Our newly-adopted Sheltie (two days and counting!) has anxiety issues, which we expected based on the shelter's reports about him. He's four-years-old, most likely purebred, and he shows signs of having been well trained but spoiled at the same time.
We're already working on training him to think of meals as a 2 x day thing, involving something called dog food served in a bowl on the floor.
Needless to say, he doesn't like his crate and we're expecting it to take at least a week before he stops using mini "hunger strikes." Mealtimes in the crate won't happen until then. Toys are not his thing yet either, except for playing fetch with his squeaky football. He needs to lose weight, too, so a kong toy with peanut butter or anything other than high quality kibble seems like a step backward.
We started out thinking he would need lots of attention this weekend and general human companionship, but the training handouts I've read from the local SPCA actually stress that rescues often need to learn how to be alone, and they recommend introducing the crate as a den just for him.
This need became painfully obvious this morning when after his morning walk, Cosmo jumped back up on the bed with us, panted in our ears, and when we turned our backs to him started licking my partner's PILLOW.
My boyfriend works nights and gets to bed at 3 a.m. so it was necessary to take Cosmo out of the room. My next thought is that if we want to make after his walk a quiet time for him, his den probably shouldn't be in the bedroom.
Other than moving the crate out to the living room, what should the next step be to acclimate an adult dog to his new den?
I should add that my boyfriend has owned Shelties for 18 years, and 3 out of four of his dogs were rescues. But an overly-needy dog is a new experience for both of us.
We're already working on training him to think of meals as a 2 x day thing, involving something called dog food served in a bowl on the floor.
Needless to say, he doesn't like his crate and we're expecting it to take at least a week before he stops using mini "hunger strikes." Mealtimes in the crate won't happen until then. Toys are not his thing yet either, except for playing fetch with his squeaky football. He needs to lose weight, too, so a kong toy with peanut butter or anything other than high quality kibble seems like a step backward.
We started out thinking he would need lots of attention this weekend and general human companionship, but the training handouts I've read from the local SPCA actually stress that rescues often need to learn how to be alone, and they recommend introducing the crate as a den just for him.
This need became painfully obvious this morning when after his morning walk, Cosmo jumped back up on the bed with us, panted in our ears, and when we turned our backs to him started licking my partner's PILLOW.
My boyfriend works nights and gets to bed at 3 a.m. so it was necessary to take Cosmo out of the room. My next thought is that if we want to make after his walk a quiet time for him, his den probably shouldn't be in the bedroom.
Other than moving the crate out to the living room, what should the next step be to acclimate an adult dog to his new den?
I should add that my boyfriend has owned Shelties for 18 years, and 3 out of four of his dogs were rescues. But an overly-needy dog is a new experience for both of us.
. Good thing it was her soft sided kennel.
