Dog advice sought.

[sasha_feather]

Does anyone have advice for how to get my dog out of her crate? Treats are not working (turkey and cheese). Usually if I sit around and wait she comes out eventually, but she hasn't been out to do her business since last night!! This problem seems to have gotten worse since it got cold out. Climbing in and attaching her leash and then pulling on it doesn't really work and causes her to yelp. Singing her name/calling her hasn't worked today.

I am going to lay down for a bit: it seems like when I take a nap, that is when she whines to wake me up and wants to go out.

Comments

[thingswithwings]

oh no! I don't really have a good answer for this, b/c Rorschach's startle reflex is ridic and it is never a problem to get him up for anything. Obviously force is a bad idea, as that'll just make it worse. Does she have a favourite toy? Or does she like squeaky toys maybe? Sometimes with Rory I try to pretend I'm having a great time without him - playing with a tennis ball on my own, squeaking a squeaker, eating delicious food, that kind of thing, to pique his curiosity. If feasible, you could sit outside her crate and do something that would interest her?

Other than that, I hope the nap thing works. My other advice would be to make sure that, when she comes out of her crate, you do fun indoor things with her for a while, so that she doesn't associate coming out of the crate with going out in the cold.

[sasha_feather]

Unfortunately she doesn't really seem to get the point of toys! She has a couple of squeaky toys and a Kong but she mostly just ignores them. Her favorite activity is lying on the couch with her head in my lap which she is doing right now (so cute). (the nap thing sort of worked.)