She Is 2 Years Old
She Was Also…
My dog is a American bull dog sharpei mix
She is 2 years old
She was also a rescue so she has never been in a crate before
Comments
I have a female pit bull terrier (spayed) that is 10 months old. Pearl generally has a great disposition and gets along well with everyone including other dogs. The “problem” is that she is showing less and less interest in her dog food when first provided to her. And it’s the meaty stuff (Alpo cans)! I’m not too worried because she usually eats it eventually but she often will wait hours. Yes, Pearl is spoiled with treats and bits of human food but it seems so odd that she would rather eat whatever we might be having (e.g. a french fry) than this wet, meaty food. She weighs about 55 pounds and gets one 13 oz can in the morning and one in the evening. She also has a constant supply of dry food in a dish but she just picks at that upon occasion. She has a regular place to eat near where we eat and spend most of our time and her Alpo is given to her each time on a new (clean) dinner plate. We have one cat that ends up eating some of the food and Pearl doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, Pearl seems to be more interested in trying to eat the cat’s plain dry food than her own. In short, she seems to like eating most anything except her own dog food. Thoughts?
Hi there,
The best thing is to never ‘force’ your dog into the crate.
The crate should be a safe haven for the dog, somewhere where they are never bothered and hopefully feel most comfortable to sleep in. Is it big enough or her to stand up in? If so try putting her water and food in there. Play with the ball and keep throwing it into the crate to get her used to the idea that every time she goes in it she isn’t going to be locked in and left alone. Especially with a rescue the crate should be build up slowly.
Once she starts feeling more comfortable going ion and out of the crate for meals, the ball and treats (and she clicks on that you won’t lock her in it every time she steps foot in) start putting her in, giving her a treat, closing the door and going upstairs/out of the room. Most dogs are worse when they can hear you around the house so it will take time. Try leaving her for 2 minutes, however if she is starts crying or whining do not go to her, just wait it out. Have you tried putting a blanket over it? Even my dog who has been crate trained since a puppy feels bit more uncomfortable if he doesn’t have a blanket covering 3/4 sides.
To me it sounds like this dog suffers from separation anxiety, this can be managed but you will have to remember that she may never really adjust to being left alone for long periods. A drastic measure may be to consider getting another dog if she enjoys their company? Some dogs with separation anxiety can quickly turn very destructive and this can be dangerous for them if they chew through a wire or choke on something. However it may not be this at all and she may just get over excited that she has escaped the evil crate!
What type of crate have you got? Most dogs can escape a material crate as if they paw at it long enough the zip will start to move, try investing in a sturdy metal crate with several bolds to keep it shut.
Another thing to consider is that your rescue dog may need some time to adjust to your home. I have taken on dogs that have taken 2 years and some that have taken 2 weeks.
Best of luck!
Clara
Sorry meant my reply as an answer not a comment.
Thanks a lot we have tried putting food and water in her crate and even putting her toy in there, we have a sturdy metal crate but she uses brutal force to brake it we have tried zip ties and she just brakes those too, but at night when we put her in there she is fine because she knows that we are here and that she is not alone.