Houndini!!!

[lucerogina]

Thanks guys! He is such a doll. The only issue we have is with the crate. He HATES it. The first one he just plain busted out of. He got Houdini on the metal one. Flipped it 180 degrees the first time, threaded a sweater through it that was no where close and moved it about 3 feet and chewed my rug. All this while in a metal crate! I took both back. I put up 2 three foot gates so maybe he wouldn't feel caged up when I leave for work. Somehow he moved the bottom of one and escaped that too! In addition to "tasting" my carpet. He's 2 so I am not sure if I should continue to attempt the crate/gate or if maybe he has a kennel phobia. Any ideas?http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/04/y4uva3ap.jpg


Loving my Elliott

[Lisa]

What an awesome photo of you two!! :love98:

I did post a bit about crates in your welcome thread. I will happily ramble on endlessly about the importance of crate training dachshunds, so if you do want more information, just speak up and I will elaborate.

[Rae]

Now Gina you stop lying on that sweet boy right now. Look at that face!!! He would NEVER!!! Lol. Good luck.

You gotta make the crate a happy place, or at least tolerable. It's not easy but you can do it!

[lucerogina]

Thanks Lisa. I wasn't sure if my reply to my initial welcome post would show to everyone so I started a new thread. We are definitely going to Petsmart tomorrow to get a kong and check out crates again. Any advice on a good one? The first one was plastic that my husband chose. Anything could have busted out of it but the second one was metal with double latches. I have no idea how he pulled it off. I wish I would have set up a camera!!http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/04/yvena4un.jpg


Loving my Elliott,
Gina

[lucerogina]

Lol!!! Thanks RAE!!


Loving my Elliott,
Gina

[lotsadox]

I would definitely got with a metal crate. I crate train mine by making the crate somewhere they like to go. Like Rae said, a happy place. Mine get treats to go in their crates. They get fed in their crates. They have snuggle safes in their so they are warm and comfy. They love their crates and will go in and take naps in them. If they are only put in there when you are going to leave, they associate the crate with your leaving and so aren't happy with it. I learned the hard way with the fosters to put the crate on a rubber backed rug in the middle of the room so they can't reach anything. With time an work, you can make the crate somewhere that Elliot loves to go.

[lucerogina]

Great advice on the rubber backed rug. Again I would have never thought about that! I am excited to give the crate another try now. I have been so scared of it because of what happened but I feel armed with knowledge now. I know we can do this and make Elliott comfortable. Here is the view from where I am sitting right now. :)

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/04/9e4apu8u.jpg


Loving my Elliott,
Gina

[SasatheRusty]

Congratulations. He is such a handsome pup. I think you received great advice already.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)

[lucerogina]

OMG! Thanks to all for sharing. I bought I a new crate today and a kong. I sat next to the crate and threw a beef liver treat in there. He promptly followed which I responded good boy Elliott!! Then I put the kong in there. I wouldn't let him out of the crate with the kong. Only without. Kong is going to be a crate toy. He figured it out lickety split and LAID DOWN IN THE CRATE!! He laid there for about 5 minutes wagging his tail and chewing the kong!! I am going to start feeding him in there and working with him a few times a day. I think we will be fine eventually!! Thanks again!!http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/05/a7uju4am.jpg


Loving my Elliott,
Gina

[SasatheRusty]

So happy for you!


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[lotsadox]

Good for you! I'm sure that Elliot will learn to love his crate.

[lucerogina]

Update! I stuck some dried beef liver (I think they should name it dachshund crack) in Elliott's kong. He has been in the crate 10 minutes on his own with it so far!!!


Loving my Elliott,
Gina

[lucerogina]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/06/vupyme5a.jpg


Loving my Elliott,
Gina

[Alex's Mom]

Awesome!!!:hug99::hug99:

[Rae]

Happy place! Great progress! I think having something special that's crate-only, whether it's stinky treats or a Kong or whatever, is key.
I don't recall if anyone has shared with you that you can make the Kong-y goodness last longer by filling it with peanut butter and putting it in the freezer.

[lucerogina]

Any advice on what kind of peanut butter or what to freeze it in?


Loving my Elliott,
Gina

[RustysMom]

Any kind of creamy peanut butter. Put broken up do treats in it too. You could also freeze yogurt and peanut butter in it. The possibilities is endless and of course only use safe foods for your dog. Some people have kong recipes, google it online.

