That and the check ins are classic Shepherd behaviors. They are constantly trying to find that one vantage or control point where traffic can be controlled/everyone can be observed (while they rest). Wolves and whatnot, you know. They are out there…
I am by no means an expert dog trainer, but why would you do that? Isn’t the purpose of crate training to make them comfortable so that they can be put in the crate when you’re not in the house? Doesn’t using it as a punishment contraindicate this?
I missed that part. Yeah, the crate really isn’t optimal as a place to leave her when you are out of the house. Certainly not for periods longer than a half an hour or so (unless its bedtime…that’s a whole different thing…they like that as the place they sleep for the night). It’s OK for it to be a “safe space” they can go to (be sent to) if they are going nuts when visitors arrive, etc. It communicates that they can’t participate in “fun times” with visitors (or cats) unless they chill out (crating for 5–10 minutes until they chill). But the crate as a place while you are gone just turns it into a doggie Vietnam War/The Deer Hunter Tiger Cage. If she displays problem behaviors and you don’t trust her at home (chewing of furniture or whatnot) than its an acceptable temporary stopgap, but Doggie Daycare is a far better option. Or out in the back yard with a bowl of water and and some guaranteed places in the shade/sun to chill out if the weather is good.
My 2 piasters, anyhow.
She is 15 weeks now, and more than happy enough to spend 4 hours in the crate at a time, and this is what was told to me as an appropriate way for a puppy to stay at home during the day, especially for them to learn housebreaking habits, and get them to potty on schedule.
Also, using the crate as the time out zone was suggested to me by a dog trainer. I thought the same thing as well, and the trainer said no, just put them in the crate. They should associate the crate with nap time/calm time. It gets the dog to associate the crate with calming down. We do 10 minutes, and if she is quiet, she is let out.
She is a more independent breed, and hasn’t shown any separation anxiety symptoms. Once she has been housebroken, we will work on confining her to a room of the house rather than the crate, and go from there. It is funny, after a week now, she knows when we say “kennel” to step in, and receive her treat. Knowing that it will always be 4 hours or less before we return.
Not to mention, crating your dog young will do wonders when they are older, as they will be very used to confined spaces for road trips, and it supposedly really curbs the separation anxiety when you need to be away for more than 4 hours.
Anyway, this is temporary until she graduates from housebreaking university, and I can fix the baby gate so that she can’t scoot through the cat door (she is just small enough). And, raising dogs is like raising kids, everyone has a different opinion on what is right, and actually what is right is what works for you and your pet.
She has been such a joy, and I am really looking forward to being able to let her out of the crate all day, but I need to be able to trust her to hold it until I get home for lunch.
Yeah, just some unsolicted advice there, so please ignore it. :) All dogs are different like us big peoples, and react differently. She is a gorgeous girl and you are doing a great job!
Need…more…pics…
PUPPY.
I will send more.
My wife texted me.
Judy smelled Steve’s butt.
Which, out of context sounds like there is some crazy stuff going on in my house. But, it sounds like she is getting less crazy around the cats, so, one more point towards her getting to spend time out of the crate when we aren’t home.
I will send more pics, of course. While a puppy is a lot of work, the pictures make up for it.
Vet says she is healthy and 25 lbs (15 weeks)
So, she will be a big girl. I am guessing around 70 lbs. She is so lanky, it is hilarious to watch her biff it on stairs and when she is running for her toys. Still not 100% coordinated.
Puppies!
Very belated sympathy. Looking at him and based on your description of his behavior he was at least 1/2 Maine Coon and possibly full bred. They are called the gentle giant for a reason. It is good you still have two other cats. I’ve had bunch of cats in my life, and there something really special about Maine Coons. They are not only the size of most dogs (mine are 26 and 25lbs) but are very dog-like companions.
Mine just celebrated their 3rd birthday today, which means they have hopefully stopped growing.
The vet tech was so taken with them that she wanted to take pictures!
So majestic!!!
Our greyhound likes to do this. He’s sixty pounds of muscle, though, so it feels like he’s punching us, and he usually leaves a scratch. Now that we have a baby in the house, we are vigorously trying to train him NOT to do that anymore.
Yeah, Judy likes to jump up on the couch and punch with her paws. She has some power behind those strikes. It is something I know she will grow out of. She is extremely chill about 80% of the time. When she gets all puppy riled up, all bets are off on how she will behave.
