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Hello All, I'm new to the forum with a new pup. I've searched for more on this topic but found only a few items. Maybe I searched incorrectly? Sorry if there is more out there I may have missed. At any rate, I have a 13wk old pup. Have had him 1.5 wks. He's an amazing boy and learns more and more each day. It's been over a decade since I've had a pup and wondering if being left in the crate (while we go out short periods) gets better? I've read many articles, watched many videos regarding training him to like his crate and get used to being alone. He currently cries and barks when we're gone for 30min-1.5 hrs. I work from home and have him take his puppy naps in the crate and also crate him for various lengths of time (10min, 20 min, 10 min, 30 min) while I work in the other room. He does okay then but I do tell him to "settle" when he starts to whine. Obviously I cannot do that when I go out. I feel like there are small successes and he will learn over time that it's okay. He sleeps all night in the crate (in my room) and will go in when I tell him. He is rewarded for it. We don't make a fuss about leaving or coming back and I try to vary our leaving routine to take the anxiety away. Example, opening and closing doors while he's in the crate. Moving my keys around throughout the day, etc. He gets a walk, training and playtime throughout the day and at least an hour before we leave. Of the 7 times he's been left alone, he's not cried once. We have his first training coming up and that first class is owners only, no dogs. 2hrs. So I'm a bit worried he is going to cry/bark the entire time. Any advice and/or reassurance that this gets better and I'm doing this correctly? Thank you in advance.

Hi all I'm new here, but have been reading through a lot of this forum. I guess, the main thing I need to know is if there are any "quick fixes" for bc's? I mean, any specifics I can do to get good results quickly.... Let me back up and give some background. My bc mix, Brick, was a craigslist puppy. Met him, he played nicely with the kids (9&3) right off the bat and claimed him. (I knew nothing about border collies at the time. Wrong of me, I know. I was "licking a wound" getting a dog and didn't take the time/effort into going about things properly. Lessons learned). The original owner was going to keep him for the six weeks between my finding him and us moving to the family farm from our apartment. A week and a half in I got a call saying that he had been hit by a car and his leg was injured. When I asked when they were taking them to the vet I was told they would not and that I needed to pick him up asap. I picked him up immediately. He was not putting any weight on the leg, even though he was in good spirits. Got him into the vet the next day- two breaks in the leg. Missed the growth plate, barely. The vet made it very clear (ortho surgeon confirmed) that the injury was not due to a car and I could consider him a rescue from an abuser. She also mentioned his anxiety level (and the fact that he had already attached to me) being something that was going to be a challenge. It has been. I had to move to the farm ahead of my family, with Brick, due to the apartment landlord not giving any leniency given the circumstances. Being a "family" farm, that meant all the work for getting the place ready to live in, was on me (something i was not expecting. Wouldn't have gotten any dog, at that point, had i known.). Its initial state of being has lead to potty training issues with Brick. The previous tenant had let cats and dogs use the whole house as potty grounds. I had to pull all the carpet out (I sealed the floors for health matters). I do wonder, inspite of sealing, if this play any part in potty-training trouble. Another factor is that we live with my father-in-law who has some sort of small mix dog that has never been potty trained. He constantly marks corners and anything left on the floor. My fil has made it where if I complain about his dog, ask him to clean up after him, etc., he threatens all animals being gotten rid of... He also has no "animal behavior" sense, so to speak. When his other male dog was still alive, he would freak out on Brick when Brick would sniff/lick at his dog's genitals after urinating, calling him a "sicko" and "perv". I explained to him why dogs do that, but he isn't the kind of person to listen to reason. Also, Brick will be calm as can be, even sleeping on the floor, and the moment my fil comes home, Brick goes crazy. It's like he senses my fil's energy (high and not always positive) and runs with it. I can't change my fil, so trying to train Brick to sit/stay whenever he comes, instead. (Not sure if that's the right thing to do!) Basically, between my lack of training him with everything else on the plate (that I did not expect to have to take care of when looking at getting a dog) and the issues with other animals and people in the home, i'm in a tight spot. My fil and husband are at their limits with Brick and threaten weekly to make me rehome him. I can't honestly say he's a bad dog. The separation anxiety (extreme salivating, diarrhea, crying, pupil diallation, metal crate destruction, etc) is a huge challenge. Although, I am a stay at home mom and only gone a few hours one or two nights a week, if I'm not home, he causes trouble. I can be home for several days in a row with no bathroom incidents, leave Brick at the house for an hour with my hubby and kids and he will defecate indoors. He likes his crate, so long as the door is open and he can see you. He sleeps in it at night and goes in on his own accord or with a "go to bed". I did read the post about Patricia McConnell's book, I'll Be Home Soon!. I've read that and intend to crate train as she directs. He is a car chaser. I know. Bad. My solution was to not let him outside off lead. My thinking was that we needed to allow enough time to go by, without him having the opportunity to chase, to allow him out of the habit. We live in the country. We get a car ever 2-4 hours, maybe. No consistency. Not sure how to "train" with that being the case. Brick never left our property prior to lead restriction and never "ran off" (other than when after a car). Since restriction, if he "gets out" off lead, he bolts and there's no getting him back. (for some reason I knew this would happen, but just hoped it wouldn't. not sure why I thought that, but here we are). I think the main challenge I'm running into is Brick's personality. He's smart. Definitely meets the bc standard there, but he's got a lazy streak in him like i've never seen (we think he's mixed with basset hound based on dwarfism in legs, huge paws, floppy ears and temperament). He lays down to eat, refuses to do more than 2 or 3 chases of a ball for fetch, and once his tongue can't reach the contents inside a kong he's done with it. The one time my husband took him on a run he laid down in the middle of the road and wouldn't budge until he was good and ready. (hubby came home saying, "never again".) This makes keeping his attention on anything positive (like described in the book) a challenge. It makes training sessions challenging (trying to end on a good note is baffling!). It makes exercising his energy out of him a challenge. Just need some direction on dealing with this, in general. I know I need to be more consistent with training. Fixing me and how I'm handling him is the main thing. I get that. I'm willing. I just don't know how, especially with this lazy streak attached. It's not been all for loss. He's great with the sit command. He came with resource aggression and that was the first thing I tackled, involving both my kids. My 3 yr old son can walk up to him and take any toy/treat from Brick without any sign of aggression from him at all. He used to plow the kids over going down the stairs. He now sits at the top and waits for their release once they are at the bottom. He is not allowed in or out of the house/car until we are through and he is called. He is not allowed out of the door on his own without a sit/release (prior to lease restriction and still). He goes to bed when told (usually). He, now, gets off the bed when told. He still jumps up, which I'm not a fan of, but at least he gets down right away now, once told. I used to have to shove him off with the command, in order for him to budge. My heart was Brick's from day one. With the rough start and challenges ever since, my husband does not care for him one bit. I have never rehomed a pet for any reason other than necessity and have no desire to do so now. Sorry for such long post. Just wanted to "get it all out there." Any and all advice, positive criticism, etc., very welcome. Pics from when we first met him (5 months old we think)