Dog advice please

[Mel]

Heads up dog experts, some advice please. A friend of mine who has recently started caravanning has a rescue dog, a mongrel-looks like a jack russel but about twice the size. Anyway the dog must have had a tough time of it because she gets very distressed if not close to my friends husband. They have a dog cage but can't leave her in it in the awning if they are in the van and it won't easily fit in the van. They don't want the dog loose in the van because she is all over the place. Any bright ideas as to how they can contain the dog in the van. I said I would ask on my friends behalf. I was no help as our mutt gets left at home to keep an eye on the teenagers!

Thanks++

mel

 

[Dustydog]

Hi Mel

Your friend needs some very good professional advice.

For starters I suggest the dog is removed from the cage which is in reality a form of restraint rather than control. Start by exercising the dog for say a half hour but keeping it entertained with say a ball. Once the dog has had its fill bring it into the caravan and let it settle down on "its bed".

I think the problem you describe is that neither the dog nor the owners are perhaps on the same wave length. The crucial thing is to make the dog feel confident and secure whilst your friends at all times remain the pack leader.

No 5 minute job but a bit of patience and effort will work.

Just watch the Dog Whisperer for proof.

Cheers

Alan

 

[Dave_374330759]

Hi Mel

Your friend needs some very good professional advice.

For starters I suggest the dog is removed from the cage which is in reality a form of restraint rather than control. Start by exercising the dog for say a half hour but keeping it entertained with say a ball. Once the dog has had its fill bring it into the caravan and let it settle down on "its bed".

I think the problem you describe is that neither the dog nor the owners are perhaps on the same wave length. The crucial thing is to make the dog feel confident and secure whilst your friends at all times remain the pack leader.

No 5 minute job but a bit of patience and effort will work.

Just watch the Dog Whisperer for proof.

Cheers

Alan

My advice would be to leave it at home

 

[Andy_374346145]

Carrying a dog in any vehicle requires it to be contained in a 'cage' whether in a fitted, anchored, cage or behind a dog guard. Contrary to some belief, a cage is usually regarded as a place of safety by the dog and soon comes to regard it as such. I cannot agree with Alan that a cage is a restraint, but neither os it necessarily control. I t must be a place of safety for the dog and regarded as such. Leaving the cage door open and letting the dog get used to it, it will usually regard this as the first point of safety.

However, you do say it's a rescue dog so this could be an issue to resolve depending on why it was rescued and how it was treated to cause it to be rescued.

Try placing food in the cage and let it get used going into it to get the food.

The best cages are fixed if you have a suitable vehicle (car or van) take a look at www.k9cages.com They do the best cages fitted very expertly and safely. A large number of dog show, and dog agility people have these cages and the dogs love being in them. They also do a dog guard fitted to your vehicle with a door in it for easy access.

(I have 5 dogs and a van with 4 cages fitted and while they may not think they like it at first they do very soon get used travelling in safety and comfort.)

Andy

 

[Lisajt]

We have recently purchased a foling dog crate from ebay. Its a lot smaller than a cage but there is plenty of room in it for the og to stand up, etc. It is very lightweight and it zips together.

We have used it several times for our puppy and she really enjoys having a space of her own.

She has a crate at home and sees both of them as security.

Good luck to your friends with a rescue dog. We have 3 of them. But the older 2 prefer to sleep in the car.

 

[LMH]

Tell your friend to take the dog along to a dog training class and if one of the qualified trainers thinks it has behavoural issues, then they might be able to recommend a behavourist. There's clearly something not quite right 'gets distressed if not close to my friends husband'.

I'm not sure I agree that carrying a dog in a car requires it to be contained in a cage. If that is some legal requirement, please can you quote where from so I can read it.

My dogs travel in seatbelt harnesses and both sit on the back seat. Don't place a dog in a harness where an air bag can actuate. I do this because, in the event of an accident, the dogs won't roll round the car and kill or seriously damage the occupants, or injure themselves. Also, the dog won't be able to run off either.

When a dog is properly accustomed to a crate, the dog will view it as its den and believe me, all dogs eventually love crates. As someone else said, tell them to introduce it to the crate slowly and feed the dog in there etc. They could buy a crate cover for it too, sometimes covering the crate will quiet down an excited dog (subject to how hot it is obviously). (I do that with my SBT at dog shows because he sings like mad and when you're in a room with 400 SBT's, all crated and singing, it kind of gives you a headache).

I won't comment further on any training issues as it's impossible to see what is actually happening and I might give the wrong advice.

My dogs arn't normally allowed in our van as their place is the awning.

Keep us updated.

Lisa

 

[Chrisbee]

I have to agree that a dog looks apon it's cage as a place of safety. When my grand children visit and the dog has had enough of their 'playing' it retreats to it's cage. The girls then knows they must leave it alone.

 

[Mel]

Thanks for your input everyone. I probably wasn't very clear in my original posting. As far as I understand it the dog is very happy in her cage and does sleep in it at home at night downstairs. If not in it at home at night she gets distressed In the caravan, which is a new environment for her, she gets upset in the awning at night when her beloved master is in the van. She may get used to it with time and patience and gradual introduction. In the meantime the dog cage won't fit in the van. I have no idea how she travels in the car. They have had some expert advice about her behaviour in the past, I don't know the details but I think pheromone treatment was prescribed. Thanks again I'll pass it all on.

mel

 

[LMH]

Hi Mel

Good to hear they got professional advice, do you know in which form the pheromone treament is being administered?

Although drugs (whether given in a spray or plugged into a socket to give off pheromones airborne) appears to have favourable results, I'm still of the opinion that good practice around training and leadership is the way forward.

I know what you mean about most crates not fitting in the caravan comfortably. Personally, although as I said above, I don't know the full circumstances, I would persevere with putting the dog in a crate in the awning. I'd cover the crate too (as long as it's not too hot).

Please keep us up to date with progress.

Lisa