Re: Milka crates and etc... (sleeping) PEGGY! :-)

[Gina Heitz <brier@oregonsbest.com>]

>
>I was wondering the same thing.  But I know Katie won't stay on the bed -
>independent this one is -.  She eagerly goes in her crate because she knows
>there's a treat.  But now when she hears me shut the door she swings around
>and presses her face up to it and looks really sad.  No crying or
>complaining though.  So my question is how do you know when they're ready to
>not be in there?  No poddy accidents for quite a while, but she's never left
>"free" for 8 hours without me around (and awake).  Also no bad chewing, but
>she's got toys every 5 feet.  Gina is the 8 months to a year a developmental
>time reason?

PEGGY PEGGY PEGGY,  <grin grin grin> oh your so easy to pick on!

There is no set rules for anything with any dog, my notes on ages are just 
what have been reported to me over the years and calculated in my head with 
what we have also seen here...  No scientific answer or magic 
formula.  Each dog is an individual and each environment is too.  For 
instance IIene sleeps all her dogs in crates minus the way old ones.  Her 
dogs just know that the crate is their bed just like her children each have 
their own rooms, she would crate them too but Child Welfare Services might 
take acception to that and she doesn't need them after her too. <evil grin>

  What ever the dog is use to is what they will expect, but to be able to 
be adaptable is the real key to me.  Our dogs can sleep any place, on 
camping trips we always have crated or dogs, on dog show trips we usually 
crate them in the hotel room.  So it's important that they know either or 
is acceptable in my opinion.  Crates are a tool for training, but they are 
also a haven for some dogs.  Kaycee loves to nap in a crate, and Sprite is 
often found standing out side a locked crate giving you the look.  If she 
can open them she does and she naps a good part of her day in a crate.  But 
these guys did not exhibit this behavior until well into maturity, like age 
3 to 5.   Rocky was the worst about his crate, he had an obsession with his 
crate, any crate, that he called his as HIS and only HIS.  He would 
literally kick others out so he could go den.  Any crate in a storm too, no 
matter the size,  he would curl himself up into a 200 puppy crate if that 
was all that was available. Meg will put herself in a crate if she has been 
bad, it's a dead give away that something has been eaten or ripped up if 
Meg is in a crate.  Others have their little weird quirks about crates too.

BTW, Reo slept in a crate last night because she is now starting to get 
more confident with up and down off of the bed, and she got up last night 
and I was not ready to allow her to wonder the house.  She has moved to the 
400 in out bedroom that is under the 300 she was sleeping in, and go figure 
she was just fine with it, no barking no anything, I even had to get her up 
this morning.  She will be revisiting crate sleeping now for a while as I 
do not trust her to not get into trouble in the night.

So as I say, go figure!


>Katie got to play in snow today!  We had this totally unexpected unpredicted
>snow last night with 4 inches on the ground this morning.  Of course being
>Olympia, it's almost gone now, but Katie loved it!!  Ran in circles, played
>snow toss with her nose and of course ate it.

I hope you are going to share pictures?


>BTW Gina - I've waited till close to fifty to be openly dog eccentric,
>because whenever I was like that in my thirties people would tell me it was
>a "misplaced desire for a child and I should have a baby"  :-)

Oh so you have been a closet dogeccentric eh?  Hummm have you talked to 
anyone about this?  Ha Ha ha!


>Long post - hope I don't bore you all, but I miss the interactions on this
>list....

No never boring, and should never be stifled, if some are not interested 
they know where the delete key is... Hope you take my banter as just in 
jest!  Peggy Peggy  Peggy!

Gina Gina GINA! :-))  who as well is dogeccentric and proud of it!

>Peggy
>