Kennel Anxiety

[Guest Literaqueen]

Okay, I'm home with my new houndie, Fly. She's fabulous, except that today when I went to put her in her kennel she got to the door and then turned and went back to the couch. Now that she's tasted freedom, the kennel's not so appealing. She'll go in if I give her a treat, and she's fine once she's in. She might be nervous about the cat, who also wants whatever treat I'm giving, so I'm going to try locking the cats away before putting her in the kennel this next time. Any other suggestions? The kennel is plenty roomy, has water, and has a nice cushy kennel pad on the bottom. Again, she likes it once she's in; it's getting her in that's starting to become a bit of an issue.

[GreyhoundGirl]

My first boy Dart went in the kennel twice and then refused. I left him out and never had a problem. He neither needed nor wanted a kennel. Does she really need a kennel? Can you muzzle her or gate her someplace when you're gone? Or, can she be trusted to be out when you're gone?

[KellyandKris216]

We had a little trouble with both River and Indy at first too, but in both cases it was just their way of testing us to see how serious we were. Bribery generally worked, though we'd occasionally had to move them paw by paw into the crate. This only lasted a short time though, once they realized there was no way around it. We turned the crate into the place where all the good things happened - meals, treats, and extra special turkey necks. Now with both of them, all I have to say is "in your crate" and they run right in. River loves hanging out in his crate even when we don't put him there. That is, he loves hanging out in his crate when Indy isn't in there first! I don't know why, but River's crate is definitely the place to be, even though Indy's is the same. He must have a better spot in the room (location, location, location, right?).

 

River also knows his crate is the one place we'll never disturb him, which was sometimes rather frustrating when we were trying to teach him stairs. He was scared of them and would run into his crate and knew we wouldn't drag him out (we'd have to wait until he came out of his own volition before we could try again - stinker!) Indy's never been shy (quite the opposite), and so seems to have little need of a "safe space". Unless there's thunder, in which case River's crate is his safe space (go figure). River just relocates to another bed in the room if that happens.

 

Another thought, what kind of bedding do you have in her crate? We used blankets with River at first which were fine, but on a whim one day I stuffed a rectangular Costco dog bed in there and he's been in heaven ever since. Indy has a memory foam bed that seems nice and cushy, but I might stuff a Costco bed in his crate to see if that makes a difference

[bradymom]

You could try babygates instead of the kennel. I put the gates about 8 inches off the floor, if you need to restrict his movements.

 

Debbie

[GreyhoundGirl]

I will add my foster boy NEEDED to be crated and so I would shove him in and then give him a treat. He did get to the point where he would go in on his own once he knew he would get a treat.

[BatterseaBrindl]

Any particular reason Fly needs to be crated??

Counter surfing?

Not potty trained?

 

If she's house-trained, then I'd leave her loose.

If she counter surfs or is a 'chewer', then I'd muzzle her when left alone.

[Feisty49]

As others have said above about their pups, my Annie Bella didn't like her crate. By day #2 post adoption, she wouldn't go in unless I got very stern and used my "mom" voice. She'd walk in, head hanging so low I thought her nose would touch the ground. She never cried or whimpered, but her face said it all.

 

On day #3 post adoption, I pretty much said, "Screw it," and stopped using the crate, though I left it up another few days with the door open in case she wanted it. Ha! She went out of her way to avoid even looking at it let alone go in it.

 

So I also chime in and ask if it's necessary for Fly to be crated?

Edited July 12, 2014 by Feisty49

[Guest Literaqueen]

I'm not entirely sure the cats will leave her alone if I leave her out. Otherwise she seems pretty trustworthy. It's only day 2 that she's been home and I'm uncomfortable leaving her and the cats alone unsupervised. I should note that the cats climb the baby gate, so I can't keep them separated unless I shut someone in a bedroom, which means yowling, which disturbs Fly. I know they need to get used to each other; I just want it to be safe.

[3greytjoys]

I think you're very smart to keep using the crate to keep your cats safe. (Our cats sailed over baby-gates, and banked off the wall above the gates just for fun, even with the baby-gate installed 5" to 6" above ground level for the cats escape route.)

 

Begin feeding meals in the crate, and make that her happy, safe place where she is rewarded. When you are supervising in the same room, it's fine to leave the crate door open while she's resting comfortably inside the crate. Occasionally walk by and quietly close the crate door for a little while (10 minutes or so, later increasing time gradually) while you're watching TV, reading etc. She will need to be in the crate whenever you can't supervise her (and muzzled when she's out of the crate if cats are free or if cats' door might be cracked opened even for an instant -- cats often rush out). It's important to ensure she doesn't view the crate as a negative place where she goes *only* when you leave the house. Our group discourages any human furniture privileges for about 6+ months. That time allows for hound to begin adjusting to a new home, and to begin to show his/her temperament towards family members (including cats), and to begin developing "family home" manners. It's nearly impossible to know this soon if she has sleep or space issues, in which case she may be better staying off the human furniture anyway.

 

There are many good reasons for dogs to at least remain comfortable in crates after adoption, including when they must be vet hospitalized, injury recovery, traveling with their owner, visiting dog sitters' homes or friends/family homes, boarding, community emergency (fire, tornado...) etc. Open door crates are often viewed by dogs as their safe canine den/cave.

 

Congratulations on your fabulous new girl, Fly! Happy you both made the trip home safely!

Edited July 13, 2014 by 3greytjoys

[Guest Literaqueen]

We tried out of the crate for sleeping last night, and she did beautifully. She lay down on her bed on the floor by my bed and slept all night. One of the cats even walked past her to get on my bed and she didn't budge. That cat slept on me all night, fairly close to Fly, and everyone's napping in the same room right now. I put her in her crate this morning when I had to leave and she did much better.

[BatterseaBrindl]

Greyt update!!!

[PrairieProf]

If she's okay in the crate and you want her in just lead her in in a no nonsense way and give her her Kong. She knowd perfectly well what to do. It's not all about what she wants and she needs to learn the routine. You are the leader, she doesn't get to call all the shots especially this soon! Being in a home is completely new to her and she is going to test the boundaries. You need to make the decisions that are best for her safety snd the cats' and your home's. Remember Beth is incredibly habituated to our routine and that's why you see her trot right in the crate.

Edited July 13, 2014 by PrairieProf

[GeorgeofNE]

If she's fine once she's in, don't feel bad about leading her to the door and giving her a little nudge. She's testing you. Don't let her win if you need her to be crated!

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

You have cats and need to keep them safe. Just because your hound doesn't seem interested when you are giving treats and the cat is calm and not moving much doesn't mean that the hound will treat the cat the same when it goes running across the room. Do not set your hound up for failure. Keep your cats and hound separated when you are not there to DIRECTLY supervise. Either crate the hound, or lock the cats behind a door. A baby gate doesn't do anything to keep the cat from running across the room which will induce the chase drive in your hound. I have had multiple hounds and multiple cats in my house for years. I also used to be the cat tester for hundreds of greyhounds. I have posted here about my method for introducing cats and hounds in a home, just search for posts by my name.

 

Chad