Weaning from a crate

[Amber]

I saved an article from DD about weaning your dog from their crate and I just ran across it again. Sally uses her crate as her security haven ALL DAY! She won't come out for anything, except for when we open the back door for our dogs to go potty every couple of hours. I don't want to do what the article says and wean her totally from the crate because I'm in school all day 40 miles away from home and my mom is at work all day about the same mileage away from home, so we can't make a trip home to let them out to potty at lunch or anything.

So, my question is...how do I get her to come out (on her own if possible) and join the family without feeling so scared. I try to engage her in play and she refuses (she either turns her back to me or turns her head the other way! lol). We also have our "bonding time" every night, where I get her out of her crate and we cuddle up either on my bed or on the couch and I pet her for an hour or two.

I think I'm doing everything right, but I don't know...maybe I just have a stubborn dog with a really bad past. I do know she has trust issues, but I thought she would've put down some of that wall by now!

[Summer Magic]

Would she come out for some tasty treats? Try that, just leave the crate door open and lay a treat outside the crate and gradually increase the distance from the door.

[Amber]

I've tried that. She'll take them as far as the crate door opening and no further.

If we close both doors to both crates (we have one for her and one for our poodle) then she'll get up on our couch and she'll lay down. That's her other "safe haven." After an hour of not being in her crate, she'll start breathing kind of heavy, like she's getting nervous. I've been hoping that she will see how happy my poodle is around the house and she'll get less nervous and come out more, but I don't think it's working.

[Summer Magic]

Boy, I'm no expert but it sure sounds like an anxiety attack with the breathing. Does she inter act with the poodle at all? Maybe it's all just too overwhelming for her. Do you have her out of her crate by her self or is the poodle with you too?

[Amber]

It's not really a panic attack, because her eyes still look really calm. Sally has what we call "scared eyes" and "relax eyes." When I first brought her home, she reacted to everything with "scared eyes." Now that she's been in her forever home for 4 months (this month will be 5), she mostly reacts with "relaxed eyes." It's more like she's getting nervous that she's out of her crate without me there to constantly pet her like I normally do.

Precious is always out. Sally seems to do better with other dogs, which was one of the requirements we had on her to be adopted...she had to be adopted into a house with another small dog that she got along with. Then I decided to adopt her...lol. She will engage in play with Precious, but will not engage in play with me. I don't think she KNOWS how to play with a human! If she hadn't been crated with another dog at the shelter, she wouldn't have known how to play at all. She doesn't know what toys are or anything, so it's like starting over with a puppy, but with a puppy with horrible memories, ya know??

I have a crate by my bed that she sleeps in at night (with the door open) and the way she engages me in interaction is to sit by the side of the crate nearest to my bed and stare at me through the crate with her big brown eyes (look at my avatar!). She won't come out of the crate to me EVER...matter of fact, she won't come out to anyone, not even Precious if humans are awake in the house. I'm not expecting miracles out of Sally, but I just don't want her to sit in a crate all day, while Precious is running around playing with us. She is overweight and laying around all day isn't helping her any!

Thanks and sorry this is so long!

[aussiesmum]

Amber I know you have had so many problems with your pup. If you are physically taking her out of her crate, she has more than likely learned that is how to do it. Does she ever come out of her crate on her own? Does she always run back into her crate when you take her out? You say she will lay on the courch, but do yo ualways have to close the door to keep her from going in?

Other than her crate, what does your pup LOVE the most in the world?

[Amber]

The only time she will come out of her crate is when everyone in the house is asleep. Other than that, she stay in her crate and my poodle, Precious, has to go in her crate to play with her. When everyone is asleep, Sally will come out of her crate and play with Precious in my room. (I leave the crate door open at all times, unless I leave the house. I've woken up at night to find my two dogs wrestling with each other in the middle of my floor.)

Yes, she always runs in her crate if I take her out, unless I'm holding her or petting her and the crate door most definitely has to be closed in order for her to stay out of her crate. From what I can tell, Sally loves to be on my bed, cuddling with me. It's our nightly bonding time. I tried to get her to sleep with me last night, but after a couple of hours of her not going to sleep after her usual time that she goes to bed, I put her down so that she could go in her crate. This morning I woke up and she had peed on the puppy pad that I leave on my floor at night (in case they have to go in the middle of the night).

I let both dogs out right before we go to bed at night, so I think the reason she didn't go to sleep with me was because she was afraid she was going to pee in my bed. She is just now getting the hang of not peeing in the house, so...just a thought though.

She gets excited when I put her on the bed with me. She flips over on her back, starts wagging her tail and licking me frantically. She snuggles up to me and then just lays there and lets me do whatever with her...as long as at least one hand is petting her.

[aussiesmum]

ok, just a long shot, but maybe you could try to put your blanket/comforter from your bed on the floor in the living room (might be handy to do this on the weekend. Put it on the floor and sit on it and see if she will come out and/or if she will stay with you on it.

[Amber]

You know, I never thought about that! That's a good idea! Thanks Lorie