My puppy goes crazy in his kennel?

• "My puppy goes crazy in his kennel?"

I believe you. But that's not a question, yet you've placed it where your main question is supposed to be.

And it makes me ask a question: What are YOU calling a "kennel"?

·1· An indoors crate not much bigger than an adult GSD?

·2· An outdoors sleeping box to which the pooch is chained?

·3· A roofed outdoors security run with at least 12ft between its gate and its raised sleeping box?

• "we're even having to coax him out of his kennel at night to go potty."

That makes it sound like it's ·1· - and probably with no water, no meaty bones.

And obviously YOU want him to go toilet well before HE needs to go. (Do you yourself always skip to the loo at the same times each day?)

Except when they can sleep where you can stroke them, dogs prefer ·3· - in one, a pooch can decide for itself when it wants to go toilet, when it wants to be in the open checking on the scents & sounds of the neighbourhood, when it wants to bounce around to exercise its muscles, when it wants to get into the cosy sleeping box, when it wants to sleep in a sunny part of the run, when it wants to drink, when it wants another go at the current gnaw-bone.

• "However, when it comes to having to run errands or go to work, he goes absolutely berserk"

You send an 8 weeks pup to run ERRANDS, and you make him go to WORK???

Wodderyameen, that's not what you meant? VBG

• "We ... leave the radio on, and put toys and stuff to chew on in the kennel"

How BORING!

What do you think a radio does for a wee pup?

What is a pup supposed to do with "toys & stuff"? - it is MOVEMENT that makes toys interesting to a kitten or a pup. YOU are needed, to supply movement to each toy.

Some oxtail or lamb's-spine has raw MEAT on, to make it interesting to canids. The knobblier the 2 or 3 connected sections you give him, the better, as then it takes time to work out how to get the meat out from between the knobs.

• "When we get home after 2-3 hours his kennel is upside down and usually a few feet away from where we left him. I feel absolutely horrible and guilty about this."

And so you should. You are crating him in an unstable crate. That he CAN tip it and make it move several feet demonstrates that it it is too small for him, and too lightweight. (How would YOU feel, locked in a room that tips over when you lean against its wall?)

And people should NOT get a pup until the official new-owner can stay home 24/7 for at least a week. That time is needed to (1) convince Pup that the new human will protect it and is the source of everything good in the universe, and so that (2) the owner can CONCENTRATE 100% on Pup, learning its timings & signals for such as "Wanna go toilet" and "Wanna BITE sumfing!", so that the human can PREDICT them and be ready to take instant appropriate action.

• "Is this normal puppy behavior?

Not to me - it indicates a response to the unacceptable HUMAN behaviour of seeming to keep abandoning Pup and - worse - locking Pup in an inadequate area as they go. Think about how prisoners placed in a solitary confinement cell react.

• "Will he grow out of this????"

Possibly. But NOT in the short term.

And meantime his angry barking is going to annoy every neighbour within earshot.

If you MUST crate him, STAY HOME, and spend your week+ doing as [FidosCit..] suggested.

You must CONVINCE him that being locked in a crate does NOT mean that he is left all alone. And he must have a meaty gnaw-bone each time you actually leave - but until such time that HE has become convinced that being put away (in a crate or room or run he can NOT topple, can NOT move!) is always for an acceptably-brief (in HIS opinion!) period and that you always provide something that HE is interested in throughout the BRIEF period, arrange the household's lives so that there is always someone home WITH HIM,.

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King Les - first pup in 1950; GSD breeder & trainer as of 1968

This is normal young puppy behavior for now. Puppies have anxiety when you leave them and a kennel well be a red flag to an intelligent puppy during the day that you are leaving. As he gets older continue to work with him on this and he will learn they you are not abandoning him and should start to accept his crate training. If not, consider some professional training classes for him.

No not normal at all, I've fostered seperation anxity dogs, that I crated when gone, they never moved the crate.

I would crate and leave the room, for about 5 minutes the first time. Then do for longer, to get the dog used to being crated during the day. Listen to see how log before he gets upset, then let out. He is 8 weeks, even for a GSD that might be too long for potty breaks.

Crate and pretend to leave, see howlong before he freaks out.