My new brindle bundle of joy…

[ownedbyspencer]

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?"

[agilebasenji]

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.

[agilebasenji]

did you get the pink thundershirt? i paid extra and got the pink thundershirt. soooo worth the extra $ for the princess.

[AndrewnShango]

BEAUTIFUL little girl! What about Hazel?

[ownedbyspencer]

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?

[agilebasenji]

@ownedbyspencer:

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.

[ownedbyspencer]

I did get the Martingale collar and leash– thanks so much for the suggestion, you guys!

[Chealsie508]

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!!!!

[Rocky1]

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 doses

Then 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

[ownedbyspencer]

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.

[ownedbyspencer]

@Chealsie508:

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!!!!

Did you have any trouble getting Oakley to accept a collar, Chealsie? With his crate issues, did he balk at walking on a leash? I know that both can feel confining to an anxious dog… but maybe Oakley's issue was more SA? Ava has both, but the confinement seems worse than the SA. When you combine the two...

[eeeefarm]

@ownedbyspencer:

Actually, if it doesn't work for Ava, maybe it will work for me. My nerves are pretty frazzled, too.

I am really sorry to read this. So sad to have these ongoing issues, especially in your circumstances. I had a thought. If you are distressed, of course she will feel it and likely misinterpret it. Could add to your problems. With anxious animals, the more matter of fact you can be the better. Easier said than done, I know! Try to be as cheery as possible, especially when she is being difficult. And don't make the mistake of spending too much time trying to reassure and comfort her…...usually backfires, then they think there really is something to be worried about! I know you are an experienced Basenji owner and that I am perhaps pointing out the obvious, but I also know I often can't see the forest for the trees. Hang in there. This too shall pass!

[ownedbyspencer]

Unfortunately, I realize that I could be becoming part of the problem. I'm trying to remain calm and positive, and I hope I do an okay job of pretending… but I know dogs are sensitive. And I am distraught.

I am an experienced B owner, and I love the breed, but I have never seen a dog like Ava. She isn't improving at all; in fact, she's regressing in some distressing ways. I thought maybe she had abandoned her housetraining because of a UTI, but I had a urinalysis done and that's not the case. She went ballistic and soiled the crate at the vet's office, so it isn't just at home with me. My vet wants to refer us to an animal behaviorist at UT-- maybe even a neurologist-- and a highly recommended trainer spent an hour with us and told me that Ava needed more help than she could provide. So this probably isn't going to work itself out in a few weeks, like I had hoped.

[eeeefarm]

O.K. one other thought. How is she with other dogs? Would she still freak with another, calm, older dog confined with her? Any idea? Can you borrow one? Perhaps there is a foster out there that would serve to calm her while she (hopefully) outgrows this phase, or matures enough that she can be trusted uncrated…..

[agilebasenji]

Have you contacted your breeder?

[Chealsie508]

Pamela,
Oakley resisted his collar (we've had martingales from day 1) but other than typical scratching and being annoyed at having the collar on, it didn't bother him until I clipped it to his leash and corrected his movement, he would buck the leash when I applied pressure)…however, the leash and collar were not "confinement triggers" as I call them. His triggers involve physical barriers rather than restricted motion...him and I have just started to mesh more on leash, but to my dismay he will never be the running partner I hoped. It would be awesome if you lived closer to your breeder, I would almost ask that if they were you gave Ava to them for a period of time to "reset" her clock if you will...a different plae,person (like your breeder) is great for resolving repetitive issues that don't get better over time within the home. If it gets to be that desperate then perhaps it's a consideration. I really did go through what you are going through with Ava...unfortunately, I decided to deal with it and hope it got better with time ( not the right thing I know, I just felt that I had no other choice but to just live through it)...and lucky for me the hospital visit was three days and they have him continuous anxiety medication with a slight sedative...and although he chewed through quite a few IV sets...he came home cured. There's no other word for it except CURED

[ownedbyspencer]

I have thought about a second dog, and perhaps that would help, though having other dogs around at the vet's didn't have an effect. I left her there for almost a day to see if they could calm her down. She actually upset the other dogs. And she held her urine for more than six hours… when she goes at least once an hour on the carpet at home! She had diarrhea in the crate right away... and then again throughout the day.

The breeder says that some dogs are a bit slower than others and some owners think they will never survive it. He suggested that I contact a recommended trainer. I did that, and now I will contact another trainer or a behaviorist and get a second opinion, since my vet has ruled out medical causes. My vet thinks Ava is too young for meds, though another half a day screaming at the vet's office might change her mind PDQ.

[eeeefarm]

@ownedbyspencer:

My vet thinks Ava is too young for meds, though another half a day screaming at the vet's office might change her mind PDQ.

How old is Ava? And how old was she when you brought her home? Fear period??

[ownedbyspencer]

Chealsie– Ava sounds so much like Oakley, and you give me hope that, with time and love, she might get past this. Our Martingale s/b here any day now, so perhaps that will help with the walking. I've taken the other collars off her for now, since those are stressors that I can remove.

Spencer wasn't the running buddy I had hoped, either. We enjoyed our walks, but he never really heeled well and those jogs on the beach that I imagined never came to pass. Spencer did go to puppy boot camp-- though he was pretty well trained before going there-- so I might do that for Ava, if she will settle down. I wouldn't want to do more harm than good. Though in your case, separation was a good thing-- actually, the thing that finally broke through.

[ownedbyspencer]

@eeeefarm:

How old is Ava? And how old was she when you brought her home? Fear period??

Ava is 16 weeks. I brought her home at 12 weeks. Isn't the fear period from 8-12 wks? With a second one at 5 or 6 months? I may be completely wrong on that.

She exhibited this crate phobia immediately in the car. She panicked and had diarrhea right after we pulled out of the breeder's driveway. In hindsight, perhaps I should have turned around so we could try and calm her there, but we thought she would settle down in the car. She screamed all the way home and still does it. So it was a bad experience for her, but she doesn't seem to mind the crate at all until the door closes. The little girl has a great set of lungs, I'll give her that.