i was having the same problem with my yorkie puppy. he hates being crated or confined in the kitchen with a baby gate. he'll cry and whine to no end if i have him confined in these areas. and unfortunately, i living in a condo and in close quarters with my neighbors, i don't have the luxury of ignoring him especially in the early mornings or late evenings.
i think his problem is that he has issues being separated from me in an area where there is bars between me and him and he can see me behind the bars. he wants to be on the same side of the bars as me. if confine him in the kitchen with a baby gate, and i'm in the hallway, he'll whine to get out of the kitchen. if i'm in the kitchen and he's in the hallway (with the doors to the bedroom and living area open i might add), he'll whine to get into the kitchen area even though it's the "confined area".
so finally, when he's about 80% potty trained on the potty pad, i moved the baby gate and allowed him access to the kitchen and hallway. the babygate now prevents him from accessing the living area, ie, carpeted areas, but i'm never in the living area with him left on the otherside of a closed babygate. he's totally fine with it. i can close the door to the bedroom and he'll scratch the door for about 30 seconds and then just walk back to his bed in the kitchen, waiting for me to come back. same thing when i leave the condo. i left an extra potty pad in the hallway to catch any accidents in the new expanded area. so far so good!
i'm not sure if my yorkie is just bizarre like that, but he no longer whines when i'm away. so whatever works man!! |