Expert: Alan J Turner, SATS LL1 - 9/30/2006

Question
We have a dog we adopted from an animal shelter approx. 10 years ago, named "Missy".  She is mix of part lab/part ?.  She is primarily an outside dog and lives in our fenced in yard - we bring her inside if it is going to storm or is getting cold at night.  She has a dog house that she used to love - insulated, perfect size, in a dry spot next to the house and we always get a new pillow for it each year and she loves it!  For the past year she will not get in her dog house.  I then tried washing it, moving it around, trying different beddding, etc and she will not use it anymore.  She has even slept in front of the door of it but not in it.   It is turning cooler at night now and I want to try to provide a place for her and I am just completely stumped on how to solve this problem.  It was an expensive dog house so I hate not using it.  Can you help us (and "Missy")?  :)   Thank you!  Lynn Case  

Answer
Hi Lynn,
Thanks for the question - sorry for the delay in responding. Here's along shot! Sudden behavivor changes are sometimes an indication of medical health problems. Has Missy visited her vet lately?

You've tried several things I would suggest. Good! The only other suggestion I have is to make the dog house more appealing by warming it up a bit. I've heard of people that install a 40 watt appliance bulb in their dog's house. I'm not sure how you could go about making it safe, perhaps an electrician would know. When I was a kid - we formed an aluminum foil shield for a light bulb and afterwards our pup loved his house. Now I would take more precautions to ensure safety.

I Hope that helps Missy. Happy Training!
AT