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Dog fails and learning
Mar. 20th, 2020 09:47 am So, the doglet had kind of rough evening, so we had kind of a rough evening, and so I am underslept and posting on dreamwidth.
Yesteryday, she curled up in her crate all day and went to sleep in it for the night with no upsetness. Getting her into the crate in the living room was kiiiind of a fail last night. She was bundled up on the couch on the blanket we gave her, and she required a lot of coaxing to get off the couch for her last pee of the night - she even growled at me a little! But, with bribery and some pets, she got down and I got her out, and with some more treat bribery, she got in the crate.
And then she promptly kicked over the little dish of water I had put in. (It's not recommended, but I felt like I was being a bad dog owner to crate her without water.) So I took her out and spent a few frantic minutes hunting down a big towel and mopping up the water and wiping off her bed so it wasn't sucky to have her sleep in it. But, eventually, I got her in the crate and snuggled in and went to bed.
And all was reasonably well for a few hours! But around 4am she was whining and started to bark a bit. The husbeast got up and took her to the backyard for a pee and back in the crate, but she didn't calm down and go to bed after. We spent a pretty miserable hour waiting for her to calm down and telling ourselves we aren't being bad dog owners, that she needs to have some structure and talking about my dad's dog, who adores his crate and will hang out there all day.
I consulted some stuff online, and after how cuddly she was yesterday, I made the call that she wasn't hurt or needing to go out, but that she was lonely and didn't want to sleep by herself.
So, at four thirty, me and the husbeast slow dragged her crate into the bedroom, with her inside. She immediately calmed down! She went right to sleep! As did we.
And come 6am, I rose from my bed like a zombie from a grave, fed the dog, gave her the anxiety meds she's been on, and took her on a walk with the husbeast.
So I guess today's lesson is in forgiveness and humility and flexibility? Because the dog can't talk, and we still have to figure out what she needs.
Yesteryday, she curled up in her crate all day and went to sleep in it for the night with no upsetness. Getting her into the crate in the living room was kiiiind of a fail last night. She was bundled up on the couch on the blanket we gave her, and she required a lot of coaxing to get off the couch for her last pee of the night - she even growled at me a little! But, with bribery and some pets, she got down and I got her out, and with some more treat bribery, she got in the crate.
And then she promptly kicked over the little dish of water I had put in. (It's not recommended, but I felt like I was being a bad dog owner to crate her without water.) So I took her out and spent a few frantic minutes hunting down a big towel and mopping up the water and wiping off her bed so it wasn't sucky to have her sleep in it. But, eventually, I got her in the crate and snuggled in and went to bed.
And all was reasonably well for a few hours! But around 4am she was whining and started to bark a bit. The husbeast got up and took her to the backyard for a pee and back in the crate, but she didn't calm down and go to bed after. We spent a pretty miserable hour waiting for her to calm down and telling ourselves we aren't being bad dog owners, that she needs to have some structure and talking about my dad's dog, who adores his crate and will hang out there all day.
I consulted some stuff online, and after how cuddly she was yesterday, I made the call that she wasn't hurt or needing to go out, but that she was lonely and didn't want to sleep by herself.
So, at four thirty, me and the husbeast slow dragged her crate into the bedroom, with her inside. She immediately calmed down! She went right to sleep! As did we.
And come 6am, I rose from my bed like a zombie from a grave, fed the dog, gave her the anxiety meds she's been on, and took her on a walk with the husbeast.
So I guess today's lesson is in forgiveness and humility and flexibility? Because the dog can't talk, and we still have to figure out what she needs.
