Don't feel too bad, I've been on here for years, and still have no idea how to post a photo!!
My new brindle bundle of joy…
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I had never heard of it. But I just ordered it. Thank you! It sounds interesting. Ironically, Ava is scheduled for puppy agility class next month. So maybe this will help with that, too?
I love getting pieces of the answer. Hopefully, they'll add up to the whole puzzle!
well, then you may be ahead of the class! many of the pre-agility classes around here include crate games. You may also want to look into a DAP diffuser (but it sounds like she may be a little beyond that) and/or a book called Through a Dog's Ear (yea, the book with the cute little basenji on it) but again, it sounds like she's a bit beyond that. There's also a Thundershirt - works on so much more than just thunder. (It is made to fit snug, but you don't want her eatting it off) But mostly these are things that will take the edge off, but it sounds like she may be in a full blown anxiety/panic attack, which is sort of beyond these things. You also run the risk of "poisining" these things, as you've seen with her come command. She used to trust that come command, but now it means bad things (crate and you leaving) in her mind. Complicated little creatures.
At the very end of the Crate Games video, there is a short segment about dealing with a crate phobic dog, but you really need to watch all of it to that point. (No skipping ahead like I do with books!) Crate games is also clicker-training based, so if you're not familiar with that, you can google that right now and start with 101 things to do with a box. it's easy and fun.
Also, google "Dr Overall Relaxation Protocol". YES YES YES. don't know that this will have anything to do with crate anxiety, but it's a great tool for a performance dog. (Might as well go ahead and get Control Unleashed, or at least wishlist it on your amazon page.)
good luck and please let me know your outcome if you use any of these suggestions. I sort of have a running tally in my head. thanks
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Have you done any leash training yet? If so, how does she respond? Some dogs that will not tolerate confinement in a crate are amenable to being tied. They may not love it, (and with a Basenji who doesn't love it, you will need to use something she can't chew through!), but usually it doesn't make them so hysterical. Some people like tethering their pup to their waist as they work around the house. At least you know where they are!
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Pamela, my saying with My boy was and still is: "I was prepared for a Basenji but I wasn't prepared for an Oakley"
One day you will laugh at this, I promise. As well as control unleashed and crate games look into a behaviorist that is familiar with BOTH separation anxiety AND confinement anxiety… The two have the same panic reaction but just solving one usually won't work until both components are addressed. -
I seriously doubt there is a medical issue causing this, but good that you are checking. I for sure would turn to a behaviorist because they can come to your house and see first hand what it happening. Being NOT emotionally involved, maybe can see things you are not picking up on…
I don't really think it's medical, either, but there are a few other issues so best to be sure. I'm sure a behaviorist is in our future. Sigh.
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good luck and please let me know your outcome if you use any of these suggestions. I sort of have a running tally in my head. thanks
All good suggestions– thanks so much! I have tried both the DAP diffuser and Thundershirt, and they didn't help her. Ditto soft music and other calming oils, like lavender. Whatever is at the root of her panic is, unfortunately, beyond those. I have "Control Unleashed" and will get "Through a Dog's Ear." And we have been doing clicker training since Day 1, and it's working pretty well since she is food-motivated. She was well on the way to being house trained, and I was feeling good about that, until this crate panic made her break it. Now, we're back at the beginning, and she goes everywhere and anywhere.
I'll check out "Dr Overall Relaxation Protocol", too. I'm really looking forward to getting "Crate Games," and if I find anything else that works, I'll let you know. She is, indeed, a complicated little creature... though a lovable one.
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Have you done any leash training yet? If so, how does she respond? Some dogs that will not tolerate confinement in a crate are amenable to being tied. They may not love it, (and with a Basenji who doesn't love it, you will need to use something she can't chew through!), but usually it doesn't make them so hysterical. Some people like tethering their pup to their waist as they work around the house. At least you know where they are!
She hates her collar and leash, too. She will buck like a bronco to try and slip out and away, and I have to tighten her collar more than I would like to keep her in them. I did try the umbilical cord leashing around the house (which I used successfully with Spencer), but she gave me such fits that I abandoned it for now. I feel like she hates everything I try to do with her… probably because she doesn't want restraints or boundaries of any kind. Of course, I can't let her have that.
