Creative Crate Training

Although the unseasonably warm weather in Colorado continues, with shorter days come shorter after-work dog walks and I'm left with two dogs who need more activity in the evening. There are a variety of indoor games you can play with your dogs, even better if they have a practical application.

The Power of Association for a Sensitive Dog

Despite looking rather forlorn in the above picture, Ruby very much chose to curl up in here and has been doing so more and more frequently of late, after having no interest in her kennel for over a year. Boca has always liked to nap in hers in the evenings, and now I'm finding myself with no sofa snuggle buddies! I believe Ruby's new fondness for her kennel has much to do with just a few training sessions in the last month.

Since Ruby barks at animals on TV, I have started asking her to "go to your den" when I foresee an extended dog or pony show, and feeding her yummy treats quite steadily while she is there. Her kennel is situated between two sofas, so although it faces the TV her view is mostly obscured. This has led both to more peaceful evenings when The Amazing Race contestants are racing through a polo field during a match as well as developing the positive association for her kennel - a place to relax and receive a steady stream of snacks.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Ruby has formed a mysterious negative association recently. I have laminate floors throughout my house, and in my bedroom this presented a problem for the dogs, since they had no purchase for their leap up on to the bed. This was solved by a lovely framed dog bed which I placed between the head of the bed and the wall. It's essentially a launch pad for the dogs and a deluxe king-sized bed for the cat, although Boca occasionally sleeps in it as well. Sometime in the last month, Ruby became hesitant to use the dog bed to reach the human bed.

I have no idea what happened - perhaps the cat told her off or she hurt herself in the process, but the important thing to note is that one bad experience changed a habit that was established for over a year. For a sensitive dog like Ruby (I call her my delicate flower), a seemingly insignificant event can have serious repercussions. I've noticed that the time of day seems to make a difference - she is less worried about jumping up in the mornings than in the evenings. Currently I'm working on recreating the positive associations by coaxing her to the launch pad using a series of "touch" cues and treats. It does seem to be helping but sometimes I go ahead and lift her up, since I feel this will build her tolerance for being picked up and she even readies herself now when I say "want a boost?" giving her the power of choice.

Ruby was my inspiration for learning more about positive training methods, dog body language and behavior. She continues to teach me the importance of patience and flexibility when working with a sensitive dog, and proving just how damaging negative associations can be, even if they are unintentional. This solidifies my commitment to reward-based training as I can't imagine deliberately causing pain or fear in a dog whose security is so easily shaken. Between Boca's Fourth of July bed boycott, due to associating the scary booms of fireworks with being in the bedroom and Ruby's new quirk, I have never worked so hard to get my dogs to sleep in bed with me!

Boca Rocks a Thundershirt and Ruby Rolls in Her Travel Crate

Ready to rock thunderstorms and silly human holidays.

The Fourth of July was rough for us. I live just five minutes from the light rail station, and its large, empty parking lot is the ideal place for people to set off (illegal) fireworks. When we walk over there, the asphalt is littered with the remnants of things that go bang in the night. This has been going on since about the first of July, and even last night we heard some more pops and crackles. It's getting old. Ruby isn't as bothered by them, and in fact her thunderstorm phobia has been improving as well, but Boca is terrified of fireworks. I'm not sure if she has bad memories of them from her life on the street (I recently watched a video in which a camera is attached to a street dog in Mumbai, and children chase the dog with firecrackers) or just thinks the end of the world is coming, but she has grown increasingly worse and developed some unfortunate associations. Since some of the loudest explosions happened just after we went to bed several nights in a row, even after trying to stay up late watching loud TV, Boca is now afraid to sleep on the bed when the window is open (which is a necessity when you don't have AC on a 90 degree day).

