Crate Training Senior Greyhound

[Guest Gemma]

DH and I are moving to Georgia this summer. We are planning on it being a 2 day drive. Right now, we transport him loose in the back with a barrier but, for such a long drive, I want him to be in a crate. The problem is he is 10 years old (will be 11 when we move!) and has not been crated since he was at the track (age 4).

 

I am trying to get him used to our crate. It's nice and spacious. Progress is very slow. Here is what I am doing, currently:

 

Crate door is open all the time. Periodically, I throw his favourite treats and even some kibble into the crate. He will step his front feet in, never his back ones, and crane his neck to grab all the food. I have been loving on him by the crate and rewarding him for looking at it/going inside it.

 

It has a side door and I am thinking about opening that and seeing if I can get him to walk through it so he gets used to walking on the crate floor (it's covered with a pad/bed). He seems leery because he keeps trying to back out of the crate, which is awkward for him, and always results in him tripping a little.

 

He also seems to know that I eventually want to close him in there because he won't go in the crate when I am within touching distance, and will actually go to his bed and refuse to move if I try to coax him inside with his favourite food (cheese).

 

Any suggestions? I am open to ideas! The move will not be till mid June (earliest), mid August (latest) so I have time to work on this.

[Ragsysmum]

Is there some specific reason why you want to crate him for the journey? Personally I wouldn't upset him now by trying to make him be crated when for years he has obviously been loose. You might trigger off other stress behaviour like chewing, crying, peeing which you certainly don't want to risk.

[OwnedBySummer]

Why do you need to crate him in the car when he's never traveled with that method before? Even if he's a horrible traveler (you didn't say?), adding the crate element won't help if he doesn't like it. I wouldn't bother with it, personally. I agree with Sue, it could be way more stressful for him and there's no need to crate him.

[Feisty49]

I too wonder why you're considering crating your boy for the trip.

[Guest Gemma]

Mainly because its safest for him and us if we will be traveling at high speeds for 2 days. If god forbid we get in a wreck, he won't be a projectile.

[Hubcitypam]

I'll toss my hat in the ring of "why crate him?" Honestly, every dog I've had with the exception of some very young fosters has nestled in comforters in the back seat of my small Mazda or Nissan sedans (with the footwells filled in) and slept pretty much as long as the wheels were moving. They all wake up when we hit the off ramp, which I try to do as seldom as possible. It is eight hours Dallas to Abilene, KS and I've done that more times than I can count with one stop for gas, potty break and food for me.

Mainly because its safest for him and us if we will be traveling at high speeds for 2 days. If god forbid we get in a wreck, he won't be a projectile.

Yep. But if you get in a bad wreck the crate could be damaged enough to severly hurt him.

[Guest Gemma]

Well, you've all given me a lot to think about!

 

I hear what you are saying and it concerns me too but I am worried about everyone's safety on such a long trip. Doggy seatbelts don't work for him.

 

I suppose we could consider getting a sturdier divider and really padding the back of the car.

 

He's not the best passenger. He takes a long time to settle and likes to stand. We are considering trying him on something like melatonin to see if that helps.

[PrairieProf]

I go two days back and forth between Iowa and NY twice a year or so and while I do think about safety, you really aren't at any more risk than anywhere else. Don't they say that most accidents happen within two miles of your house or something like that? I would prioritize a comfortable, low-stress environment for your hound.

[macoduck]

I like this barrier because it isn't metal. Years ago I had to slam on the brakes. The metal barrier I had been using popped and fell onto the dogs. Luckily we weren't hit and luckily the metal barrier didn't cut the dogs.

I place one barrier behind the front seats and a second across the rear door of my Honda Element.

I have, just a few times, clipped a leash to my bog's collar and secured the other end to a tab on the rear floorboard. That comes in handy if you have a dog who tries to charge the door when you open it.

Given the poor safety results on crash tests for dog seat belts, every way of securing them is worrisome.

The Pet Net Shop's barrier should help prevent the dog from landing in the front seat in a crash.

http://thepetnetshop.com/

[Feisty49]

Question: If a crate is used, what do you tie it down to/with? An untethered crate is a projectile, with dog inside, if the accident is bad enough. If traveling at 70 MPH and get involved in a bad accident, anything and everything in the car, including a crate, becomes a projectile unless secured to the vehicle.

[PrairieProf]

Wow I like that Pet Net Shop barrier, I've never seen that before. Looks like it would be easy to put up and remove as needed and would be less likely to injure the dog than metal bars in a collision. I wish they made a little zipper opening or something in the middle so you could open it up to reach through and pet your dog. I guess they could still get their nose around the edges for a pet.

