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Pet Folks: Advice?
Hey girls,
I don't want to post again over at the pet's board, because I posted a similar topic over there yesterday and hate to beat a dead horse with them...but I'll ask you gals :-)
Our little puppy -- Holly -- took really well to her crate training, and has been fantastic at it. Willing, and sees no problem with it.
This entire week has been hell. She won't go in it. When we put her in it, she sits and shakes from head to toe. We've tried treats, but she just sits on it in her crate and shakes.
She's always had different toys, etc, but SOMETHING in the last week has her terrified of it and I'm not sure how to go about making it feel safe for her again.
The only thing I know is: we had family visiting over last weekend, and they spoiled her rotten with holding her and playing with her. That, and she's teething, so she's chewing the towel I have in her crate. We took the towel away, and the situation got worse, so the towel is back, but she's still freaking out.
Theories? Advice? I can't find any references on the internet to RE-crate training after something happens -- only from the start.
Re: Pet Folks: Advice?
Do you have a cover over the crate? Dogs don't like feeling their back is exposed. My suggestion in making her feel like it is home is to leave surprise treats in there for her to walk in and find, and to put a blanket over the top.
My parents' dog was having issues in her crate a few weeks ago (and she is over 4 years old!) and they found out that it was something they change in their house. They actually had a fountain running and the fountain was making her fream out. Could it be that you changed something in your house or have something new or a new sound that she doesn't like?
GL!
She has a crate cover (which, actually, she pulls edges of it into her crate and chews on it. Oy vey) so I don't think that's it...
And we haven't changed anything. Nada. We haven't even done any home repair projects in weeks, since we had family over and busy weekends.
I'm trying to think of this on a VERY basic level. The only thing I can think of is that when my family was visiting, on Sunday before they left we went to breakfast with my ILs. So my family packed up their vehicle and then we crated her and all went to breakfast. Then only DH and I came home, and my fmaily got on the road to drive home.
That is the ONLY thing that has happened differently from last week to this week -- they didn't "come back" to see her.
It might be something you just have to work through. I know that my dogs used to cry for a while after I put them in their crate when they were little. Now they go in and go to sleep right away. We had to get through the months of them crying.
I don't know what else to tell you. I hope some of the other girls have some good advice! Sorry I wasn't much help! GL!
How old is she? She could be going through a fear stage in development?
Do you feed her in her crate? It's one thing in addition to hiding treats that can make the crate associated with good times. Also, try putting her in there when you are still at home just doing normal things to dissociate it with times that you are leaving.
She was eating in her crate, but since this fear issue started, she would rather NOT eat, than eat in that crate.
Since she's growing, and she's kind of scrawny looking right now anyway, I've moved her food bowl to the edge of her crate. She gets a mouthful of food and walks away from the crate with it to eat.
We've tried treats in the crate -- again, associating good things -- with the same result. She takes it away from the crate, or if the door is closed, she just sits on it and looks pitiful.
Holly is 4 months, next week. She appears to be her normal behaviored self in all aspects and at all times of day EXCEPT for crate time. I'm not noticing any fear in any other aspect of life....wouldn't I see it in other areas if she were in a fear stage?
We've tried having her in the crate when we're home -- generally it doesn't go over well if we leave the room. lol
I'm pretty claustrophobic...I'd rather not get in the crate with her. I absolutely see the point -- just no way. haha
Unfortunately Holly is a little demon on her soft toys (which she vastly prefers to hard ones). She destroys them too quickly for me to leave anything soft in her crate with her. I do leave some she enjoys in with her,...and even bought her some new ones.
She's getting better now, over the weekend. DH and I are seriously thinking it had something to do with having house guests last weekend. It's like it threw her schedule off and she was having none of that crate.
We also periodically leave her home alone, roaming free in the house, for 30 minutes to an hour if we're just running out quickly. A few of those, combined with more structured days, and she's getting much better about it now!