Brisbane and the Window

In the front room of my house there is a 4' wide, 3' tall plate glass window. Below that window sits the couch, where the dogs spend a good chunk of their day lounging. The back of the couch is the perfect place for Ru and the cats to catch the late afternoon sun's rays. My house is perpetually decorated for Halloween, and this includes bat decals on the windows. I've always loved those bat stickers, and now I have one more reason to appreciate them.

Photo by Erin Koski

About three weeks ago, I arrived home from work to find a trail of bloody pawprints leading to the window. The glass was cracked all the way across in multiple places, and was hanging in the frame. The only thing holding it together was my beloved bat stickers, which had prevented Brisbane from going through the window and seriously injuring himself. Instead, he had some sort of minor injury that I never located. By the time I got home for work, the bleeding had stopped and I could only find a tiny scrape on one of his feet.

My immediate response to this event was to begin crating Brisbane whenever he was unattended, crating him when the mailman or delivery people were most likely to send him into a barking frenzy, and moving the couch a couple of feet away from the wall so he could not leap full-force against the glass. I also had the pane replaced as quickly as possible, $200 later we have thicker glass and no more bats. Since I was already crating and rotating Brisbane and Ulysses, this wasn't a huge change in our daily routine.

Photo by Erin Kosk

While discussing the whole situation with various behavior and training enthusiasts, someone brought up the possibility of putting him on medication. Brisbane and I walked half a block to his vet and jotted down a quick note asking about a prescription for something like Prozac. A few minutes after we left, Dr. Rugg called back to say that she had already written him a prescription.

Three weeks after starting the medication, Brisbane no longer loses his mind at the mere sight of the United States Postal Service logo. Now he actually has to be on the same block and within a few houses of the actual mail carrier before he reacts. Briz can actually settle and relax around other dogs, he takes naps when I take him to daycare with me instead of screaming all day. While he still barks at the occasional skateboarder, he doesn't turn into a raving psychodog and flood his system with stress hormones. It feels like nine years of training has suddenly clicked into place, and all of the ways I've taught him to manage stress suddenly make sense for him.

The effect has been rather dramatic, and has certainly taken some getting used to. Brisbane has always been a clever problem-solver, but he no longer gets frustrated to the point of screambarking when he can't immediately figure out what I want. Shortly before the Prozac and the window incident, Brisbane also began limping intermittently, and with the lack of hysterics it feels almost like he has aged suddenly. We'll get to the bottom of the lameness so we can go back to Brisbane's normal wild activities soon.

Cheapass Dog Fun: A Quieter Crate Tray Replacement

Our local thrift shops provide me with a perpetual treasure hunt, and several of them even have specific sections for pet stuff. I recently purchased a 36" wire crate minus its tray for $10. I have three different 36" crates, and at least two of them are usually set up in the house. When I wanted to use the third crate, I just slid the tray out of one of the others and brought it along with me.

When I began crating and rotating Brisbane and Ulysses, I found I needed all three crates. With

only two dogs to crate, I could still pull the tray out and stick it in whichever I needed at the moment, but this was highly inefficient and just plain obnoxious. Replacement crate pans were $30 or more, and new crates around $45 at Ross. While hunting on the internet for a less expensive DIY option, I found people suggesting plywood, cardboard, and finally horse stall mats. 

At my local hardware store, I found 24" foam floor squares. These link together, are thin enough to cut, and provide cushioning and shock absorption. They are, however, fairly thin. When I put a single square in the pan-less crate and then leaned my bony forearms on it, I could easily feel the wire crate bottom. It took three layers of foam before I could rest comfortably without feeling the bars under the foam. Yes, this did involve crawling halfway into the crate and planking on my forearms. It was worth it.

The nice thing about these interlocking foam tiles is that they are easy to cut. The width was perfect for my 36" crates, but the 24" tiles were obviously too short. A second tile, cut in half, fit perfectly. The tiles interlock nicely so I don't have to worry about them gapping, and since I have multiple layers of tile in there the seams don't have to line up. 

