Sisci Stays

Sisci, my foster puppy, is too perfect. She is perfect with Brisbane. She is perfect with Ru. She is perfect with the cats. She is perfect with the tortoise. She learns new tricks right away and absolutely loves training time. She is amazing at herding sheep, and shows an amazing amount of talent in agility class. She is very interested in dock jumping, lure coursing, disc, flyball...

Obvious I have to keep her. She is the dog I wanted when I got Brisbane ten years ago. The dog who can do all the dog sports. I couldn't have handled her back then though. Brisbane was the dog I needed at the time, the dog who wouldn't tolerate any mistakes and forced me to become a better trainer in order to meet his needs. His physical limitations have taught me to listen to my dog and put his health and welfare over my own desires to compete.

Wish Granted

Like many dog sports people, I have had a wishlist for my next dog for the last several years. According to my hopes and dreams, my next dog would be:

1. Structurally sound, athletic, and built to handle high-impact activity with minimal chance of injury.

2. Full of unstoppable drive. I wanted a dog just as intense as Briz.

3. Smaller than Brisbane. Not Ru-tiny, but after carrying 60-lb Josie off the trail I knew I wanted a

dog I could comfortably haul around.

4. Bouncy. I wanted a dog that could jump high enough for me to catch. Several of the dogs at work do that, and I think it is the most endearing behavior on the planet.

5. Female, because I felt Brisbane would be more likely to get along nicely with a girl and it's important to me that he not just tolerate his housemate.

6. A blue cattledog. I always wanted a blue heeler. I wanted a blue when I got Brisbane, but fell in love with him instead. This time around I was totally going to get a blue.

Sisci fits everything on that list except for color, which is obviously the least important. At 11 months old she is a brilliant, high-energy, super-drivey, super-bouncy dog that jumps onto a 3' platform as easily as she hops over a 6" jump. She picks up new skills and tricks almost as fast as Brisbane, and is entirely too much fun to train. Best of all, having someone to take turns with makes training way more exciting for Brisbane. She's not that great with people yet, but I already have a decade of experience working with a reactive working-lines cattledog.

Sisci is the dog of my dreams, and she has come along at exactly the right time. At ten years old, Brisbane has a few years to teach her how to be the best dog ever. I know his time will come eventually, and I'm glad to have his help training his successor. Sisci just fits.

This is Sisci

After taking Xena back to her original foster mom, I brought home one of the Australian Cattledog puppies I have been working with since they were wee babies. In the litter of nine puppies there were a huge range of temperaments, from super-friendly personalities to spooky shy types. Most of the pups seem like they will top out around 40-50 pounds, except one.

3 weeks

This is Sisci. She started out as The Good Puppy. She was the puppy that sat all the time. By the age of three weeks she had already figured out that sitting made people happy.

As the litter gradually figured out how legs worked, Sisci began to lead the pack in coordination. Once she was fully mobile she became The Evil Puppy. Sisci was the first of her siblings to start chasing down other puppies to bite their legs.

5 weeks

By four weeks we were well-aware that this one puppy was turbo-charged and different from the others. She was definitely the Self-Appointed Fun Police, charging over to boss around any puppies who dared play too rambunctiously.

Sisci was also very focused on toys as soon as she discovered them. What could be better than carrying a ball or stuffed animal around?

The mother of these puppies is has a short tail. ACDs are sometimes docked by misguided and poorly-educated breeders, but some dogs are just born with naturally short tails. Sisci has a Natural Bob Tail, a tiny little nub. The rest of the pups either had full labby tails or short 4" tails.

12 weeks

Five of the nine puppies have now found homes of their own. Three of the four remaining puppies get along very well and love to play together. Sisci does not love the chaos of puppies at play. She had to be separated from the group regularly so the rest of the puppies could play.

18 weeks

I brought Sisci home as a new foster puppy to help work on her skills with cats. As a high-energy, high-drive, bitey 8-month-old puppy she could potentially become dangerous to small furry animals. So far, she's doing very well. Sisci has figured out which cat to avoid, and which cats she can try to entice into play. She plays very well with both Brisbane and Ru, and respects their space more than any foster dog I've had in the last two years.

Sisci is also going to be amazing at dog sports. Right now we're taking things easy on her growing body, but she is already crazy for frisbees and loves jumping into the pool.