[Guest Gemma]

I like this barrier because it isn't metal. Years ago I had to slam on the brakes. The metal barrier I had been using popped and fell onto the dogs. Luckily we weren't hit and luckily the metal barrier didn't cut the dogs.

I place one barrier behind the front seats and a second across the rear door of my Honda Element.

I have, just a few times, clipped a leash to my bog's collar and secured the other end to a tab on the rear floorboard. That comes in handy if you have a dog who tries to charge the door when you open it.

Given the poor safety results on crash tests for dog seat belts, every way of securing them is worrisome.

The Pet Net Shop's barrier should help prevent the dog from landing in the front seat in a crash.

http://thepetnetshop.com/

 

Thanks for the product suggestion! That looks like a good option. Thankfully, Peyton is very good about getting out of the car, and won't try to jump down until we give him permission.

 

Question: If a crate is used, what do you tie it down to/with? An untethered crate is a projectile, with dog inside, if the accident is bad enough. If traveling at 70 MPH and get involved in a bad accident, anything and everything in the car, including a crate, becomes a projectile unless secured to the vehicle.

 

My SUV has floor bolts, which are awesome for securing all kinds of things, including the crate. I love my car.

 

Bleh. I don't know what to do. I agree that the crate might stress him out, which I don't want, but I worry about his safety on such a long trip. I think I will get the soft barrier recommended above and see how that works for us. I could also pad the heck out of the back of the car with comforters and pillows to make him more comfy and give him some padding if we need to make an emergency stop.

 

Thanks for all the input!

[OwnedBySummer]

I like that soft barrier idea. Summer isn't a stander, so I am not concerned for her, but for anyone with a stander I think it's a great idea. I think that plus the comfy bedding will keep Peyton comfy and content. Happy trails, Peyton!

[Guest Gemma]

I like that soft barrier idea. Summer isn't a stander, so I am not concerned for her, but for anyone with a stander I think it's a great idea. I think that plus the comfy bedding will keep Peyton comfy and content. Happy trails, Peyton!

 

I'm sure Peyton is very relieved that I am no longer trying to get him in the crate!

 

I bought the soft barrier and will get another comforter from Savers to pad up the car. It already contains 2 dog beds, a fleece blanket, and a small down comforter (that has seen better days). Hopefully, this will work for him! We'll do some test drives with it before the big move.

[Guest june]

I have to agree, I would not crate.

[GeorgeofNE]

Crating a senior in the HOUSE is not really going to translate to crating in the car IMHO. The dog has almost no where to go in the car in the first place, you'll be right in front of him at all times, and honestly, he'll just fall asleep.

 

If you really think it's safer, then I'd just put the crate in the car, put the dog in it with a Kong, and just go on your trip!

[beledi]

I like this barrier because it isn't metal. Years ago I had to slam on the brakes. The metal barrier I had been using popped and fell onto the dogs. Luckily we weren't hit and luckily the metal barrier didn't cut the dogs.

I place one barrier behind the front seats and a second across the rear door of my Honda Element.

I have, just a few times, clipped a leash to my bog's collar and secured the other end to a tab on the rear floorboard. That comes in handy if you have a dog who tries to charge the door when you open it.

Given the poor safety results on crash tests for dog seat belts, every way of securing them is worrisome.

The Pet Net Shop's barrier should help prevent the dog from landing in the front seat in a crash.

http://thepetnetshop.com/

I too have an Element. What size net did you get?

[XTRAWLD]

I vote for strong barrier as well.

[macoduck]

I too have an Element. What size net did you get?

When I bought it in 2011 it was the "2 Pack" - one Standard (behind the front seats), one Large(at the back hatch). I believe she also makes custom size barriers too.

[JenniferS]

Crating in the car would be fine and safe (tethered), and not like crating him in the house alone. I don't think it would be a problem at all. I use seat belts on mine, and they attach to the front of their harness. They have room to stand up, lie down and turn around. Would this be an option for hm?

[Guest Gemma]

Crating in the car would be fine and safe (tethered), and not like crating him in the house alone. I don't think it would be a problem at all. I use seat belts on mine, and they attach to the front of their harness. They have room to stand up, lie down and turn around. Would this be an option for hm?

.

 

We tried this originally but he always manages to get himself tangled and will start to panic. I tried all different ways of securing him with different products but they all freak him out.