Now that the fireworks should be winding down (except for a local display scheduled for the 25th celebrating the city's anniversary when we plan to skip town), I decided to purchase a Thundershirt for Boca, and I sure wish I had done so sooner. We were able to try it out on Thursday night when I arrived home from dinner with a friend in an impressive lightening storm, complete with sub-woofer thunder. There was a noticeable change in Boca as soon as she was swaddled in her pink polo. Rather than quaking and panting, she simply curled up in the bathroom with the fan running and seemed almost comfortable. She was able to fall asleep next to the bedroom door within minutes of going upstairs to bed. Last night I put it on again after we heard those firecrackers, and she curled up next to me on the sofa instead of hiding in corners. She even seemed to recognize that it helped her, because as soon as she saw me unfold it and say "Do you want your shirt?" she came over to be wrapped up. Ruby has a Thundershirt, too, but the difference it makes for Boca is much more dramatic. I am so glad to have it on hand now.

Ready to roll in calm, quiet style.

Boca wasn't the only one to try out something new this weekend. For a while now I've been looking at travel crates for Ruby. Her reactivity in the car is stressful for everyone, and not exactly safe if she sees a bike, motorcycle or dog before I can steel myself for her shrill and frantic barking. Counter-conditioning while driving isn't an option. Early on, I did transport Ruby in her crate, but she would get carsick and throw up every time. I related this to riding in a crate, but I now think that it was carsickness in general which she has outgrown. With an upcoming trip to the vet during rush hour for her annual wellness check, I decided it was time to implement a more peaceful commute. I ended up choosing this crate because it was inexpensive, I liked the size options and it had good reviews. It's lightweight, a cinch to assemble, and has adorable bone-shaped mesh windows. It has zip doors on the top and the front. I would not consider this crate for daily, unsupervised use, but for car travel I think it's perfect.

After setting it up with a comfy crate mat, I coaxed Ruby in with yellow cheese and set it up in the car. I can't tell you how wonderful it was not to hold my breath whenever I saw something Ruby would react to, or dread hitting a red light at an intersection where cyclists waited at the crosswalk. Ruby was a little nervous in the crate, but nothing like the overstimulated state she is in if we have the misfortune of being passed by a Harley tour or a dog barking in the back of a truck. Talk about a game-changer! I'll be much more apt to take Ruby more places now that the getting there isn't such an ordeal. It was poor planning to make her first trip in her travel den one to the vet, but she did great at her appointment and even did some of her tricks for the vet. Yesterday I improved the association by taking The Ginger Sisters to my barn for a hike on the property, and by the time I snapped the above photo she was loading up happily on her own. Another win for management of the reactive dog!

Have you ever had a dog product change your life?

Simple Tips for Training Multiple Dogs

I have to admit that I did a lot more training when I only had Ruby. She excelled at trick training and quickly developed an impressive repertoire. Boca was able to attend a basic obedience class and did wonderfully, but we haven't gotten very far beyond that. Training more than one dog can be tricky and it can be hard to find the time to work with each dog individually. Here are some things I have learned that can make it easier and keep it fun. 

Keep It Simple 

When working with multiple animals it's important to remember that they can be a distraction to one another, and you may not be able to work on complex behaviors. A dog may find it more difficult to do some things in the company of another; for instance, Boca is overexcited when there is food involved and can tend to leap around and make Ruby nervous, so Ruby won't necessarily do some of her behaviors that put her in a vulnerable position, such as rolling over or "relax." I know I have to ask for simpler things such as "sit," "down" and "paw." I increase the challenge by asking for these behaviors from both dogs in unison, and the results can be pretty amusing. 

Get Creative

Training two dogs can open up some delightful possibilities if you draw on each dog's strengths. Ruby loves to jump over things. Boca loves to sprawl out on the floor. Naturally, I've taught Ruby to jump over Boca! Our friend Lauren taught her adorable lookalike girls to "kiss" and it's just about the cutest thing ever.  Dai Aoki of Positive Dog Care Sydney does some incredible stunts with his two border collies, Holly and Ace.

Utilize Mat or Crate Training

When you want to focus on one dog, it can be tough if the other is vying for attention, barking or whining. I'm so glad that Ruby has a great mat work foundation as it is the perfect solution for short training sessions when I have both dogs in the same room. I can place Ruby on her mat and work with Boca, or ask Boca to go to her kennel while I work with Ruby. I haven't done any mat training or the Relaxation Protocol with Boca, but sometimes we play our own variation on "crate games" where I will take turns sending them to their kennels and release them separately.  This is a great way to practice impulse control. 

Consider the Individual

What works for one dog may not work for another, and even if you are working with more than one dog at a time, you may have to fine-tune your training for each. They may require different kinds or rates of reinforcement, different lengths or intensities of sessions. Ruby is easily frustrated and Boca can be too food motivated so I have to take these things into account and adjust for them.

Remember that every interaction we have with our animals is teaching them something, and even if one dog is waiting its turn for formal training, it is learning! Ruby and Boca have taught me so much about positive reinforcement, often picking up on things so much faster than I expect. Training multiple pets comes with its own challenges, but I think the rewards far outweigh them. 

This post is part of the Positive Pet Training Blog Hop hosted by Cascadian Nomads, Tenacious Little Terrier and Rubicon Days - join us on the first Monday of every month to promote positive pet training and share advice and experiences. The hop is open all week long! The next hop begins July 6th.

When Crate Training Comes In Handy

 

 Even if they aren't used regularly, crates are a good tool if your dog is unpredictable, anxious or fearful around strangers and you suddenly need to let those strangers into your house. 

Both of my dogs spent a fair amount of time crated when I first adopted them (or in Boca's case, when I took her on as a foster dog). I don't believe dogs should be crated more than five hours at a time on a regular basis, but when introducing a puppy or new dog into a household, it is a temporary way to slowly introduce them to more freedom. Ruby quickly proved that she could be trusted home alone (I keep her in the gated kitchen/dining room so my senior cat can have the run of the rest of the house), and we pretty much abandoned the crate after the first few months. Ruby doesn't love her crate and never goes in it on her own if the door is left open.

Boca, on the other hand, seems to like her crate enough to sleep in it voluntarily sometimes, take comfort there during thunderstorms, and it's where I prefer her to go when I feed high-value, long-lasting chew treats like bully sticks, so that there are no quarrels between sisters. While she can also be trusted free in the house, I have continued to crate Boca in the mornings during the week, and she spends afternoons in the kitchen with Ruby. This arrangement works well and I think it gives them some quiet time apart from each other.

Recently I was reminded of a good reason to keep up with their crate training when I had to have some HVAC service people in the house. Despite her reactivity, Ruby has thus far been good about strangers coming to the house, but they have always been people I know and maybe that made a difference for her. She did not like the first repairman and I quickly realized she would need to be crated while he was there. Boca is fearful of strange men, particularly if they are wearing hats, sunglasses, or carrying things. I got them both safely secured, and although Ruby did a lot of whining, she did eventually settle down and chew a bully stick. We had to repeat the whole routine the following day to get another estimate.

The bad news is: I need a new furnace. Two installers will be at my house all day on Friday. I don't plan on crating the ginger sisters the entire time; in fact, it will be a perfect opportunity for me to work upstairs in my spare room and they can hang out there with me. Still, the whole experience prompted me to brush up on Ruby's crate skills, since I had to catch her and physically put her in the crate last week. She had obviously forgotten what 'go to your den' meant, and I saw it as a training opportunity.

Last night with the aid of the clicker and handfuls of smelly Only Natural Pet treats, I worked with both girls on their crate cue as well as waiting for release and staying with the crate door open. By the end of our session, Ruby and Boca were running excitedly to their dens. Ruby was laying down inside and waiting for the 'okay' before coming out. Hopefully this will make things easier the next time we need to unexpectedly utilize their crates.

Monday Musings: Crate Expectations

This post is the first in an irregular series in which I will share some of the canine conundrums I am struggling with or wondering about, and invite your responses and opinions.  Down the road, maybe readers can even submit their own questions to include in future installments!

Today's pondering revolves around Ruby's kennel.  Of course kennels themselves invite The Great Crate Debate and in my own experience I have encountered those who use them religiously and those who believe them to be horrible dog-jails, and everything in between.  I admit to being in the latter camp for some time.  We never had them growing up, and my first dogs of my own, Freya and Lasya, never spent any time in crates - I never saw the need.  Enter my first foster dog, Bjorn.  Bjorn was a very sweet, very destructive young male elkhound who I dubbed Bjorngenstern the Destroyer. During his months with me he mauled the telephone and remote, shredded throw pillows and comforters and tore curtains down with their rods.  To preserve my sanity and furnishings, I borrowed an extremely large crate from a friend, where Bjorn stayed when I wasn't home to supervise him.  I also utilized a crate for my next foster dog, a little black stray Chihuahua named Vlad, mainly to make sure that he was kept safe from my much bigger dogs.

When I adopted Ruby at nine months of age, I had no idea what to expect in regard to her house-training and manners.  She came from out-of-state with no background information, and lived in a foster home for one week before I brought her home.  Although it became readily apparent that she was not house-trained at all, she picked it up remarkably quickly and began asking to go outside.  She was accident-free within one week.  I still didn't know what she may or may not get into when left to her own devices, and wanted to err on the side of caution and set her up for success by not leaving her in larger areas of the house for long periods of time unsupervised until I could work up to it gradually.  She had slept in a crate at her foster home, and I began experimenting with leaving her in it for a few hours at a time.  She immediately curled up and did not make a peep once inside, but she did not enjoy going in the crate and still does not go in of her own accord when I am home like some dogs will.  Being a bright girl she wised up to the treat-tossing method after a couple days. Because I was still getting to know her, and needed a safe place for her to be while I was at work, I skipped some steps in the process and a few times had to actually catch her and coax her in to the crate.  Loving chase as she does, she thought it was a fun game to lead me merrily around the house when she knew it was time for me to leave.  At some point, though, something clicked, and after leaving her leash on a few times after her morning walk and leading her over while saying "go to your den," then rewarding her with a hunk of bison jerky, I decided one morning to unhook her leash and say "go to your den." She happily trotted from the kitchen to the living room where her kennel is nestled between the sofa and bookcase and sat down awaiting her jerky, and continued to do so from that day forward.

Even though she adjusted well to the crate, I knew I did not want her to have to stay in it for an entire work day, even with her mid-day break with me or the dog-walker, but I needed a way to keep her away from the windows where she could practice barking at dogs and people, and also a way to insure that my elderly kitty could retain at least part of the house as her puppy-free sanctuary.  I know that Jack Russel Terriers are built on springs, so I bought an extra-tall dog gate which I installed between my living room and kitchen.  I started leaving her for incrementally longer periods in the kitchen area, where she could see out to the privacy-fenced patio and relax in her over-sized dog bed which used to belong to my elkhound, Freya.  Ruby knows when she sees me with my purse that I'll be gone for a while, but I assure her that I'll always come back.  I tell her "Bye sweetheart, I'll see you later," and leave her with stuffed Kongs and her own CD's playing.  Her weekday routine now is mornings in her crate, a walk or visit (due to her reactivity I no longer have others walk her) around lunchtime and afternoons in the kitchen.  She seems very comfortable in "her room" - I often find her curled up in her bed by the back door even when I'm home, and has started returning there in the mornings after she eats breakfast while I am getting ready for work, which brings me to the musing part of this Monday.  My question is this: do I need to continue using the crate?

The simple answer is "no."  Ruby has proven herself reliably house-trained and despite her high energy and penchant for stealing socks and turning them to Swiss cheese, she is not at all destructive when left on her own.  I've even tested her by leaving old shoes within her reach.  Nothing has ever been out of place - she prefers an audience for her antics and interpretive art.  She seems content in the kitchen and chooses to spend her time there even when I am around, something I can't say for the crate.  My main hesitation in eliminating the crate from her mornings is just that: I don't want to lose it as part of her routine.  I now know how valuable the crate can be as a tool for travel, injury, or introducing new pets.  I want her to maintain a comfort level with spending time in her kennel, but I admit to feeling guilty about confining her there when she doesn't really need to be.   I'm considering only having her "go to her den" twice a week or so, on the days that the dog visiting service comes.

What do the rest of you think? What is your routine with your dog when you are away from the house? Do you think that mixing up Ruby's routine will keep the crate in our toolbox while allowing her the freedom in the house that she's earned, or that we could skip it entirely and pack it away unless it is needed in the future?

Crashed in her big bed after a bath