8 months

She's going to be amazing at agility, right now we're working on the very beginnings of 2x2 weave poles. I already know that she likes lure coursing, but she won't be able to do the AKC Coursing Ability Test until she's at least 12 months old.

She's very physically sensitive and a whole lot like Brisbane. She has had an incredibly good foundation of experiences, especially as a tiny baby puppy. It will be a lot of fun to see what she can do!

Foster Swap

I did my best to find foster puppy Xena a home, but she wasn't doing very well here. She made a lot of progress mentally, adjusting well to city life and getting brave enough to walk with me near traffic. Physically though, she was slowly going downhill. She had always dragged her back toes a bit, but it became more and more noticeable. She seemed to be losing stability and muscle tone in her back end. To top it off, she was also constantly itchy and began to lose hair.

Photo by Erin Koski

I had a few potential adopters come to meet Xena, one family even took her home for a couple of days. They returned her though, and each adopter said she was too shy around new people, too slow to warm up, needed too much work. On top of this, her somewhat odd gait and toe dragging had some potential adopters concerned that she may have an underlying health problem. I didn't have the money to get her checked out on my own, and the rescue didn't want to pay for a vet's opinion.

I finally took Xena back to the friend who had been fostering her since she was a little baby puppy. Within a week or two her hair started to grow back and her movement got more steady and less worrisome. I'm not sure what exactly is wrong with Xena, so I can't assure a potential adopter that she won't have a shortened lifespan or expensive medical issues.

In her last week with me, Xena began running into very solid and easily visible obstacles, often without slowing down. I let her original foster know that I wasn't entirely comfortable trying to place her with so many unknowns, and that friend asked if I would take one of her remaining Australian Cattledog puppies instead.

Photo by Erin Koski

So now I have an 8-month-old red heeler puppy who is significantly happier at my house where there aren't a bunch of young dogs perpetually crashing around. Xena is significantly happier smashing around over there with her buddies, and so far this seems to be a much better fit for everyone.

A Xena Update

Foster puppy Xena has been here for about six weeks now. She has adjusted rather well and continues to improve. Her last stay with us lasted two weeks, and she was basically too frightened to do anything at all. This time around she is gradually getting used to the sights and sounds of town.

Xena goes to doggy daycare with me every day, and she plays very well with other silly puppies. She knows how to swim, I even have pictures of her swimming with Brisbane. However, she sometimes forgets. She keeps falling in the swimming pool and work and forgetting how to swim, and after fishing her out a couple of times we have stopped letting her play near the pool.

I am now absolutely certain that Xena's vision is compromised, but getting her eyes checked is not a priority for the rescue, and not something I can afford to do on my own. I have been letting potential adopters know that she doesn't see perfectly, but it's obvious that she can see fairly well.

Xena spins in circles when she is excited, stressed, or confused. She always, always, always spins to the right, which makes me think there is a neurological component to the behavior. I have a theory that she may have been hit by a car or suffered some other major trauma when she was very young. That would account for the marked behavioral difference between Xena and her sisters, as well as her imperfect vision and tendency to move in circles.

In the last six weeks, Xena has learned to walk on a bungee leash with the help of a Thundershirt. She feels confident enough to walk instead of freezing, even in a busy parking lot, or while crossing a high-traffic street. She is still a little bit nervous when meeting new people, but is all wags once she gets a sniff. It takes her a while to warm up to new places, so I have been taking her on plenty of outings so that seeing new things because normal.

I have had several people ask how Xena is with kids, and until today I did not have a satisfactory answer. She was socialized with them quite a bit as a baby puppy, and she is less spooky about them than she is about big people. I don't have kids though, and none of my friends do either, so I haven't been able to see how she reacts. Her previous foster mom just told me today that her best buddy over there was the neighbor's four-year-old granddaughter. Knowing that she has spent many hours playing with a preschooler really helps.

Does your dog like kids?

Caught Being Good

This is a good puppy. She is laying there calmly and chewing on a dog toy.

You know what she is not doing? Barking. Pestering Brisbane. Chewing on my slippers. I've been telling her what a good puppy she is, without being exciting enough to interrupt her chewing session. She is getting positive attention for doing what should really be a mundane, everyday activity.

