I need some advice...

Hey all.
I have just broken up with my spouse an dam in the process of finding my own place. I am going to be rooming w/ a g/f of mine in her house and she just LOVES Harley. The thing is, I am only going to have her part-time on weekends and some evenings. As this is not my friend's dog, I do not want to keep the responsibility of a dog on her shoulders when Harley is with me.
My question is....When I have Harley on weekends and I need to leave the house for a bit I would like to crate her. The problem is that she has never been crate trained. She has always had my basement for herself when she is home alone. Plus in a new environment, I don't want to scare her. Is it possible to crate train a 3yr. old dog and not have it disturb her in any way. This is really hard for me right now, and I feel so bad b/c this whole situation is just going to really disrupt her daily routine.

I am thinking of just bringing her to my new place a couple of times per week for a couple of hours to get her used to it before she spends any nights there.
Do you think this sounds like a good idea?

 

I do think it sounds like a very good idea. Let her play there and get to know the place. You also might want to start teaching her to accept the crate BEFORE you move, so she doesn't associate it with the new place.

You could start feeding her in the crate to start. Leave the door open so she can go in and out at will. When she is going into it easily, start using a command when she goes in - I use "kennel up." Then start closing the door. Close it for only a few seconds the first time, feed her treats through the bars and then let her out and praise her profusely. You can gradually increase the amount of time in the crate and work up to you being able to leave the room. You could also put something of yours, like an old t-shirt, in the crate if it is safe. If she will chew it up, you'd better not.

Where does she sleep at night? You could try having her sleep in the crate so that eventually she will consider it like a "den" to rest in. Nala was just a puppy when we crate trained her, but I put her crate right next to my bed and would dangle my fingers in it so she could sniff and lick me. I think it made her feel more secure.

If a crate isn't working, you could always try an ex-pen. You can get a roof/cover sort of thing for the top to discourage her from jumping out, or get a really tall one. I am always worried that if the dog hurls itself at the ex-pen, it could tip over, but I think the roof helps stabilize it.

Give her bones or a Kong or something that dispenses treats or something so she has something to do in the crate. Nala would never touch anything I left in her crate, but I think that was a sort of strange thing about her.

I'm very sorry to hear about your divorce. I hope it all works out for the better.

 

Thanks Jamiya. Those are great suggestions. I am sure everything will work out. There is still a great deal of respect between us, and we want to stay close b/c of the dog.

Take Care!

 

you can crate train.

I have been rescuing and adopting Min Pins for sometime. I have one that was 10 and very active. Never in a crate but by the 4th day she had no problems going in with a treat and chew toys. She is still crated daily and does fine. Along with 3 others with same situation all of which are over 3 years of age.

 

Duke was seven months old when we got him and he had never been crated. After eating a substantial part of the house the first three days we had him we got the crate. It only took a week for him to adapt. Lot's of postive reinforcement and treats did the trick.

 

Sorry to hear about the divorce, but, speaking from RECENT personal experience, sometimes the BEST things can come from it. Stay positive and hang tough.

Crate training at an older age works just fine, just may take about a week or so for the adjustment. I had advanced Sarge from the crate to leash training and teethering (with a proper length) him by the bed at night. Made me a nervous wreck at first, b/c I thought he would get tangled or choke, but he did great. I read alot about it prior to trying it. I think it's so great that you and your ex are working together for your baby!