[Rae]

I don't recommend the Kong stuffing they sell - loaded with sodium and preservatives. I use Jif low sodium, because that's what we eat :)

[lucerogina]

Yep. I agree. I looked at the ingredients for the kong stuffing and it looked nasty. He's been in and out of the crate today trying to get the dried beef liver out of the kong. He's been in for about 30 min right now. Is it too early to try to close it if I sit next to it?


Loving my Elliott,
Gina

[lucerogina]

Actually I just ordered some rescue remedy. Thinking I will wait until it gets here on Tuesday to try the crate door. What do you think?


Loving my Elliott,
Gina

[Alex's Mom]

I'd actually wait a few days (maybe the end of the week) before closing him in. You might try half closing the door in a couple of days, but not all the way and see how he does with it. If you take it slowly, you'll have a better chance of it working out ok. I know with my Jules, I fed her in there (for her own protection cuz James was such a food bully! :sosad: ) with the door closed, but kept a close eye on when she was done to reopen the door. It worked out to the point where eventually she didn't mind being crated at all! (And she was 9 when she came to me, and had never been crated.)

[lucerogina]

Thanks for the advice. I have been feeding him in there but not half closing the door. I will give it a try and see how he does. I'll update the site when I try closing the door this weekend.


Loving my Elliott,
Gina

[Ivan]

We have that same Kong crate, with the lifting doors that stay open. Very nice! Perfect for road trips too.

Our Buddy didn't like the crate, at first. Now he does. We always give both furkids a big honking hunk of beef jerky (our homemade dried beef, no spices) at crate-time. Every night they expectantly watch us for any clues of us going towards their crate at lights-out time. Same for going to work. They know. They patiently stare, wondering: izit yummy BEEF time, PLEEZ? You know: the lOOk. Then Buddy RUNS at high speed into his crate, waiting for his awesome treat, and then he happily sleeps inside there. Holly also goes in & out for a snooze in there during the evening, when it's just left open.

When left alone in an empty house Buddy figures he has to guard the whole place, and he goes overboard. The crate changes that. It also prevents Holly's EIPJ.

Good luck.

[lucerogina]

Thanks so much for all the advice! I half closed the door tonight with dinner and when he was done opened it up. It got stuck so I had to tug a bit but he just waited for me to let him out. Of course I got that door open pretty quick! I watched tonight when my husband left and he cried for about 20 min. Apparently he did the same when I left for work today. (Today is my first day away from him since bringing him home) my kids were home from school today so he wasn't alone but now I am wondering if the crate phobia is in addition to separation anxiety. Poor guy. I hope one day he learns that we are never going to leave him. :(


Loving my Elliott,
Gina

[lucerogina]

Update. I closed the crate tonight for the first time with Elliott's crate crack (kong with dried beef liver). He's been in there for 30 minutes with the door closed! He looked at me once then went back to the crack!!http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/14/y4uneza2.jpg


Loving my Elliott,
Gina

[Alex's Mom]

Excellent!! Now VERY slowly start to do this, while getting farther away from him until eventually you're not in the room (prepared, of course, to rush in and get him out if he starts to fuss). Then, once he's okay with that, leave him in there while you're out of sight (but not out of hearing) for longer times. The secret (as you've found out!!) is to do it in little teeny bites til he doesn't even notice any more.

Good for you for being so patient with him!!! :hug99:

[LexieLuvr]

You are doing it right, very slowly, and it sounds like you're doing a great job. Hang in there and keep us posted.

[lucerogina]

Update. Tonight I closed the crate again. When he was finished with his crate crack he politely scratched at the door to tell me he wanted out. :)


Loving my Elliott,
Gina

[lucerogina]

Update on my babe.

Wanted to give a huge thanks to Rae for the box treats idea! (We call it crate crack). Elliott has been in the box for an hour. Look at him go! Such a difference. I leave him and my boxer loose on the house when I am not at home. They both act like good kids. (This is new fort boxer. Guess she needed a weenie dog in her life!) I am just keeping with the crate in case something terrible happens with Elliott's back later down the line. (Thanks to all that suggested this). Knock on wood his long legs will prevent it.

Anyways just wanted to send big doxie hugs to the group for such a warm welcome and helping Elliott and I along the way. It surely would have been painful without each of you.


http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/08/ytypyhup.jpg


Loving my Elliott,
Gina

[lucerogina]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/08/a4u5edu7.jpg


Loving my Elliott,
Gina

[lotsadox]

Crate training is also good in case of disaster. If a tornado, hurricane or even just a bad storm is coming, you can keep them safe and confined. Also, if you have to go to a shelter, some take animals but they do have to be crated. My dogs regular crates are wire, but I have plastic travel crates that fit all of them just in case we would have to evacuate. :thumbup: