Crating Chloe

Who sez I can't be crated?

I had a previous post which mentioned that I would be giving up confining Chloe inside her pen and crate. I was afraid that she might hurt herself because she always throws a fit when confined inside her pen or crate trying to go out. 

Now that she's matured a lot since she was a little puppy, I decided retraining her to be on the crate. So here are some methods I utilized:

• I use the crate for her everyday needs, water bottle is there, that's where the bowl of food is and that is the place where she eats her meals.

• For my method training, I use treats and clicker training to reinforce positive and desirable behavior.

• I play crate games with her, first I throw a treat inside the crate, praise her or click when she steps inside the crate, and give more treats as she steps all the way in, I don't close the crate just yet because she will still try to get out, I just kept on repeating this until she realized that the crate is a safe and fun place to be in, and that there is always treats inside.

• Second step, I stand next to the crate and wait for her to go inside it, when she goes, I praise, click and give her treats. I don't give treats when she's still outside. I kept repeating this and eventually she went inside the crate on her own and waiting for me to give her something.

• Lastly, when I'm doing something like watching television and sit on the couch, She goes inside the crate on her own. This time, I close and lock it with her inside, and I constantly toss her some treats from time to time while she's inside. We do this at least once a day for her to be used to it.

• Remember, positive reinforcements is still the best way to train. I think that nothing good will result from negative reinforcement, it still might cause problems for you later on.

And the results for our hard work? decreased fussing and whining on crate time and maybe..............

Sleeping inside the crate!

Terrible Guard Dog

Shiba Inus are supposed to be excellent guard dogs, but Chloe is terrible with the job. She never barks at strangers nor other dogs, she only barks at me when she wants to play or is craving for some attention that she believes she should be getting. She whines when we see other people and dogs while we walk and it is because she either wants attention with the humans or to play with the other dog.

Chloe is not being a guard dog in this picture. She just wants to stay by the door and wait for the time that we're gonna go outside and walk. I also think she stays there to tease the dog of our neighbor who lives in front of us. The other dog goes nuts when she sees Chloe, and my pup just sits there and look at her like it's nothing. Poor neighbors, they can't have their door open when I have mine open as well, especially if there's a shiba inu hanging out by my doorstep. 

Separation Anxiety

February 20, 2011 - Sunday

(entries were dated by the time it was composed)

Chloe has terrible separation anxiety. She hates the crate and exercise pen that I got her. Everything that separates her from me is considered an enemy. 

On our first night together, I left Chloe inside her pen and went to my bedroom to sleep. The first night was horrible, she cried and whined all night long. 

On our second night, I tried a different approach with her. I still placed Chloe on her pen, but I tried sleeping in the sofa so she knows I'm around. I ended up not getting enough sleep because of her whining. 

Third day, I went out for a bit to buy some stuff and i left her inside the pen as usual. On my way back, I"m still a couple of doors from my apartment and i could already hear Chloe's whining and screaming from afar, and in addition, I see a couple of children usually playing around the apartment complex gathering around my apartment door wondering what's happening inside.

Fourth night, I tried having Chloe sleep with me on my bed. Our night went really well and we slept peacefully for the first time. But I can't have her get used to that set up. The next day, I went to talk with some of my neighbors and asked if they are getting bothered by the noise, and they said it was fine and they're not bothered at all. Am I the only one thinking that her whining and screaming was really loud?

During her first week with me, I thought I'll  just let these things pass because she is still a puppy, and assumed that she only misses her mom and litter mates. I've tried some things I learned from research and advices from other people. Some thing I've tried was giving Chloe one of my shirt so that she could smell my scent on it, didn't work. I bought her a stuff toy of her size to substitute for her litter mates, didn't work either. I gave her a lot of toys and stuff to chew but she just ignores it. I also tried desensitizing her and making her get used to being by herself and not having me around, but I think that would take more time and patience than I expected.

Hey Dad, I want to play, so let me out of here.