I used to have to clean diarrhea off the ceiling of the crate! Not only would he have diarrhea but he didn't care if in his panic he got covered in it..especially in the car. One time I remember handing him off to my best friend when I arrived at her house..she immediately took my little black and white (and brown) bundle of mess to the kitchen sink while I opened a bottle a of jack daniels to calm my own nerves! Oh the days of puppyhood- Oakley broke me in for sure!! I'm sure Ava will learn to readjust…persistence, consistency, and calm.
Yes, that is exactly what she is doing– diarrhea everywhere, on the top, bottom and sides of the crate and all over the bars. Chealsie, you are the first person I've talked to that has experienced this level of panic. Ava did it from Day 1, within minutes of being shut in the crate. It's the only time she has diarrhea or shows anxiety and wow, does she go berserk! I'm glad Oakley got past it. I'm taking it slow and only shutting her in for short periods of time, building a little every day. I hear you about the Jack Daniels-- it's as hard on us as it is on them-- maybe worse!
I'm putting the towel over the sides of the crate, Pat, and that is containing the mess, but it's slow going. Tad said both of her parents were easily crate trained, so I'm not sure what's up with Little Miss Ava. I sure hope she can get past it soon!
If you haven't tried this, put something in her crate that is very high value…...a treat, bone, whatever......and lock the door so she can't get at it. Make sure she knows it is there, and give her time to build anticipation before opening the door for her to have it. Whether or not you lock her in with it, do not allow her to take it out of the crate. She must eat it or play with it there. Obviously short duration at first, and if I were doing this I would not lock the crate, but would enforce her not being allowed to leave the crate with the treat. It helps if it is something she can't just gobble down quickly. With luck, you can get her to change her opinion of that crate into something pleasant. 
Thanks, eeeefarm! That is good advice. I only give her kongs (filled with peanut butter or cheese) and bully sticks in her crate– both of which are her faves. She knows she can't take them out and will happily eat them in the crate... until the door shuts. Then she'll keep eating cautiously for a few minutes before the whimpers start. You can see the anxiety building as she starts circling and circling faster and faster, then it just explodes with her screaming and pounding frantically on the sides and bars of the crate with her paws... then comes the diarrhea. I'm no psychologist, but it looks like the canine equivalent of a panic attack. I think the crate may be a manifestation of a fear of confinement. She doesn't like it when I shut the door of a room, either. She scratches and paws at the door, even though I'm sitting calmly with her. I'm beginning to get the feeling that this may not just blow over. 
Wih Oakley, and that degree of panic- I use I put bacon or bologna in his crate and it would be untouched. It's a switch tht literally turns into the world is ending! I used to match stick Oakley so he'd go poop before input him in his crate, ex-pen, gated room..etc but he could have diarrhea on queue no matter how empty he was…it was awful, I used to cry when I came home (looking back its funny)...oh the days! He has come farther than I ever imagined at two...
Oh, I can't shut a door even at two years old…whether I'm in the room I shut or not, he vehemently opposes shut doors or anything being denied access to something. It's no longer panic but he will run into the door and push it to open it...I can't go into the bathroom by myself!! But it's at a level I can live with.
I only give her kongs (filled with peanut butter or cheese) and bully sticks in her crate– both of which are her faves. She knows she can't take them out and will happily eat them in the crate... until the door shuts. Then she'll keep eating cautiously for a few minutes before the whimpers start.
O.K. try this. Shut the door but reopen before she gets upset. If you are a clicker trainer, perhaps click the calmness and open the door. Move up the duration very gradually. This will work best with a treat that takes her awhile to eat. If she begins to tolerate being confined a little longer, than work on you moving away, a little at a time, from the crate. Hope you have lots of patience!!
Another thought (and this will be controversial) is to work with something like a scat mat. My guy will refrain from attacking doors or barriers that have a scat mat in front of them, as he knows the consequences. He may fuss and whine a bit, but since he is not really restrained, he doesn't have anything to fight against. Much like using an invisible fence…..
Congrats on settling on a name! Ava is such a pretty name for your beautiful girl.
