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Hi Gina and all,
Unfortunately, I can't recap this without giving a
fairly long explanation. I can hear Gina sighing now!
;-)
Yes, Roscoe is getting much better with Dollar, but
he still won't play much mostly because it's just too hot outside and he doesn't
want to be bothered. Also, I have to call the vet tomorrow for him because
his left eye is weeping some yellowish/green goop and seems to really be
bothering him. I don't think the "Tenacious Roscoe" feels up to par right
now. :-(
I would be happy to recap what was going on for me,
and I'm more than willing at this point to admit I was wrong and that I was
letting Dollar have the upper hand. Unfortunately, lack of sleep does
crazy things to someone who is known among her friends and family as the
"Tsarina" ! <grin> When
first brought home, Dollar refused to sleep in her crate right from the get
go. At night she fussed and would eventually settle down, but during the
day for naps or if I had to leave the room she threw a fit! She would NOT
settled down or stop. Luckily, I never made the mistake of letting her out
while she was fussing. I always waited until she quieted and settled
down. Eventually, however, I got to the point that I'd let Dollar just nap
in the kitchen (with the gate up) on the tile floor where she seemed to enjoy it
more. However, she'd wake up (like Ilene said) and get into trouble or
potty. I knew this wouldn't work and had to get "expert" help (i.e.
Gina). I WAS indeed afraid of Dollar hating
me for crating her, or perhaps creating separation anxiety but for the wrong
reasons. I was actually letting her have HER way, instead of getting her
to please me. All of my training books were telling me to never force your
dog into the crate, etc, etc. if they don't want to go. Blah, blah.
I thought they were saying that if I put her in her crate and she howled
incessantly that she'd hate the crate and end up having separation
anxiety. Not true. I realized she'd have to learn to like the
crate. After all, I wasn't putting her in there in anger or anything - I'm
not a monster (LOL). I finally called in reinforcements (Gina) and
she suggested putting the crate in the kitchen where she liked to nap on the
floor. It should have been a no-brainer, but remember I was not thinking
clearly. Then Gina said give her a food stuffed kong to enjoy while she's
in there. Ta da! It worked! She ate her kong and forgot about
hating the crate! Eventually, I was able to leave the room and Dollar did
not fuss. After she got bored with the kong and had to go outside, I let
her out. AFTER she stopped fussing and whining.
I worked up the time in the crate to longer
periods. I'd plunk her in there (after potties of course), give her a
kong, and then go take a shower. I'd come back and she'd either still be
eating the kong or sleeping, and EVEN just laying there quietly looking at
me. I worked this up to going outside for some time. Came back -
still no howling. Worked it up even more to leaving the house for an
hour. Some fussing at first when I'd leave (I could hear her as I was
getting in the car). I'd come back after an hour, and she was
asleep. Hmm, I thought. That Gina is ALWAYS right. Well,
I should mention here I did have some help from another expert, my friend Debbie
Berry. Dollar is from Debbie's Sunshine line. She told me I was NOT
being alpha. Boy, was she right. She said, "Joan, Dollar is there to
please you, not the other way around!" What? Really? And she
won't hate me?
My final big success was just last week. I
put Dollar in her crate in the morning for a nap with just her stuffed toy and a
cookie. Then I left the room and went to take a shower. Boom!
I came back and she was asleep. Absolutely no fussing, no crying,
nothing. She has finally accepted it. Now I do this regularly and
she is just fine. What worked was getting
her to like the crate by tossing treats in there and letting her go inside to
get them. I'd say "crate! Good girl!" I worked this up also by
making the times a little longer and eventually closing the door. I had to
make her understand that I would return also. What didn't work was letting
her have her own way and not being alpha. Now I do have to interject that
the problem was compounded by my lack of sleep the first couple of weeks because
Dollar also had a very, very nasty bladder infection and didn't sleep well all
night long. I think this didn't help the crate training because she had to
pee so much and was actually in pain. When I took her to the vet we
noticed her tummy was a little tender and she'd yelp when we'd pick her
up. Ladies, you all know what a UTI or bladder infection feels like.
But getting her on medication helped and then being a little more "alpha" also
worked. Also, putting a blanket around all sides but one worked
wonders for that "den" effect. If she'd fuss, I'd bang on the top and say
"no!" and leave the room. The fan works well too because it's warmer here
than where she came from (northern California).
I have trained lots of dogs and I should have known
better not to let a dog get the better of me. In reality I'm very good at
training dogs and they love me. Ron calls me the "dog lady".
:-) But Roscoe is now almost 6, and my dear Madison (passed on) was
already 7 mos old when I got her. I needed a refresher course and some
reminders. Luckily I have great support in Gina, Debbie and everyone on
this wonderful list. Dollar really is a
pistol and she's much more independent than Madison was. Understanding
that I'm alpha and making her understand it is very important for this type of
dog. The other thing is that she needs to learn things to be kept busy,
and that will be our next step. Intelligent dogs like to get into trouble
and I can see this is the case with her. I must channel that intelligence
in the RIGHT direction.
How's that Gina?
Joan
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