Why am I heaping praise on her for doing something unremarkable? It's because I want her to learn that chewing on her toys is more fun than chewing on my slippers. She already knows that grabbing a shoe or a slipper is a way to get my attention immediately. If grabbing an appropriate toy gets her ignored, but grabbing a forbidden object gets her some interaction, she could learn to grab my slippers whenever she wants some attention.

When she does grab a slipper, shoe, or other random object, I don't make a big deal out of it. I simply remove whatever she's got and then present her with a toy. As soon as she touches the toy I tell her what a marvelous dog she is. If we have to go get the toy from another room, I like to bring it back to wherever she had settled down with her forbidden prize. After all, that was obviously a good spot to settle down and have a good gnaw.

Management is also important for teaching a dog what is and is not appropriate to chew. Darla is not a terribly destructive dog, she can play with a shoe for quite a while without damaging it. If she had a history of destroying things, I would be much more careful where I left my slippers. Since she's pretty benign, I can leave my shoes on the floor and we can work on learning the difference between puppy toys and everything else. I'm hoping this will help Darla if she gets adopted by a family with kids, because we all know that kids tend to leave stuff all over the place.

How Do I Change My Dog's Name?

Can you change a dog's name if they already know their name? Does the dog mind? How will they know? When I take a foster dog to meet potential adopters, they almost always ask whether or not they can change the dog's name. This makes perfect sense to me, I'm very particular about names and can't imagine owning a dog named Buddy, or Bella, or Cooper, or any of the other super-common dog names.

Photo by Erin Koski

Names can be more or less meaningful, depending on your point of view. For dogs, a name is largely a way to get their attention. We teach them that "this set of specific sounds means you". For some people, a regular old dog name is just fine. This is why there are so many Lucys and Lolas and Rockys at doggy daycare.

We name foster dogs and teach them their names so we can get their attention. In general, rescue people and foster parents aren't expecting adopters to keep the names we gave their dogs. We expect the new owners to give their dog a name that fits their family. Some people even have a list of potential names for their future dogs. I've met someone with a miniature poodle named Mothra and a chihuahua named Gamera, obviously they are someday going to name a dog Godzilla. I personally plan to name dogs Brontosaurus and Cthulhu in the future.

What's the best way to change a dog's name? If they don't react to their current name, you can go ahead and start calling them the new one. I like to say the dog's name as I'm giving them a treat. When I have multiple dogs in the house, I like to line them up and say each dog's name as I give them a treat so they learn their own name and don't just come to anything that sounds likely.

For dogs that know their name already, a gradual change can be more comfortable for everyone. I don't worry about changing a dog's name even if they've had it for years, mostly due to one of my human friends. She was adopted at the age of 18 months and arrived with the #1 most popular little girl name of the decade. Her parents, both professional musicians, wanted to give her a more unique and lyrical name. They added the new name to the end of her old name and called her that for several weeks before dropping the old name. It works for human kids, and it works for dogs too. Hellin the foster puppy, pictured above, spent two weeks being called Hellin-Kit by her new owners and now happily responds to Kit.

Changing a dog's name can feel a little weird, but it doesn't have to be awkward. I'm certain the dogs don't mind, and they're probably happier with a name that you are happy saying. Don't ever feel obligated to keep a rescue dog's name if there's something you'd like better. In rescue we tend to give the dogs upbeat, attention-getting names, or give whole litters matching names. These are really just placeholders, though.

Did your dog ever have a different name?

Syd the Wonderpuppy

I haven't been posting regularly this week because I have been housesitting for my photographer Erin, who lives an hour away. Joining on my housesitting adventure is Syd, the fourth and final puppy from Darla, Hellin, and Xena's litter.

Syd is the smallest of the four puppies, she is very lightly built and athletic. She can leap high in the air and likes to bounce when running for no particular reason.

I don't normally allow foster dogs on the furniture because the people that will eventually adopt them may have different house rules. However, Syd sees absolutely no reason why she should not clamber to the top of any given object, so she spends a lot of time hanging out on the back of the couch.

Syd and Darla are the two most toy-oriented pups in their litter. While she's not super-motivated to get the ball, Syd does enjoy carrying it. She also likes to carry toys around the house. Syd is a recreational chewer and enjoys a good Nylabone, antler, or Himalayan Dog Chew. She has also casually nibbled the corner of my coffee table a couple of times, but is easily redirected.