I agree ..Ava is such a beautiful and wonderful name yet simple. jUst three words the child wont get hard when she goes to school.LOL
Wih Oakley, and that degree of panic- I use I put bacon or bologna in his crate and it would be untouched. It's a switch tht literally turns into the world is ending! I used to match stick Oakley so he'd go poop before input him in his crate, ex-pen, gated room..etc but he could have diarrhea on queue no matter how empty he was…it was awful, I used to cry when I came home (looking back its funny)...oh the days! He has come farther than I ever imagined at two...
OMG, how long did this go on, Chealsie? Because of the crate soiling, Ava seems to have lost her cleanliness instinct and just goes anywhere, then walks through it and tracks it everywhere. We went from good housetraining progress to zero. We're going back to the vet on Monday, and if she checks out medically, I'm going to ask for a referral to a behaviorist at UT. For her sanity and mine.
OMG, how long did this go on, Chealsie?
You know, I have come to the conclusion that most of us have short term memories, because if we remembered clearly what a pain it was at the beginning, we would never get another one! Whether raising from puppyhood or adopting an older dog with issues, there are always those days when you wonder if you were insane to take this "little bundle of joy" into your heart. Generally everything works out, or becomes "normal", and we laugh when we look back, and don't remember we were crying at the time. Hang in there. This too shall pass!
Between my family and I, we have raised six Basenjis– not a lot, but we haven't seen anything like this. There is no improvement at all... and no signs that any of this may subside. I have read everything... tried everything... but nothing will calm her. I haven't slept much in almost three weeks, and my nerves are pretty much shot, too, at this point.
Maybe you need to rethink the crate. Would it be possible to just avoid putting her in it for a time? When you are dealing with panic, the only thing I have found to work is for the animal to feel they are free to leave. A larger enclosure might work. My current boy does not like confinement, but is mostly fine with the run of the house. Not possible with a puppy, I know. But the house breaking going backward is not a good sign. Unfortunately I think the only thing that fixes that is vigilance. If she is not stressed, she should regain a more normal bathroom routine…..
Where does she sleep at night??
Yes, rethinking the crate is where we're at. I have tried three different size/kind crates and a baby gate. She can't stand the confinement, even in the largest size wire crate, and she is very destructive, as I found out leaving her for a few minutes with the baby gate. I worked up to the crate very slowly, she eats in it, has treats in it and is fine in it until I close the door. After several days of her going berserk with no adjustment, I went back to square one and only fed and treated her in the crate without closing the door. Then I started the slow process all over again. With the housetraining kaput, it's actually worse now. I can't give her the run of the house – or even one room-- and I'm not sure I'll ever be able to, though that is what I had hoped to work toward.
I wanted her to sleep in the bed with me and started her out there, but moved her to a crate beside the bed. Neither of us sleep much, because she screams if the door is shut and demolishes the bedroom if I leave the crate door open and fall asleep. I try to act very calm, like this is no big deal, and never scold her, but she has to sense my stress.
I'm not sure you want the answer as to "how long this went on"! Truthfully he was like this for perhaps 8 months..it didn't stop until the hospital visit for his xylitol poisoning. It did decrease from absolute panic, broke a tooth and "panic diarrhea" as I call it…to crate destruction and soft poops and always peeing in his crate (tipping over water), shredding blankets or anything near the crate in maybe 4 months?? I originally started Oakley out in an ex pen with a top..but that just equated to a bigger mess, and the crate seemed better. I used to lay a shower curtain down and put his crate in the middle of the room to keep him from destroying stuff..and I still to this day keep the tv on for him. I know a lot of people will yell at me for saying this (and I TOTALLY get its not ideal) but they do outgrow it, at least Oakley has. He will always dislike the separation and confinement but I have NO issues these days..blankets and water are undos turned and he doesn't go to the bathroom. Perhaps your nerves and angst about the situation is causing her to regress bc as senses it?
I wanted her to sleep in the bed with me and started her out there, but moved her to a crate beside the bed.