The tiles fit ok with just a little bending of the wavy puzzle edges, but they fit my crates much better without the wiggly bits. Note: When cutting off the wiggly bits, be sure to leave one edge intact if connecting multiple tiles! My tiles each came with a couple of thin edge pieces for making the tile a square with no wiggly bits. I put a couple of these under the plastic trays in my other two crates to keep the pans from rattling against the bottom. Brisbane doesn't like rattly crate trays, and I don't like hearing every time a dog moves during the night.

I could see this being a viable solution for any size crate, though my dogs are all under 50 pounds. The seams connecting the mats might be more prone to gapping with a heavier dog. I bought a pack of six tiles for $20 and used 4.5 of them to make a new crate floor. It wasn't a whole lot less than the $30 plastic replacement trays, but I like it a lot better. It's silent when the dogs move, and I imagine it's a lot more comfortable for them too.

The obvious downside is that these aren't quite as easy to clean as a plastic tray. When Ulysses tipped over a bucket of water in the crate, I had to pull out all three layers and lay them out to dry separately. On the the other hand, these aren't prone to warping like a big ol' sheet of plastic. They're lighter than plywood, too.

Another obvious drawback is that these would be way more fun to chew than plastic. None of my dogs is destructive, they don't demolish toys or gnaw the furniture. 

If my dogs liked to chew things for fun, I would be replacing my crate tray with a store-bought plastic or metal crate pan, or looking for an appropriately-sized metal oil pan. Fortunately, my guys are content lounging in their crates instead of eating them.

The foam crate floor has only been in service for a couple of weeks, but I already like it better than the plastic pans because it is quiet. I'm willing to bet it is more comfortable, too. While it's not a solution for every dog, shock-absorbing or anti-fatigue mats have got to be more comfortable than plastic for bony elbows and elderly joints. Have I mentioned that it's quiet? The foam crate floor is currently in one of our bedroom crates, and I no longer wake to the sounds of dogs getting more comfortable at 2am. I even used my last tile and a half to pad the existing tray in the other crate.

Crate and Rotate

I am currently managing the issues between Brisbane and Ulysses, but for the first couple of weeks after I got bit, I had them on a crate and rotate routine.

What is "Crate and Rotate"?

Crate and Rotate is a management technique for keeping two dogs in the same house separated. It is most useful for preventing fights between dogs. 

How does it work?

The idea is that the two dogs are never unrestrained in the same space at the same time. When one dog is a liberty in the house, the other is contained in a crate or xpen, behind a door or baby gate in another room, or outside. The dogs take turns being loose in the house and being contained. At my house I generally had either Brisbane or Ulysses in the crate in my living room. I also have two crates in the bedroom, a baby gate across the doorway of my office, a bathroom, and a fenced front yard in which to stash dogs.

What are the benefits?

Crate and rotate allowed me to keep both Brisbane and Ulysses in my house without giving them the opportunity to fight. After Ulysses bit me, I initially felt that I could not keep him in my house because I could not prevent him from fighting with Brisbane. Our options were to find him another foster home (always in short supply) or euthanize him. While I discussed the issue with my rescue peeps, I decided to crate and rotate the dogs. Briz and Uly both like hanging out in crates, so the urgency to make a decision quickly faded. After a couple of weeks with incredibly tight management, I started to feel more comfortable working with him.

I now feel comfortable having them loose at the same time with close supervision, so I can let one out of the crate and put the other one in without worrying that they'll suddenly erupt into violence. I'm still doing a lot of crating though, as it allows me to use various food puzzle toys and long-lasting chews that could start a fight if both dogs were loose. To keep the boys happy about being crated, I always send them in with a chew, stuffed Kong, or at least a cookie. Sometimes I even toss something super exciting in there and then close the crate without letting them in, they stand there staring at that knuckle bone for a while and are extremely satisfied when I finally let them in to have a good chew.

What are the drawbacks?