Syd is an interesting puzzle. She's not very good at sitting. It's very difficult to lure her into a sitting position, and she doesn't know to sit automatically when she wants something like her sisters.

At the same time, Syd has learned how to use the potty bells by the door just by watching Brisbane and Ru. She's a smart pup.

Syd and the girls are nice low-key dogs that should make good family pets. They don't need tons of exercise to stay sane, and aren't constantly on the move. They all chill out very nicely in the house and are content with a couple of walks around the block on days we aren't at work or the beach. We met someone today who is considering adopting Syd. Wish her luck at finding a home of her own!

Xena, Warrior Princess

This is Xena, she is Darla and Hellin's sister. Hellin got adopted last week, Darla went back to her original foster home, and Xena came home with me.

Xena is, to be honest, a really strange little dog. At six months old, she has been in rescue since the age of four weeks. She has had the same individual socialization and foundational training as her sisters. Unlike her happy, outgoing, well-adjusted littermates, Xena is extremely nervous and terrified of everything. She has been learning to walk on a leash for months, but still doesn't really get the concept and turns into a flat pull-toy every few steps.

When they first arrived, Darla marched triumphantly into the house and went to wiggle and lick at the kitties. Hellin took about a day to adjust to the hardwood floors and decide they were safe to walk on. Xena has been here over a week and still freaks out a little about the slippery floors.

Xena is terrified of cars while walking on the sidewalk or through a parking lot. Unfortunately I live in the middle of town and cars are everywhere at all times.

For over a week I've been watching Xena slink along on her belly with her tail tucked, so far over threshold she wouldn't even take treats. Today we went to a new swimming spot in the river, and once we were away from the road and general city life she really perked up.

She loved following Brisbane into the water, though she had zero interest in retrieving toys. She did  lot of bouncing and splashing and was generally a happy, if serious,
puppy.
Based on her behavior and sound sensitivity, I am beginning to suspect that Xena can't see very well. She can navigate a somewhat novel room in the dark, but loses track of treats once they are more than a couple of feet from her face. She crosses her eyes when looking up at me, and occasionally bonks into things for no reason.

At the river today I watched her explore and got the distinct impression that sometimes she was moving as if she wasn't entirely certain what she was walking into. Hopefully we can get her eyes checked out soon and see if Xena is seeing properly.

Product Review: Puppy Kong Classic

Puppy Kongs are durable rubber stuffable chew toys made from extra-soft rubber. The Kong Company makes a variety of toys out of their puppy rubber, we have two large and one medium Puppy Kong Classics.

Photo by Erin Koski

Kong makes their durable chew toys from five different color-coded natural rubber materials. Pastel pink and blue puppy rubber is the softest, followed by purple senior rubber. Next is classic red, followed by dark blue, and finally Black Extreme.

Puppy rubber is intended only for dogs that still have their needle-sharp baby teeth. Puppy Kongs are extra-squishy and inviting, and I have used them to help teach reluctant chewers that Kongs are more than just vessels for food.

Naturally, the Puppy Kongs can be used the same way as any other Classic Kong. I like to stuff them with peanut butter and freeze them.

Photo by Erin Koski

When I had the foster girls here, they had just been spayed and needed to stay quiet in their crates for ten days. I would fill their Kongs with dry kibble after each potty break so they could roll the toys around rather than eating out of a bowl.

Pros: A safe, durable chew toy that can be stuffed with tasty treats and frozen for teething puppies. Comes in cute pastel "baby" colors. Bounces unpredictably for ridiculous puppy action.

Photo by Erin Koski

Cons: Puppy Kong is only for puppies with baby teeth, as soon as they grow some permanent teeth this toy should be tossed. I'm not crazy about stuff having a limited lifespan like that. Puppy Kong also only comes in Extra Small, Small, Medium, and Large, so giant breed puppies may outgrow their toys before they finish teething.

Bottom Line: I own Puppy Kongs because  am eccentric enough to want to collect Kongs of every size/shape/color.

The Foster Puppies

I had a pair of sweet, adorable foster puppies for a few weeks. They were being fostered in the greaer Los Angeles area, and I brought them up here to meet some potential adopters and soak up the puppy love.

Photo by Erin Koski

The girls were found running around outside the South Central LA shelter when they were a few weeks old. Hellin is blue ticked like an Autralian cattledog, so they ended up in cattledog rescue. They're really not cattledogs, though.

