KatieP Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 Thank you to everyone who so convinced me to start crating my 4 month old BC. I keep her crate in our dining room which is in the center of our house. I got her a special bone that she can only have while in the crate. This really had become such a Godsend to me because now, I can crate her in the morning before the kids come.. she is not jumping on the mom's who are all dressed for work or the children. When the children eat lunch, she goes in her crate so that she can't try to steal lunch or snacks. She does hate it.. she howls after the novelty of the bone wears off. But she can also see me and hear me, which helps.. she is not isolated totally away from everyone. I also started to send her to "doggie daycare" with my daughter-in-law who works for her Breeder in a grooming/boarding facility. This has helped a lot with her separation anxiety.. Although I admit, I did cry the first day she started "daycare". I felt like she should have a little back pack or something to go with her. She came home and greeted me eagerly and the next day went out in the back yard by herself.. I leave the kitchen door open and She would come check on me every so often and give me a "hug" and then prance back out to do her own thing.. YEAH!!! She is also doing amazing on catching the Frisbe. She almost caught it in mid-air twice.. almost.. she is still little.. but she can leap like nobody's business. One of my greatest pleasures in the morning, before the children get here.. is to sit with my coffee and watch her leap and play, she has such a good time. Thank you again for driving it into my thick Irish skull that she needed to be crated.. You guys are the BEST!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olivehill Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 Nicely done. It must be such a relief for you, and probably for Addie, too. Just make sure you're not addressing/responding to her when she howls. If you do, she will never crate quietly, because it teaches her that howling gets attention. Instead, when she gets restless in her crate, let her be until she quiets -- even for just a moment at first -- and then go to her and let her out. This teaches her that she gets out when she's quiet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedismom Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 Congratulations on surviving 1st day of daycare jitters. That is so cute. About the leaping...you can confirm this with your vet, but she's not supposed to be jumping up in mid-air to catch anything at 4 mo. old. Not until her growth plates close. I've heard at least a year to a year and a half old. It may cause long term physical problems. I believe rolling a ball or frisbee is ok. Don't mean to get on you about yet another thing, but I know you want what's best for her. I'm glad the crate is working out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieP Posted May 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 Nicely done. It must be such a relief for you, and probably for Addie, too. Just make sure you're not addressing/responding to her when she howls. If you do, she will never crate quietly, because it teaches her that howling gets attention. Instead, when she gets restless in her crate, let her be until she quiets -- even for just a moment at first -- and then go to her and let her out. This teaches her that she gets out when she's quiet. Of course this makes so much sense... Just like the 20 month old toddler that I am minding.. Kids, puppies they are very much the same. My 20 month old grandson is into temper tantrums at the moment and he gets 2 minutes of time out when he will not settle down and screams like he is being murdered because he wanted a different cup or something like that.. so it is all relative.. puppies, children, need to know the boundaries and if you give in to them when they are at their worst, they will think that behavior gets them what they want.. :0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieP Posted May 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 Congratulations on surviving 1st day of daycare jitters. That is so cute. About the leaping...you can confirm this with your vet, but she's not supposed to be jumping up in mid-air to catch anything at 4 mo. old. Not until her growth plates close. I've heard at least a year to a year and a half old. It may cause long term physical problems. I believe rolling a ball or frisbee is ok. Don't mean to get on you about yet another thing, but I know you want what's best for her. I'm glad the crate is working out. Wow, I didn't know that.. she is just doing it mostly on her own. She see's a bird fly by, or we blow bubbles for her and she just leaps into the air. I never thought to stop her as it seemed so natural to her.. but now I am concerned.. I don't know how I would curb this behavior because again, she does it naturally while playing in the yard, she leaps so high after butterflies and birds. It's beautiful to see but I never knew this was harmful to her baby joints.. makes sense that it would be.. How would you stop this?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jexa Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 That is great to hear! I'm glad everything is working out for you two. I would second ignoring her when she whines and praising her/letting her out when she's quiet. She will eventually get used to it and learn to love it. If she's still whining a lot, you could slow down her introduction to the crate. Put her in it for a few minutes with you in the room, with food, or her bone, and after a few minutes before she can get bored and start whining, praise her and let her out. Then just slowly increase the amount of time she spends in there until she learns it's a happy place to be. Just feeding Rudder in the crate helped crate train him immensely. Then again, he is ridiculously food motivated, so any place he associates with food is suddenly his favorite place I also have a "special bone" and toy Rudder only gets when he's in the