Ask the breeder how big the sire and dam are. That's a good idea. My first basenji, who was a champion, weighed nearly 26 pounds when she matured. My 2nd one would have been about that, but thanks to steroids, we did good to keep her at 30. My current rescue is a giant. We won't go there. I first dreamed of a SMALL dog, maybe 15 pounds tops after years of being a BIG DOG person (rottweilers and chows). I don't see that ever happening.
My new brindle bundle of joy…
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So, where is she sleeping at night?
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Stealth trend indeed!
Kaia has been fine in the crate. She had the other puppy on the ride home from Kentucky and apparently had no problems then. She's been fed in there since she got home and will go sit in there when she's hungry or thinks she should get food/treats.
Loki on the other hand hated anything restricting from day one. He was fed in there and I always kept the door open, throwing treats in when he wasn't looking so if he passed by and smelled it, he'd have to go in to find it. Really high value stuff was given only in the crate (ie raw bones). For a time, just to get him to stay in longer and be ok, while feeding I'd close the door and feed a small amount of kibble through the bars, that took quite some time but it helped him get used to being in there longer than he would have had he eaten from a bowl. I haven't had to deal with that degree of panic, so others will have to fill in there.
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I had a friend suggest this really pretty and unusual name to me last night– Kaya. Must be one of those stealth trends!
Still no name. I have backburnered it a bit, since I'm dealing with crate training issues. She panics in her crate and has explosive diarrhea the minute I leave her. It's been that way from the trip home. She had never been in a crate before and just went ballistic. So I spent the past week feeding her in the crate, giving her treats and playing with her in there with the door open, trying to erase the negative experience. She's fine with the door open and will go in to eat or get a treat. I can even shut the door for a minute, if I'm right there with her, though you can see her get anxious. Today I shut the door and walked into the other room. The panic started immediately and you wouldn't believe the mess! Any words of advice? TMartin, has Kaia been okay in the crate?
Call me, my phone number is on my website….
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So, where is she sleeping at night?
She sleeps in the bed with me. I get up and take her out around 4 or 5.
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Stealth trend indeed!
Kaia has been fine in the crate. She had the other puppy on the ride home from Kentucky and apparently had no problems then. She's been fed in there since she got home and will go sit in there when she's hungry or thinks she should get food/treats.
That's great… and so cute and clever that Kaia will sit in there to tell you to feed her or dispense treats! I'm glad she's doing so well.
My Spencer was like Loki-- he hated the crate, but he would tolerate it begrudgingly. He grumbled and sometimes wet in there, but no panic. Poor little sweetie-- she'll be going to the vet for her shots, so I'll have her checked out. But her tummy isn't upset any other time...
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So, names. How about "Vice Versa", call name "Viva"
Good luck with the crate issue. I have had two that won't tolerate crates, but the pups I raised were O.K. with them, although the crate stage never lasted long with us…..
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Congratulations! She is so adorable and I LOVE her markings!
(I haven't read much in this forum) Good luck on naming her! -
Hi, I have toagree with everyone else, sheis adorable. Our third rescue is a brindle boy,who we had to call Buddy, as he and Mr Baroo bonded instantly. As for a Z name I'm pretty sure you aren't old enough to remember an old Hollywood character actress, Zazu Pitts.
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Oakley had such a high degree of panic and sounds like your girl…unfortunately, the only thing that solved it for me was his trip to the hospital for xylitol poisoning. He spent three days there with anxiety meds and chewed through IV sets quicker than the vet could re-administer! When he finally got home he decided all by himself that being in his crate for a little while was way better than being alone without mom for three days. Blessed disguise that was for me! Positive associations, not rushing it and possibly trying an expen if the crate is too confining for her? Oakley had separation anxiety AND confinement anxiety...important to distinguish between them and plan accordingly
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Yes, she may be like Oakley. I think she is showing signs of both separation anxiety and confinement anxiety. Did Oakley have the diarrhea issue? Normally, she does not– only when left alone in the crate with the door shut.
She is going to meet the vet this week, but I can tell it's going to be a slow process. She got off to a bad start in the crate, so it has been back to square one to try and establish a positive association. Baby steps. Thank goodness the housetraining and clicker training are going well!
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Thanks for all the compliments and naming ideas, everyone! Poor little no-name puppy at last has a name. Her name is Ava. We've tried it on for size and it seems to fit.
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Very nice! Look forawrd to more photos of (Ta-da) Ava!
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Welcome Ava!!!! Is crate training going any better?
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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...
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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.
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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…..