Darla, the white puppy, has the color dilution gene. She has a blue nose, so the shelter decided that the girls must be pitbull mixes. We don't know what either of their parents looked like, though.

Given their wire coats, the best guess is is that they have some german wirehaired pointer in the mix. This seems unlikely for our area, but Hellin is definitely a very bird-focused dog. She is normally a somewhat reserved and cautious pup, but when we went to the beach she didn't even notice the sand or the ocean because there were so many birds to watch. Darla is significantly less interested in birds, and much more outgoing.


Darla and Hellin are about six months old now, and still looking for their forever homes. They and their sisters Syd and Xena can be found on RescueMe.org, they are the only German Wirehaired Pointer mixes available in California right now.

Goodbye Ulysses

We said goodbye to Ulysses yesterday. Despite a whole lot of training and behavior management, he was continuing to bite very hard without warning. Ultimately we decided that he was not going to be a safe dog to place in an adoptive home, or any home. He was a sweet, wonderful, beautiful dog all the rest of the time, and I'm glad I was able to give him so many months to enjoy being a spoiled dog. He was very loved.

Photo by Erin Koski

Welcome Back Ulysses!

Ulysses is back with us right now, his adoptive family returned him. This was a wise move, and we are very glad to have him back.

No idea what happened to that book.

Uly's adoptive family had a baby just under a year old. While Uly didn't show any signs of uncertainty about the baby while we were there, we also didn't get to see how he felt about the baby crawling on the floor. I did let the adopters know that he had growled at my dogs and cats one day while he was resting, and that he might feel uncomfortable being approached in that situation. I recommended a crate in the living room or wherever the family spent the most time, so he could have a protected resting spot where he felt safe.

Within a few days in his new home, Ulysses bit the baby. There was no damage aside from a small bruise, but it was concerning. We are told that the baby was crawling near him while he was resting, and that he probably gave signals that he was uncomfortable beforehand. The family said they still planned to keep him, and even took him to be signed up for their pet health care plan.

A few days ago he bit the man of the house. We're told that the baby was crawling near him, and that the man went to pick up the baby and pushed Uly out of the way, and then Uly turned around and bit his arm, leaving a puncture. While I wouldn't normally continue working with a dog that had a bite history, I feel there is more to this story.

First, Uly has an incredibly soft temperament. He is an absolute moosh. I have a very hard time believing that there wasn't some sort of severe and extremely scary correction involved in the original baby incident. The adopters seemed to be fairly competent in their dog training abilities, but I'm not certain they knew how to deal with behavioral issues. The average human would probably respond to the baby incident by screaming and punishing the dog, and then attempt to prevent future incidents by warning the dog not to do anything bad when the baby was nearby. This would actually just teach the dog that the baby is bad news, and that he is not safe around it.

We shared Dogs and Babies with the family, and recommended total separation via baby gates along with helping Ulysses understand that the baby means good things for dogs. Obviously neither of these things happened. The adopter tells us he went to push Uly out of the way, but Uly can't tell us how he was feeling at the time. Not everyone speaks Dog, and he may have been giving every possible signal that he was afraid. I honestly think he was afraid he was going to be hurt or killed when he bit.

Now that Ulysses is safely back in foster care, we're taking the time to learn more about him. The friend that picked him up and brought him back tells me that he wouldn't approach her husband even for bacon. He has been extremely friendly and affectionate with me, much more relaxed and playful than he was when he left. However, he is just as reserved as ever with my husband and male friends. Uly will greet them and hope for petting, but he isn't as happy and silly as he is with women. We haven't gotten any sort of fear or aggression response out of him. When he's off his ten day quarantine, we will be meeting lots of men and watching him carefully to see how he feels.

Was Ulysses labeled aggressive in the shelter because he was cornered by a man? We're not sure, but it seems likely. He's still the soft, gentle, sweet boy we thought he was. Now we need to find an adopter who is willing to respond to undesirable behavior with a quiet "uh-uh" or "what's wrong?" rather than "NO! BAD DOG!"

Congratulations Ulysses!

Last week Ulysses and I drove way down to Orange County to meet the person who helped coordinate his rescue from the shelter. Uly had gone from unwanted and unadoptable to rescue superstar, with ten applications to adopt him within a week of him appearing on the rescue's Facebook and website.

