My Mom bought a black metal cage (bed) for me to go in when they go to work or places like that. I don't know where they go, they just go and sometimes they use the word work. She bought it for me because I was tinkling on my blankets, that she nicely left in in the kitchen where she penned me up when she went to work. I do not get soft blankets in the black kennel. I get a hard bone with my special recipe and a soft toy or a kong ... whatever she is in the mood for I guess.
I have been really good and have not tinkled in the kennel (there's no soft blankets in there to tinkle on Mom - duh!) but she has noticed small wet spots around the edges of the pan and on one corner of the towel or blanket she sets the cage on is wet (so it won't scratch the floor.) At first she thought maybe I was lifting my leg to pee out the corner but it does not smell like pee, Today she got a good look at the kennel and has determined I am CHEWING on the bars of the kennel, mostly in that one corner. The wet spots are my slobber.
So tonight she held me down and looked at my teeth and she saw little black specs on my teeth and what looks like a sore on my lip by my nose. My front teeth look worn down too.
Now my Mom is all worried and I think I have almost convinced her to take me with her wherever she goes.... just like the little teeny 8 week baby Maltese she saw at church today in a special bag. I could not fit in a little bag but I could sit in her lap and she could carry me I am sure. Maybe she could buy me a doggie stroller!! Or a front pack!!!!
Ugh! What is my Mom going to do. They call it seperation anxiety. Maybe Hershey will let me come live with him. His Mom is about to be home all the time taking care of a baby. I could keep Hershey company.
The bad prison kennel (bed)
10 comments:
Hmmmm.... I wish I could help you out with really good suggestions, but here is all I have:
(1) your mom should stay home with you all the time; (2) your mom should take you where ever she goes; (3) maybe you can have a brother or sister to keep you company; (4) try spraying bitter apple on the cage wires so the wires taste nasty; (5) sometimes putting a blanket to cover the kennel will calm some dogs; (6) Rescue Remedy is an herbal medicine that calms some dogs (for me, it makes me puke).
I'd like to take this opportunity to talk about one particular danger about kennels and bungee cords:
One thing humans should NEVER do with kennels is to put a bungee cord on it to secure the door. My humans bought my old kennel from my breeder and it had a bungee cord on it to secure the door shut since I was flying from Oregon to California. They left the cord on the kennel, not using it, but I bit through the hooky thing down to the WIRE and ended up hooking my mouth to the wire which was hooked to the crate!!! Horrors!! My mom got home and found me yelping in the crate. It was horrible. So, to all humans out there, never hook a bungee cord to a crate!
Hmmm...I wonder if your mom could train you to use a litter box? Some people who live in apartments train their small dogs to use litterboxes. I found this site online: http://www.kturby.com/litter/litter.htm. That is better than you hurting yourself chewing on your crate! Also, ydid your mom crate train you? If you are not used to it, just putting you in it without training won't go well. This link is very good: http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/our_pets_for_life_program/dog_behavior_tip_sheets/crate_training.html. Feeding you in your crate will help a lot!
Oh my! Cooper you are trying to get out of that metal thing, aren't you? Linda had a Pom that broke a tooth chewing on a crate and another dog that tore a nail off clawing trying to get out.
As for peeing on the blankie- Emmy does that on her blankie, too. Not her fake sheepskin pad, just the blankie. Linda stopped giving her a blankie for awhile, but she couldn't stand the thought of her not having a blankie to cuddle up with. So Linda got some cheap baby blankets, puts a clean one in each day and puts the tinkled ones in a bag in the laundrey room and then washes them when she has several days worth. We don't know why she tinkles just on her blankies in her crate, just something she does, I guess.
Big Wags,
Isabella
Copper, I think you may have addressed this before, but would a plastic crate be of any added benefit to you?
I am sorry that things are so tough right now! It sounds like your mom is very devoted to you, so don't worry... it'll all work out.
roly poly hugs,
Ronak
Gosh - I don't know what to tell you. Don't you hate it when parents change your routine! I used to like my kennel, it was a place to go hide when I needed to. Mom keeps it closed now so I never go in it anymore. Maybe your Mom could do what Linda does for Emmy - better to have tinkly blankets than no teeth!
Copper, don't be sad when your mommy goes away! She always comes back, doesn't she? I asked Lulu for advice and she said that sometimes when she is anxious/excited she forgets to pants and then sweats out of her nose. Maybe you are doing that?
My neighbor has a doxie that stays in the kitchen when her mom is gone and that doxie pees on a towel. She never pees outside! My cousin also had a doxie who did that. It's just the way it was. I guess they don't mind washing pee towels.
you know me copper i'm all about pee towels! mom tried every thing and said...if you can't beat 'em wash pee towels! i know grammy is upset!
my advice is to get a plastic kennel or maybe medication for your dog and i was told that when i come home not to make a big deal of greeting my dog (who is a doxeranian and always piddles when greeted)because when you leave and then come back if you make a big deal about it they sense it and it makes it harder on them. so i was told to just go about my business.
which is very hard because my dog likes to hug/kiss me when i get home but she hardly ever piddles anymore.
Hey,
Seperation anxiety is a tough subject and very stressful on both dog and owner. I would suggest eliminating the metal crate. Maybe a soft sided crate or plastic one so that if Cooper needs to chew it is at least on something that won't be as harmful.
Or as Hana suggessted you could try bitter apple spray.
I know that some small dog breeds use piddle pads. COuld Cooper be penned in a safe area (the kitchen or bathroom where there is only tile floor) given a chew toy and a piddle pad? That way if he is peeing and typically pees only on soft blankets, maybe he'll naturally start peeing on the piddle pad?
I have heard that getting another dog is a great antidote for seperation anxiety. If thats not a possibility for you I know that there are cat pheremone sprays available online which my aunt uses for her 'stressed' cat that have worked wonders. Try googling something like dog pheremones. It may be worth trying.
Also, try to leave some sort of music or voices in the background like the radio playing. It can ease seperation anxiety.
Otherwise, there are medications available. Its not the best course of action but if after talking to your vet and trying your other options, it may be worth trying.
Good luck
Shannon
Hi Copper,
Sounds like you really are worried! I know some dogs use medication called Clonicalm and that works really well for them (my people worked with dog rescue and a lot of the dogs had separation anxiety and that's what really helped), but your mom can also try working with a dog behaviorist. Training separation anxiety away is really hard, but it can be done.
But since you were o.k. staying in the kitchen except for peeing on you blanket--maybe your mom could go back to that and just get puppy pads for you to pee on instead of a blanket. It's not perfect, but then you wouldn't hurt your teeth.
Poor you (but don't leave your mom to go live with Hershey--your mom would miss you way too much)
Pippin
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