When we're all just chilling in the living room, nobody minds being in a crate. It's a much harder system to maintain when I've just gotten home from work and want to greet everyone and let them out to pee. It's tough when someone has to wait their turn. Playing musical dogs was also sometimes irritating, since I was doing total separation I couldn't just let Ulysses out of the crate and send Brisbane in. Instead I would have to shut Brisbane in the bedroom, let Ulysses out of the crate and put him outside or in the office, then put Brisbane in the crate before letting Uly back into the house.

The biggest drawback to crate and rotate is that it is a management system that relies entirely on not messing up. One person who is always alert and vigilant might be able to pull it off flawlessly, but the reality is that there are two people living in my house, and sometimes we are tired or distracted, which increases the likelihood that someone is going to forget and let the wrong dog out at the wrong time. The risk for our situation was relatively low, since neither dog had hurt the other, their fights were not occurring on a daily basis, and they could at least tolerate each other almost all of the time.

If I was dealing with a much more serious aggression problem, the risk of messing up would be significantly higher. I would not be comfortable using crate and rotate to manage two dogs who were at serious risk of hurting each other, or two dogs who disliked each other enough to have a conflict every time they interacted. I would not use crate and rotate if I didn't trust my husband to maintain this system or just leave the dogs where I put them when I'm not home. I wouldn't use this system if I had children or other irresponsible/unpredictable people in my house.

Does Crate and Rotate Really Work?

This management system allowed me to keep Brisbane and Ulysses in the same house with a barrier between them at all times. It allowed both dogs to participate in family life without the stress of trying to deal with someone they don't like. It gave me time to analyze Ulysses and the bite he inflicted, and make a well-thought out decision instead of euthanizing him in despair. Crating and rotating also provided Brisbane and Ulysses with some much-needed structure and routine, and some practice at waiting their turn. It is currently allowing them to enjoy both the company of our family and high-value chew items at the same time, without fear that another dog might take their prize. Crating and rotating allows me to have training sessions with one dog at a time, and allows both dogs to have rambunctious play time without the other policing their activity.

While it's not the solution for every household dog aggression issue, crating and rotating is an excellent way to manage dogs that don't get along.

Brisbane and His Lairs

Before I had the patience and resourcefulness to come up with new ways to crate train a panicked puppy, baby Brisbane would scream all night in his crate. After a week of zero sleep I thumped the top of his plastic airline crate in frustration, interrupting his temper tantrum. He fell asleep immediately and willingly went into the crate at bedtime from then on.

I call him a crate junkie. Brisbane really isn't comfortable unless he has a crate to sleep in at night. When he was a tiny, adorable baby puppy I let him sleep in bed with me. After a couple of weeks he was big enough to get down from the bed himself, and he never slept on the bed with me ever again.

I'm sure Brisbane's need for a den of his own is a product of his general anxiety. He's a high-strung dog, and he can't fully relax unless he knows he is truly safe.

The crate makes him feel secure. It also makes a great place to hide when he thinks I might be considering giving him a bath or cutting his toenails. He definitely needs a place to retreat when scary things happen, and after almost nine years he still sleeps in his bedroom crate every night. Brisbane has definite feelings about bedtime too, he often retires long before the humans in the house. His bedroom lair is covered with a blanket and filled with a homemade fleece bed atop three layers of eggcrate foam from a twin mattress pad I cut up. Comfort, cheap, cheap comfort.

The dogs are allowed on all the furniture, but Brisbane is happiest when he also has a crate in the livingroom. The current one is a 36" Noz2Noz n2 Sof-Krate that I found stuffed in the rafters of the garage when we moved into this house.
The previous tenants had a husky puppy, and I assume he ripped his way out of it at some point. I could buy a replacement cover for a lot less than I'd pay for a whole new soft crate, but Brisbane has ripped his way out of one before so I don't plan on using this one to confine him. Its entire purpose is to provide a lair for him to lurk in when he feels the need.

