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August 11 - 17, 2005 Edition
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Vet: Give that pooch some space August 4 , 2005 By Michelle Gerhard Jasny, VMD Virginia Woolf once wrote, “Women have always been poor, not for two hundred years merely, but from the beginning of time…. Women, then, have not had a dog’s chance of writing poetry. That is why I have laid so much stress on money and a room of one’s own.” Ah, a room of one’s own and all that implies. Privacy. Peace. Safety. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Well, what’s good for the woman is also good for the dog…even a dog with no poetic aspirations. Let’s talk about crate training. Does your dog like to curl up in a hole dug in the dirt under the backyard bushes? Crawl under the dining room table? Or beneath the chair at your desk? Canines naturally like to sleep in small, den-like spaces. Using this instinct to crate-train Wolf is a perfect way to maximize peaceful coexistence. Done correctly, crate-training benefits everyone. Wolf gets a secure space where she likes to hang out. You get a method that helps with housebreaking and training, and a humane, effective way to prevent undesirable behaviors like destructive chewing when you are not around to supervise. Your pup will adjust better when traveling or if she needs to be caged at a kennel or veterinary hospital. “It would be cruel to keep Wolf in a crate all the time,” you protest! Absolutely right. Wolf is a social pack animal. She needs to be part of the family. She needs exercise, activity, affection. The crate should never be used in place of giving her the attention she needs. It should be a nice place to rest when she is tired. Once a dog is acclimated to a crate, you can choose whether or not to confine her, and how often, but it’s easier to train a puppy, and then lighten up, than it is to break bad habits in a grown dog. There are several types of crates available. Plastic traveling crates, like those used to ship dogs on airplanes, have a closed-in den-like feel. Metal cage-like crates have a more open feeling, and most collapse down for storage. I’ve also seen crates that look like woven rattan. These are not good for a young pup, but they will look lovely in your living room once Wolfie has grown up and passed the chewing stage. The crate should be large enough for Wolf to stand up, turn around, and stretch out full length. You can start with a small crate and get a larger one as Wolf grows, or you can start with a crate for her expected adult size. Too large a crate may make housebreaking more difficult. Dogs naturally avoid messing in their dens, but if the crate is too roomy, a puppy may sleep on one end and eliminate in the other. Make a large crate temporarily smaller by blocking off part with a cardboard box or other solid object. Put the crate somewhere central where Wolf will not feel lonely. You can’t stick her in the basement or laundry room and expect her to be content. She loves you. She wants you. A big cage isn’t what you envisioned in your dining room decor? You should have thought of that before you got a puppy. Besides, it will go well with the rawhide, chew toys, and fur that will now grace your rugs. Throw an attractive piece of material over the crate when company comes, and set it up in the living room, family room, or bedroom, depending upon what time of day you expect to use it most. Make the crate experience as positive as possible right from the start. It must be done gradually over days to weeks. Leave the door open. Put comfy bedding, and special toys and treats inside. I like Kong toys stuffed with cream cheese. Let Wolf go in and out freely and explore. Do not force her in. Use treats and happy words of encouragement. Sometimes feeding her meals in the crate temporarily is a useful technique to get her comfortable. Now you can start training. The first time you close her in, she should have played hard, had food, water, and time to urinate or defecate. Then, when she’s ready to sack out, put her in the crate with a toy and a treat and close the door. Leave. She may happily go to sleep. Or she may fuss. If she barks or whines, do not rush right back and let her out. That will only teach her to bark and whine more. It’s best to ignore her until she stops. This, however, is easier said than done, depending on how persistent she is. Don’t yell and frighten her, but don’t be too much of a softie either. Try a gentle “quiet down” from around the corner. Don’t actually go into the room. If Wolfie sees you, she is liable to get more excited and determined to get to you. Once Wolf is relaxed and content spending 10 minutes or so, gradually increase the periods of confinement. A few hours at a stretch is the maximum you should expect from a puppy. Don’t use the crate as a substitute for personal attention and supervision, when you are able to give it. If you use the crate overnight, get up once and take Wolfie out to relieve herself until she is older and more able to make it through the night without an accident. Occasionally an individual dog does not adjust to crate-training. If Wolfie barks and whines constantly and never settles down, don’t punish her. Try starting over from the beginning, getting her gradually accustomed to the crate. Never trick her by luring her in with a treat then suddenly shutting the door or by putting her in when she is sound asleep. She needs to trust you, and to like her crate. If problems persist, try a more open enclosure like a doggie “playpen” and consult your veterinarian about the possibility of separation anxiety. Once she is well-trained, you can let her sleep on the bed, or the couch, or roam freely about when you are away, but . . . A pup who is left home alone, |
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