You should put something in the crate that has your scent on it. An old worn tshirt or pillowcase. This will help keep her calm and she shouldn't "miss" you and howl. Make crate time pleasant for her and she'll view it as her safe place. Put a fuzzy toy in there for her as well.

Thanks, dees.

My pillow smells like me, & she still howls, but maybe you're right; it's the combination of safe place/comfort smells, etc.

Sylviatexas, that sounds like separation anxiety and it can be extremely difficult to treat. My dog had it and our lives were unbearable because we could not leave her alone for any length of time. We tried everything, including a behaviorist, but nothing helped with this Velcro dog. There's a number of good websites to Google so you can try different approaches. I wish you a good outcome.

Sylvia.......how long have you had her?

The breed is a working type breed and needs a job or lots of exercise each day. I would take her with you (on leash) everywhere you go and socialize her as much as possible. Once she knows her role within the household, you'll probably see a change in her.

My dog was a year old when I adopted him and it took several months before he became a true member of the household.

Just one of many articles about the breed: http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/ratterriers.html

She isn't free to walk around the house with you?

Can you walk her to tire her out, or throw the ball? A tired dog is more relaxed. How about leaving her with some chew toys, maybe those which have treats wedged inside?

It does take quite a while for dogs to adjust to a new home.

Thank you for rescuing her. I hope things get better.

Well, so far so good.

I took her into the bathroom while I was getting ready to go show houses, & she really seemed to like that!

When I brought her back to my room, I put her in front of her kennel & she walked right in.

I was gone for a little over 3 hours, & when I returned I didn't hear any howling, but she was glad to see me.

Poor girl.

I think you're all correct;

she gets anxious when "her" human isn't where she can see...it?...me?

socks, it would be fine with me for her to walk around the house, but she's terrified of my cat! I mean afraid for her very life! She'll be okay with the cat sooner or later, but right now I do carry her from one place to another.

Tomorrow I'll be doing some yard/garden work, so I'll take her out with me, & I'll take her on a good walk too.

ann, I never thought of these little dogs as a working breed, since my Aunt Pansy had one named Lady whose only job was taking care of Aunt Pansy-which, now that I think of it, was a full-time job!

The two of them did everything together, from breakfast t bedtime, & Lady slept in the bed with my aunt.

Silvia how wonderful of you to rescue this little one. I can't believe people would just take a dog they own to a pound like that, it makes them seem so disposable.

when I got my 3 yr old shih tzu, she was terrified of my cat too (I don't think she'd ever seen one before) and my cat was not one to put up with a dog sniffing her or pestering her, or jumping on the sofa on top of our sleeping cat which was the worst, so she was chased by our very angry cat a few times. she very quickly learned to keep her distance, and not sniff, pester, and to have a peek at the sofa first to make sure our cat was not right where she was about to jump up.

Our cat always kept our dogs on their toes, I would stop any fights or confrontations but mostly they figured out how to coexist and they did it very quickly if I tried to stay out of it (unless like I said there was a confrontation) but IMO cats will quickly teach a dog the boundaries and they get it, it's just one more hurdle she has to overcome.

Cross your fingers!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flV1DXYkdzw

nannygoat, that video reminds me of my other shih, as a pup she thought our cat chasing her was a huge game and loved it. Until she got wacked by those nails, then she realized my cat was not playing with her. As the saying goes, It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt, lol. That pup in the video looks like he keeps dropping the ball expecting the cat to pick it up :)

Sylvia, good to hear things are getting better. If you have a photo, do post it!

Fun video, Nanny. Those little terriers need a lot of exercise, so the owners can thank kitty for helping out with that.

Sylvia, so glad to read you are having success thus far, she sounds like such a sweetheart. Just in case lots of long walks aren't easily doable all the time, I thought I'd throw a suggestion out there that's worked wonders for us, doggy daycare. I swear by it for my lab, which is also one of those breeds that needs a job and lots of exercise. Twice a week for 6 hours a day and she's good to go and surprisingly many of the facilities are not that expensive. Once she gets settled in, it may be a good option help her socialize and keep from getting bored.

Another suggestion: If you can, set up a sturdy table in front of a window and put her crate on it. Use a non-skid mat between the crate and the table to make sure it's secure. I used the kind that goes under an area rug. It will give her interesting things to look at while you are gone. I did that for my beagle when I crated her - it made a world of difference. I picked up a smallish coffee table at a garage sale for this. Her view had been walls and furniture, and she regularly destroyed things inside her crate. Once I set her up in front of the window, that behavior stopped. I think she was bored out of her mind until I got her "Beagle TV". It helped that it was a street-facing window, so there was a fair amount of activity for her to see.