Photo by Erin Koski

We met a couple of different families who had passed the approval process. With so much interest in this angelic boy, we were able to pick our favorite family. Ulysses is now named Cal, his new family has a red heeler named Tex. We loved how Tex's dad interacted with him, very patient and extremely positive. Tex's mom also adored him, and Cal liked sitting on her feet for petting.

The family also includes a baby and an older boy, around 8. He lamented that Tex only cuddled with his parents. Cal figured out right away this the kid was an easy person to beg for petting. I think he's going to end up bonding with the kids very nicely.

We don't know a whole lot about Cal's history. He came into the shelter as a stray, and acted like many things were very new. He had clearly never seen the ocean or a swimming pool before. He may never have been on a leash or in a house before, but he was so good-natured that he figured it all out very quickly.

Cal has been with his new family for a few days now. He is rapidly bonding with his new people, and warming up to them much faster than he did with us. It took him a week to get comfortable enough to play fetch with us, but he was playing ball with Tex and his new family on his second day home. Cal is in for a long life as a beloved family member, full of trips to the lake and snuggles on the couch. He's a naturally well-behaved dog, and he deserves such a wonderful life. I am delighted that I could be a part of his rescue and help him on his way home.

Teaching Ulysses to Dance

Brisbane has a personal space bubble, when I move toward him he moves out of my way. In our small house I never run into him because he is constantly aware of where I am, and anticipates where I am going. Briz is very much a velcro dog, he usually stays very close to me, so we move through life together in a sort of dance.

Moving Brisbane from place to place is a bit like moving a buoyant object through water, a light touch sends it away. I can lead Briz by the collar, and position him very precisely with subtle cues.

Ulysses is another story entirely. He moves like a wet blanket, I touch him and he sort of folds around me. When I push him, he collapses around my hands. Pulling Uly's collar or harness mostly just makes him ooze to the floor.

I'm not sure now if Brisbane has always had his personal space bubble, or if it is something I taught him as a puppy. Before Uly arrived I had thought it was an innate quality of herding breeds, minus some very squishy German Shepherd dogs. Now I suspect it is something that must be taught, but herding dogs probably learn it better and with more finesse than insensitive gundogs and bully breeds.

So I'm teaching Uly to dance. It's a clicker game, I move toward him, he takes a step back and gets clicked. I'm sure he knows I don't like running into dogs constantly, but he didn't know what I wanted him to do instead. He's picking it up very quickly, dancing out of my way while staying as close as he can. He's nowhere near as good as Brisbane, but Briz and I have years of experience and tons of formal obedience training. Uly is learning how to move with me though, and it's a lot of fun to watch.

Meet Ulysses!

We got a new foster dog on Saturday! Ulysses is a five year old Australian cattledog mix. His blue eyes, fuzzy toes, and natural dock lead us to believe that he's mixed with Australian shepherd.

Uly came from the Orange County municipal shelter, where he was listed as available to rescues only for being kennel aggressive. He was evaluated by a rescue and found to be totally oblivious to other dogs in or out of his kennel. Last week I mentioned to a friend that I was considering fostering another dog, and she was looking for someone to foster Uly so she could pull him out of the shelter. He was scheduled for euthanasia in just a few hours.

We don't know a whole lot about Ulysses. He came into the shelter as an intact stray in mid-April, wearing a black collar and no identification. His teeth are very worn and a few are broken, he's going to be getting them taken care of soon. The shelter thought he was around five years old, I wouldn't be surprised if he was a little older. Uly seems to be housetrained and crate trained. He is somewhat food-motivated, but really loves attention more than anything else.

Ulysses is a wonderful dog!. He is mildly interested in my birds and turtles, pointedly avoids the cats, and is extremely polite to Brisbane and Ru. Ru has discovered that Uly is easily intimidated and likes to growl at him, Uly hides behind me. Brisbane is personally offended by intact and recently-neutered male dogs, but has finally decided that Uly is probably ok. We're taking things very slow and letting Uly relax and decompress before we start doing anything really fun and exciting.

This is a marvelously people-oriented dog, he doesn't really care what the other dogs are doing. Shelter dogs tend to change as they recover from the trauma over time, it often takes several weeks for their real personality to emerge. I am very much looking forward to seeing Uly blossom.

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.