What went wrong with that approach? Mine have mostly slept with me, always when I only have one, and it works well because I am a light sleeper and wake if anything is going on. And they have been very content and peaceful. I still remember bringing my first boy home. He slept with me in the spare bedroom because my girl hated him on sight. In the morning when we woke, he rolled on his back, put his front paws over his head, then yawned and said "aarrr" very contentedly, and I fell in love right there…..
I'm not sure you want the answer as to "how long this went on"! Truthfully he was like this for perhaps 8 months..it didn't stop until the hospital visit for his xylitol poisoning. It did decrease from absolute panic, broke a tooth and "panic diarrhea" as I call it…to crate destruction and soft poops and always peeing in his crate (tipping over water), shredding blankets or anything near the crate in maybe 4 months?? I originally started Oakley out in an ex pen with a top..but that just equated to a bigger mess, and the crate seemed better. I used to lay a shower curtain down and put his crate in the middle of the room to keep him from destroying stuff..and I still to this day keep the tv on for him. I know a lot of people will yell at me for saying this (and I TOTALLY get its not ideal) but they do outgrow it, at least Oakley has. He will always dislike the separation and confinement but I have NO issues these days..blankets and water are undos turned and he doesn't go to the bathroom. Perhaps your nerves and angst about the situation is causing her to regress bc as senses it?
Ouch. That is so painful to think about. I don't see how you dealt with that every day for eight months. I knew you had issues with Oakley, but I didn't know they were that severe or long-lasting. You're the only other person I've heard of that had it this bad. Was a vet, behaviorist or trainer able to help Oakley at all? BTW, the shower curtain is a great idea!
I think I'm going to leave Ava at the vet's for a day when she goes and let them observe her in the crate. It's difficult to comprehend this level of raw panic until you see it. I know there are meds, but the soft music, DAP, thunder shirt, goodie-filled Kongs and treat balls, etc. are completely ineffective for us.
What went wrong with that approach? Mine have mostly slept with me, always when I only have one, and it works well because I am a light sleeper and wake if anything is going on. And they have been very content and peaceful. I still remember bringing my first boy home. He slept with me in the spare bedroom because my girl hated him on sight. In the morning when we woke, he rolled on his back, put his front paws over his head, then yawned and said "aarrr" very contentedly, and I fell in love right there…..
Oh, that's sweet. I wish it had gone that way with Ava. She wet the bed, though that wasn't the reason I stopped. I'm a light sleeper, too, and she didn't even stir– she just went in her sleep. I put a training pad under her, so that was okay. But her breeder said that sleeping in the people bed was interferring with her crate training and that putting her in a crate by my bed would help her settle in the crate. That's what I did with Spencer, and it worked. I would get him out of the crate to take him out in the middle of the night, then put him in the bed with me until morning. After a few months, he was in the people bed full-time. He housetrained pretty quickly and wasn't destructive. She is a very different dog.
If you can stand it, sometimes the "cure" is to leave them until they give it up. Unfortunately some dogs will actually injure themselves…...a friend had one that broke teeth, trying to bite her way out of the crate. The big problem I see is that you really can't afford to let them out when they are fussing.......if you do, you have taught them that persistence pays off, and they will be even more difficult next time, as they learn being hysterical gets them what they want. (people with halter pulling horses that break ropes find this out the hard way) When I have encountered this with an animal I try to throw in a distraction that makes them cease their efforts, even momentarily, say "good" and get them out of there......on what they perceive is your terms. Good luck. Hope the vet has some answers for you.
I know; this is what her breeder says– to not give in and leave her in there until she stops screaming. But she will scream herself hoarse for four hours and then come out shaking and whimpering and just plastered with pee and poop. It just kills me to see her this miserable. And I'm afraid it's making her hate me. Now she runs when I call her (and I had clicker trained her to come and sit!) and shies away from my hand because she thinks I'm going to crate her. She did hurt herself yesterday and is limping today and holding up a front paw. She circles frantically and throws herself against the crate door, trying to break it open. I have stopped the crate time except for eating today and hope the vet can help me.
That is great advice about throwing something to distract her. I will have to try that, not just for the crate but for jumping on my cabinets, which she just will not stop. Thanks for listening and helping. This is just an unexpectedly wretched experience for both little Ava and me.