Josie also enjoys lurking from time to time, but her hind end weakness combined with her lack of spinal flexibility means she needs a very wide crate. She can't walk backwards at all, and has an enormous turning radius, so she can get stuck in an otherwise roomy crate. Josie enjoys napping in Brisbane's livingroom lair, but usually needs help getting back out. Wandering Costumer gave me a huge plastic airline crate before she left on her trip, Josie gets stuck in that one too. I need to set up my gargantuan wire crate for her.

Quick and Quiet Crate Training

I've done a variety of fostering and transporting to help various rescues. Southern California shelters are perpetually overflowing with chihuahuas and chihuahua mixes. Meanwhile, there are plenty of places around the country where little dogs rarely show up in shelters at all. My theory is that cold winters limit their population. Obviously the solution for this problem is to export chihuahuas from our overcrowded shelters to places where tiny rescue dogs are in high demand. Some of our local rescues have teamed up a couple of times to drive dozens of chihuahuas to Montana. Merlin's Magical Carpet Ride is amazing, dogs that had been sitting in shelters for months got adopted within days of arriving.

When I lived a bit further south, I used to work with rescues in New York and Minnesota to pull dogs from Los Angeles County shelters and fly them to their forever homes. This was an adventure because I often had just over a week between pulling the dogs and taking them to the airport. The biggest challenge was getting them comfortable in their crates.

This little black and tan miniature pinscher is Wanda. She was picked up as a stray and ended up in a shelter in Los Angeles. Wanda was my biggest crate training challenge, she would hang out in the big crate in the livingroom, but her little airline crate was apparently terrifying. She absolutely refused to go in willingly, panicked and screamed hysterically for hours when forced in, and never calmed down on her own. Treats tossed in the crate and left with her always remained uneaten.

The beginning stages of crate training can be trying, especially if the dog really needs to be confined overnight. I've heard plenty of people told to just put the dog in there and ignore the screaming, but realistically we all need to get sleep. People in apartments or with less-tolerant housemates may not be able to wait through a weeklong extinction burst while their dog has a panic attack in the crate all night, every night.

With Wanda, the clock was ticking and I had to invent an entire new crate training method. The entire process took about three hours the first night, 15 minutes the next, and after that Wanda went into her crate with minimal fuss. I have only tried this with one dog, so if you attempt it please let me know how it goes.

The Quick and Quiet Method

1. Block the dog into a limited area, and make the crate the most comfortable option. I put the crate in a corner of the bedroom where Wanda could see me in bed, and then used a combination of furniture and baby gates to confine to an area of bare floor. Her options were to sleep on the hardwood, or go into the crate with her comfy blankets. If I had to do this in a carpeted room with a dog that didn't mind sleeping on the floor, I might try putting a fan in there to make the floor drafty and the crate more inviting. If the dog would go in the crate for food I would just toss something tasty in there and skip to Step 3.

2. Wait for a while. Wanda took maybe 15 minutes to decide that braving the crate was better than sleeping on the cold floor. I was extremely patient and just ignored her and read a book while she considered her situation.

3. With a less panicky dog I would have tried closing the door after they were in and settled, but this sent Wanda into hysterics immediately. She needed to learn to relax and stay put without the door enforcing the lesson. Instead, I decided to just stand in front of the crate so she couldn't get out. There was no door to frantically claw, just a person she trusted standing comfortably close. This might not work as well on a dog with a less developed sense of personal space, but Wanda seemed to find it comforting rather than confining.

4. When she finally settled down, probably 15-20 minutes later, I attempted to step back from the crate. Wanda popped up and tried to get out, so I again blocked the door with my legs. She settled a little faster, and eventually I was able to inch away again.

5. I learned not to move away too fast, but keep inching away, stepping back again to block her if she tried to leave. I probably spent well over an hour just standing there a couple of feet from her crate.

6. When I could climb into bed without Wanda stirring, I could also quietly close the door. The first time she woke up and we had to do the whole song and dance over again. With a light sleeper I might try pushing the door shut but not latching it. If housetraining wasn't a huge issue I could also have tethered her or just left her blocked into her corner for the night and then tried again the next night.