crates more restrictive with their lower ceilings and narrow doors. Try switching to a taller plastic crate or a soft-sided pop-up one. An X-pen with no roof can also be a great temporary or long-term alternative.
Working With a Professional Trainer
When working with a professional trainer, Song says the first step will be the intake—the trainer will discuss the details of your dog’s confinement anxiety and get the full history behind their behavior. From there, they’ll come up with a baseline assessment and a training plan that breaks down crate closure into micro-steps so your pup can be successful.
If your living situation also requires you to leave your dog alone but they can’t be left in your home free-roaming yet, a professional trainer can also help you create an interim management strategy.
When searching for professionals to help you with confinement anxiety, keep the following credentials in mind:
- Certified separation anxiety trainer (CSAT): Trainers also likely to be specialized in spatial distress
- Certified Behavior Consultant Canine (CBCC-KA): Advanced behavioral consultants with experience in fear and anxiety disorders
- Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (DACVB): Board-certified veterinary specialists who can prescribe behavioral medication alongside training plans.
Looking for a local dog trainer to help? Rover offers a database of certified professionals who follow humane, science-backed training methods and makes it easy to filter for trainers with experience in anxious behaviors.