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Martingale collar will help if she's bucking the collar, and the only time it'll tighten is when she resists… So perhaps since it'll fit looser then she won't object as much..but will give you the control of it tightening when she pulls away
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Pamela, my saying with My boy was and still is: "I was prepared for a Basenji but I wasn't prepared for an Oakley"
One day you will laugh at this, I promise. As well as control unleashed and crate games look into a behaviorist that is familiar with BOTH separation anxiety AND confinement anxiety… The two have the same panic reaction but just solving one usually won't work until both components are addressed.Yes, unfortunately, I suspect that she has both separation and confinement anxiety. I have no idea how we're going to get her through this, but maybe a good behaviorist will help. I hope you're right, but I don't think I will ever be able to laugh about this. I like your saying, though– I can so relate!
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Martingale collar will help if she's bucking the collar, and the only time it'll tighten is when she resists… So perhaps since it'll fit looser then she won't object as much..but will give you the control of it tightening when she pulls away
I forget– is the Martingale like the Halti-- a harness-type?
Ah, no, I Googled it and yes, I've seen those, but do not have one. Thanks for the tip! The online shopping sites are loving me today!
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I LOVE my white pine outfitters martingales. I've had them for years and years. so nice, soft and colors do not run. Those are my "go to" walking collar/leash.
Bummer that the thundershirt did not work. I just got one (about a month ago) for Zest! and our Q rate in agility has, literally, spiked.
I doubt the Dog's Ear book will help, but it's sort of interesting reading and has a cute basenji on the cover. you could always check your local library, that's where i think i first found it. again, maybe a piece of the puzzle.
I know Zest! did go throught a period where she hated her crate, but not to the extreme you've described. And of course once she slept in our bed, she never looked back. (that was not planned, but due to a late spring snow storm that killed power for 24+ hours. I did not think her freezing in her crate was going to help her like the crate.) And I do have other dogs, so she was never really "alone". We did do crate games. We did more of Overall's RP. (And boy were those conformation people impressed with me sending her to her mat! easily amused, those people)
Oh, and congratulations - your learning curve is about to seriously increase! (I know that may or may not make you feel better now, but someday . . . )
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So the 9/16" SoftSlip for the collar? And maybe the thundershirt will work if she develops any other fears (God help me!), but this crate thing is just too extreme. I will try all these things and maybe something will stick.
I feel like the mom at the park whose kid won't go down the slide. Everybody else's kids are having a big time, and I'm feeling like "Wow, what's wrong with us?"
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yes, and you'll need matching lead (or two if she chews, b/c you'll need a backup) because, if you have a princess, and it sounds like you do, you need matching things.
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did you get the pink thundershirt? i paid extra and got the pink thundershirt. soooo worth the extra $ for the princess.
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BEAUTIFUL little girl! What about Hazel?
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Sad to say I got the gray Thundershirt, and I have brown leather and red Flexi leads. This is what happens when a boy mom gets a princess– I'm totally unprepared to deal with a diva. Should I buy a tiara?
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Sad to say I got the gray Thundershirt, and I have brown leather and red Flexi leads. This is what happens when a boy mom gets a princess– I'm totally unprepared to deal with a diva. Should I buy a tiara?
wouldn't hurt.
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I did get the Martingale collar and leash– thanks so much for the suggestion, you guys!
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Martingales are now the ONLY thing I use, 1: because i feel secure walking Oakley with minimal risk of escaping and 2: because as a puppy with confinement issues (less with things like collars and clothing) this collar only confines against a negative reaction…I think it's a good choice for Ava...and Pamela , you may be the only one at the "playground" wondering what's wrong with your kid...it's not because you are alone but that the other moms were too afraid to take their kids outside!!!!
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Just adding my 2 cents.
I do everything natural with my B's.
Get online and go to 1800homeopathy.com
Order a homeopathic remedy called Ignatia amara
I give this to all pups to settle nerves before putting in a crate.
Or, older dogs that don't like crates.
A couple of doses should do the trick.
Keep a bottle on hand for all situation. Going to the vet,etc.
Only $9.95 for 500 pellets.
Don't touch the pellets, measure them out in the lid and put on a spoon
add a few drops of water. Give in the mouth every 15 minutes. For 2/3 dosesThen put in the crate.
Works like a charm and has for me for well over 36 years.
If it doesn't, let me know,you can get another remedy to add with it.
Just write back and I 'll help.Kathryn
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Thanks so much, Kathryn. I will check out the Ignatia amara. I haven't heard of it, but I've tried everything else and surely something will work on this pup. Actually, if it doesn't work for Ava, maybe it will work for me. My nerves are pretty frazzled, too.
