Jozlyn Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 I know I ask a lot of questions but clearly there's still a lot I don't know For the last week or so Abby's taken to growling, hackles up and wuufing (it's not a bark, it's a deep wuuf sound) when we take her out to toilet at night, tbh it's a bit creepy even though we KNOW there's nothing/nobody there but clearly she thinks there is. She settles back down as soon we come back inside. The last 2 nights she's started doing it inside as well, which wouldn't be a real problem except it's in the wee small hours of the morning, when even the local roosters are still asleep. Last night it went on for nearly an hour . She'd settle on the bed with us then jump up, start the growl/wuuf jump off the bed and head off into the house, come back to bed settle back down, sleep for a little then up and off again. I tried calling her back but she wouldn't come (till she was ready), when she did it the next time I tried to comfort her, that didn't work either but I kept trying till eventually she feel asleep and stayed that way till a much nicer hour. Is there anything I can do for her to reassure her that there's nothing there and that we're all safe? Thanks. J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimax Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 Occasionally one of my pups will have a night of seeing ghosts, where they do that, but it's usually only once every few weeks, not regularly. Once it was REALLY creeping me out and I had to put her in a different room to sleep, and she slept okay after that, and so did I! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 we KNOW there's nothing/nobody there No you don't :) Remember dogs have much more sensitive noses/ears ..and can pick up the presence of things like cats/foxes/possums/people/dogs , where humans have no idea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 Is there anything I can do for her to reassure her that there's nothing there and that we're all safe? Thanks. J. Nope. Chances are that she can sense things you can't. No way would I be permitting this to happen. Invest in a crate and sleep her in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jozlyn Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 Is there anything I can do for her to reassure her that there's nothing there and that we're all safe? Thanks. J. Invest in a crate and sleep her in it. I have the crate, just waiting for my "Crate Games" book to arrive so that I don't make any mistakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 Is there anything I can do for her to reassure her that there's nothing there and that we're all safe? Thanks. J. Invest in a crate and sleep her in it. I have the crate, just waiting for my "Crate Games" book to arrive so that I don't make any mistakes. What "mistakes"? Short of hurling her into it and slamming the door on her, its pretty hard to stuff up. I think you could safely start feeding her in it and sleeping her in it before that book arrives. Stick her bed in there and go for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 I agree you don;t need a book ours go in the crate & thats it,no bribery,games or anything else. Get the crate out,put her bed in & let her see it during the day,if you want put a chew or similiar in there . Let her explore it & get a feel. I think you need to find a balance between wanting to do all things nice & positive & just using common sense . I find even with our pet owners there getting so confused with all the reading they do that raising a puppy is made into hard work . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 Has she had her eyes checked recently? Sometimes night terrors can be associated with failing eyesight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 (edited) we KNOW there's nothing/nobody there No you don't :) Remember dogs have much more sensitive noses/ears ..and can pick up the presence of things like cats/foxes/possums/people/dogs , where humans have no idea! This. The possums have arrived here and Mosley sure knows they're here! Edited September 4, 2012 by Aussie3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 They have to be in the crate to do Crate Games :laugh: Better for them to be used to going in there and be comfortable in there before you start adding the criteria of the games (which are for helping self control/distraction training/understanding of release cue). Feed her in there, throw some treats in there so she hunts them out, give her a nice bed in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Crate games is about control and drive - not about dogs sleeping in the crate. Chances are she sees/hears/smells rats and possums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 What "mistakes"? Short of hurling her into it and slamming the door on her, its pretty hard to stuff up. I think you could safely start feeding her in it and sleeping her in it before that book arrives. Stick her bed in there and go for it. Gee all my pups are chucked into the crate and the door shut on them, have I been doing it wrong all this time :laugh: I've never played a crate game with them. They sook a little bit then go to sleep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podengo Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Ghosts.... Elsie has been going through a phase of barking at dumb stuff over the past week or so, I just tell her enough and give her something else to do, like go sit on a mat, or go find your ball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Add bats to the list LOL. And totally agree that crate is the way to go as HW and showdog have explained. Having a crate to sleep in at night is a nice thing all round (my almost 4 year old BC still sleeps in his crate beside my bed every night - door is open since he was a year old - his choice.) If you're worried, get a different crate to play Crate Games - but truly I don't think you need to worry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jozlyn Posted September 5, 2012 Author Share Posted September 5, 2012 Add bats to the list LOL. And totally agree that crate is the way to go as HW and showdog have explained. Having a crate to sleep in at night is a nice thing all round (my almost 4 year old BC still sleeps in his crate beside my bed every night - door is open since he was a year old - his choice.) If you're worried, get a different crate to play Crate Games - but truly I don't think you need to worry. Given how much I stuffed up before finding these forums, I'm truly not willing to do it again, so I'll just wait until the books arrive, they should be here tomorrow. In the long run it's not going to make any difference if I wait another day, we've got plenty to do to keep ourselves occupied in the mean time. She didn't do it last night, she slept straight through so whatever was bothering her the two previous nights didn't visit last night :) My main concern was wether or not the behaviour was "normal" and whether or not I should try to "comfort" her or just let her go for it. Both questions have been answered so thanks everyone for the input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 (edited) Given how much I stuffed up before finding these forums, I'm truly not willing to do it again, so I'll just wait until the books arrive, they should be here tomorrow. In the long run it's not going to make any difference if I wait another day, we've got plenty to do to keep ourselves occupied in the mean time. Don't for a moment think that access to books and the internet is going to make training a dog easier. Give me two dog trainers and I'll give you a debate on methods. I've seen advice given on these forums that I'd describe as nothing short of disastrous and I've seen what happened when folk followed it. That doens't happen with the professionals here but its not always apparent what qualifications the advisor may or may not have. Access to increasing amounts of information can simply lead to additional confusion. My advice? Relax and don't try to complicate things unnecessarily. You're sounding a bit stressed about something that should be really enjoyable. Pups don't need "flashcards" or intensive training programs initially. Even Susan Garratt had to adjust her thinking on crate games along the way. They need to learn routines, self control, to deal with a bit of boredom and that obeying you profits them. They also need to learn to play with you and much of what you teach can be rewarded with play. What they don't need is pressure to perform before their minds and their bodies are ready for it and that's a mistake that can really ruin things. Edited September 5, 2012 by Haredown Whippets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Jozlyn we've all made mistakes. If your dog is well adjusted and resilient it normally doesn't matter. Just a word about expectations: Crate Games was developed for sports dogs to help build drive and self-control. They don't help your dog to sleep in its crate. For that you just need to feed her in there, make it a nice place etc. Then leave her in for a few minutes, building that up. The trick is to only let her out when she's calm. Tantrums = you don't get let out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 All 3 of my dogs sleep in crates and only one has done Crate Games, and that only started recently when I did some SG online courses (he is 6 years old). You don't need Crate Games to get them to comfortably sleep in there, mine all did that before I had even heard of Crate Games. It is useful as said for teaching self control and drive, to prevent the dog from rushing out of the crate as soon as the door is opened, and for building value for the crate so they will easily go in even when in a more interesting environment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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