crate, he gets very excited when he gets to "crate up" and play with his special toys! And I'm with you on the daycare jitters. Dropping Rudder off for the first time at the kennel for a weekend was totally nervewracking for me, I know it's just me projecting, but I was all worried he'd think he was being taken back to the pound. But after his initial excitement of seeing me when I went to go pick him up, I had to practically drag him out of there! Getting to socialize all the time will be great for your pup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jexa Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 Wow, I didn't know that.. she is just doing it mostly on her own. She see's a bird fly by, or we blow bubbles for her and she just leaps into the air. I never thought to stop her as it seemed so natural to her.. but now I am concerned.. I don't know how I would curb this behavior because again, she does it naturally while playing in the yard, she leaps so high after butterflies and birds. It's beautiful to see but I never knew this was harmful to her baby joints.. makes sense that it would be.. How would you stop this?? You can double check with your vet, but I believe the real concern is repetitively stressing those growth plates. Her romping around on her own is great and totally natural, but having her continually jump over and over after a frisbee could potentially overwork her joints. Someone more knowledgable can clarify. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shetlander Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 I leave the kitchen door open and She would come check on me every so often and give me a "hug" and then prance back out to do her own thing. Don't you love those Border Collie hugs? One of my favorite things about the breed. Glad you are finding the crate helpful. I honestly don't know how I would even try to raise a puppy without crating. As with parenting kids, I think a positive and very confident attitude is important when using a technique or tool to manage dogs. I think one reason I have never had a puppy or dog fuss much about their initial crating experience is because 1. I make it as rewarding as possible for them (to this day, if I crate a dog, I usually give them a small treat) 2. I make sure they get lots of time out of the crate and 3. I am convinced the crate is a wonderful place for them and so am not moved by any puppy dramatics. She is not possessive with us, I will play with her food or toys and randomly take it away and gently tug on her ears or tail to get her used to being touched when eating or playing. I have a grand-baby on the way and want her to be ready for little ones. When I work on teaching leave it/give it, I always do it with high reward treats or toys. My dogs quickly learn if you leave that piece of kibble on the floor, I will give you a tastier treat or several pieces of kibble in exchange. Same thing with toys. I will give you another just like it or one that is even more exciting as soon as you give up the toy you have. That helps make leave it/give it/drop it a command that they do not have negative associations with and are generally quick to comply with. If I see resource guarding a food dish, I make a point of adding food or tidbits while they are eating and may also offering some of their meal by hand. Basically, I want my dog to only see my hand coming towards their dish or their face as they are eating as something good. I have on occasion had to grab something out of a dog's mouth due to a safety or health reason. When that happens, my dog is completely astonished about what just happened. By the time they might be moving on to some canine version of "How rude!" I am usually giving them a reward for having just endured me grabbing something from them like that. So they get over the very, very rare experience and continue to be mellow about me moving around them and their food. And never, ever think of letting a small child pull a dog's ears or tail, or interfere with it in any way, however good you may think the dog may be. I will second this. Dogs and children, especially small children, need to be carefully supervised. I love both but I really don't see them as a wonderful mix, but rather something that needs to be managed with safety always in mind. Good luck. Sounds like things are going very well for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChantalB Posted May 18, 2012 Report Share Posted May 18, 2012 Woot! Glad you came over to the crating side! Things will go much smoother now! Congrats! Jumping... Natural movements and play is okay. But anything human related, (throwing frisbee, playing too much fetch, etc.. ) wait until her growth plates close. Font worry about it though, you haven't ruined her or anything just take it easy now until she hits a year, then you can have her xrayed to see if they are closed, but may take till she's a year and a half! Goodluck and enjoy this great (sometimes adorably annoying) puppy time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloria Atwater Posted May 18, 2012 Report Share Posted May 18, 2012 Glad to hear the good news! It's wonderful when you find a solution to a puppy dilemma, isn't it? I'll just echo what others have said: when she howls, ignore her completely. Don't talk to her, don't attempt to correct her, don't even make eye contact. Even negative response is a reward to her, when she's howling, because she got you to pay attention! So make her "invisible" each time she makes a fuss, and only speak to or look at her when she's quiet again. And definitely do not throw the frisbee or anything else for her. The jumping and playing she does on her own is fine, but don't let her jump after toys and try not to let her leap off of beds or chairs or porches. You're doing well, though! Great news. ~ Gloria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted May 18, 2012 Report Share Posted May 18, 2012 Glad to hear you found a way to have some stress relief! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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