Concerned

We've had Zoe a couple months now when we got her the soonest obdeience cals didnt start till the end of Sept. (So were patiently waiting for class to start). She's always had a problem going in her cage at night or when we leave, so we've always had to scoot her along or pick her up and put her in her cage - I havent been able to find a way that she'll just go in there herself she has toys and sometimes she gets treats when she goes right in. But the last few days she's been growling at me when I try move her along and today she took a small snap towards me. I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas as to what I can do. This behavior can absolutley not go on. Especially with two kids in the house.
She'll be one is Novemeber and her previous owners did no sort of training with her. I've worked on some things with her (heel, sit).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

Has nobody replied to this thread yet? Odd- I'd think it would have been jumped on...

The whole situation sends red flags up all over the place for me: especially with children around. IMO sounds like either a serious flaw occurred in training (which you stated) or she has a temperament issue that needs to be addressed...like yesterday. My pits have paused for just a moment to give me the "mom do I have to?" look, but all I have to do is give a firm "Go on" and they're in. A dog balking at a simple command like that can't be tolerated even once, much less enabled by a constant battle with her. By engaging in this physical battle you are allowing her to disrespect you completely, and asking for trouble. Some other people might have a better approach, but here's an idea: Pick one command and stick to it to go into the crate. NEVER "scoot" her, it's kind of like begging while forcing, not exactly a solid training tactic. I use "In ya go", but that's not exactly textbook. Make her sit/stay in front of the crate with the door open. Praise praise praise when she obliges, but keep her in a sit/stay, facing the open crate. Toss a treat in the crate as you give the command to go in. Be consistent every time or it won't work.
Use your voice as a training tool, keep it steady and firm. Hollering won't work, neither will a wishy washy "Come on please go".

Who does she view as alpha in your home? How does she act around the children? What is your experience with APBT's? Is there a possibility the crate is too small for her? The snapping thing is way out of hand, if you don't get control back immediately you are an accident on the brink.


Anyone else got some suggestions for her?

 

It seems to me that maybe your dog does not see the kennels as a place for it to retreat too. Was your dog "pushed" into the kennel or was it introduced to it. Also, when your dog is in the kennel, is it left alone and not bothered? The reason I ask is because your dog might see that kennel as a place where it can't find rest. Still, it's no excuse for the dog to snap at you. I would re-crate train the dog and made to see the kennel as its one place where it can rest and escape from whatever it wants. Azul goes into his kennel when ever he gets tired of my daughter's yelling and her antics. I also taught my daughter not to bother Azul when he is in his kennel. He sees the kennel as his cave. Best of luck.

 

To get her in the crate, stand by it, and point to it and tell her to go inside. Have a treat handy. When your pup is put in the crate, the best thing to do is to put the crate in a closet, where she wont see movement, with the closet door open, and make sure that no one messes with her while she is in there. If she gets played with while in there, she will think it is a big joke, and start screaming-crying to be let out. I actually had to teach my pup to stay in one with us in the other room. It'll take a while, but she will get used to it. Make sure you put something of yours in there(blanket, old shirt) for security. She just might view it as a place of comfort...Best of luck to you!

 

NO, NO, NO.....the dog should not be viewing the kennel as a CAGE. It should view it as his "house". This is one of the issues I perceive from your text. Another possible issue is the lack of trust between dog and new owners. You say the dog is less than a year. Yet, it has been in two different homes.

How much contact does she have with your family?

Do you do any bonding with her? If so, what sort?

How comfortable does she seem walking around the house? Does she stay in one place or does she investigate/travel around the house?

How long has she had this kennel?

Can she move around in it or is it too small for a growing pup? I would hope that the pup can move around in there rather than just stay in one position.

Do you have clean blankets in her kennel or is it bare? I would hope you make it as cushioned as possible.

While I do not have all the information I will give you some suggestions that are very helpful in both bonding and getting her more comfortable with her kennel (hoping is big enough though).

First thing, always leave her kennel accessible and door open. If your family is in the living room watching TV, then have the kennel in there with you. Again, the kennel must be clean and comfortable. She may not seek to lay inside the kennel at first. If so, move her cushion/blankets out of her kennel and leave them outside near the kennel. She will identify her smell (on the blankets) and lay on her blankets because it is not in her kennel(which up to this point has been a bad experience).

Once she seems comfortable laying on her blankets and does not "think" about it (this may take days), you are ready for the next step. Remember that the kennel must be open and near her blanket (as close as side by side) while working on the previous step.

Next step is to move her blankets/cushions into her kennel (while she is not looking). If it is simple, the dog will follow her smell into her kennel (which up to this point has been right there beside her). More likely though, she may be hesitant to go in at first. That is OK. DO NOT force her into it. Forcing (pushing) a dog into anything will trigger their defensive instinct. Heck, dogs do not know what is going on but someone forcing very likely seems as something bad. If she is hesitant, let her be. She needs to review the situation before getting the feeling it is ok to go in. In other words, that it is not a trap. If she does go in, DO NOT close her kennel. I repeat, DO NOT close her kennel. She must gain confidence that her kennel is not a trap nor that she is being castigated. Your aim is to make her feel like her kennel is her place to relax. This should be the place she wants to go to take a nap. This is why I suggest you do not keep her door closed throughout the day. If she wants to go in for a day nap, she should be able to do so. It is her "house". There are many other things you can do but will leave it at that for the meantime.

Now I understand the canine personality varies depending on the dog. A portion of the above may be sufficient to resolve your issue or further aid may be necessary. Just remember that her grunting may just be her way of expressing fear of the situation and snapping may be her way of "defending herself". Obviously, this is no no behavior for ANY dog. Yet, this is a totally different issue and needs to be address separately. For this, you must condition her appropriately. I will not go into it in this post as I have written a book already...lol

If this does not work or if you need further help. Please post and once I see it, I will repost in this thread. I just don't want to bombard you with information.

Keep us posted.

Regards,


RH

 

Great great post RH! I didn't realize how dry my post sounded until I placed it next to yours. I can't believe I left out the most important thing: the crate is supposed to act as your dog's special comfy retreat, not a barren cell or "cage", like RH said.

My biggest concern is still how this dog is fitting into your family and the wrong signals you may be sending her without realizing it. It sounds like a potentially sad situation for this dog if you are not able to get things running smoothly-soon.