1st week of obedience school this week wednesday. We will have to take a “first day of school” picture.
The cats are getting braver and braver. They will now stand at the baby gate and yell at us to let them out, even when the dog is out. She is off leash in the house, but is generally respectful of the cats if we are around. She can get amped up and want to play (play bow with the cats) but we have to grab her leash and make her “sit”. But sometimes they can share opposite ends of the couch quietly now.
It is an ongoing process that is going pretty smoothly. Excited for our chewy.com order with a “potty bell” we are going to attach to the door. She can then learn to ring that when she needs to go. Crate training has helped, as she always goes when we let her out. But she still likes to sneak off for about 30 seconds when we aren’t paying attention to poop on the carpet. Hoping the potty bell and new baby gate we are installing will force her to make a noise or notify us. She is a super quiet dog (rarely barks) which is nice, but also difficult as she doesn’t let us know she has to go.
Feeding on a schedule is helping, as we basically have her poos timed out to 2 1 hour windows a day. But she is just 4 months old today, so still learning, and the basement carpet is definitely not new, and we can rent a shampooer once she gets better. For now, enzyme cleaner and towels work.
Supposedly an Anatolian/Pyrenees cross.
I see the Anatolian, but the pyrenees? I think there is some boxer or something in there.
One crate trick we learned way back - take a T-shirt you’ve worn that day and toss it in the crate with the puppy. They feel better when your scent is in there with them.
One of our rescue dogs came from an organization that fosters the dogs before adoption at a women’s prison. She came to us knowing the command “go hurry” - say that and she’d stop whatever she was doing and pee. Not sure how they actually accomplished that training, but I can see how it was important when the dog+trainer probably had limited time outside. Incredibly useful for us when taking the dog out to pee in the rain…
That would be nice.
Judy likes to take her time outside to pee and poo. But, her 4 am potty break is generally very business-like with her trotting out to her spot, peeing, and the trotting back in directly into the crate to sleep.
She is getting better, but still she is so quiet she won’t let us know when we she has to go, or her cues are subtle we don’t pick up on it. She is learning to ding the potty bell to get a treat to go outside, so that hopefully will be her method of letting us know it is potty time.
This is Rain, and she’s about 18 1/2 years old.
She’s dealing with some mystifying medical issues which may someday soon be leading to her final adventure, but I figure sharing her with you guys is a good thing while she’s in a good spot.
Some stories:
Summary
She was found in a rainstorm at 2 weeks old, hence her name. Technically feral, but she’s always been of the mind that the rest of the world is far more uncivilized than her.
She was EXTREMELY vocal, and I’d talk back to her whenever she meowed. I didn’t quite get it for a time, but she was really, honestly trying to communicate. She now knows several words of English. Food, up, down, come, stay, go, yes, no; those she learned quickly. But “Go get Gabe” (my son’s name) and a few other more complex things she started picking up around the age of maybe 3 or 4. But all that meowing… so I taught her the “silent meow,” for whenever she wanted me to come or get her food. She trained me pretty well to hear the clicking sound of her tongue as she opened her mouth.
So I finally found some peace and quiet, although this led to an interesting moment. I like to cook. I may not be a great (or even good) cook, but I enjoy it. So one day I was making falafel, but got the heat a little too high for the oil and it started to smoke. I didn’t think too much of it; I turned on the fan and kept on cooking.
Rain, however? She assumed the worst and started silently meowing to my son: her favorite person. She was trying to lead him down the hallway. She would walk a couple feet, turn around and meow at him, glare when he wouldn’t budge, and then returned to nudge him.
“Dad, Rain’s meowing at me…”
“What?”
“She’s trying to get me to go somewhere. What should I do?”
“Follow her?”
The place was getting smokier, so I went to open some windows. In the meantime, Rain led my son down the hallway, pausing every few feet to make sure he was being more attentive this time. Past the bathroom. Past the study. Into his bedroom, where she promptly led him to hide under his bed to be “safe” with her. Of course, leaving me to die in the raging inferno of my own making (had it actually been real).
My son brought up the fact that hiding under a bed in a fire isn’t too wise. So a very smart cat, but no fireman… er, firecat?