Expert: Alan J Turner, SATS LL1 - 11/13/2006

Question
Our 6 year old pure bred Yorkshire Terrier, Kona, is a happy little guy and devoted to my husband who takes him outside every night to go to the bathroom just before we go to bed, then when they come back in Kona RACES down the stairs to our bedroom where his crate is at the foot of our bed, because he knows that he will get his "cookie" (Nutro puppy drumstick) at bedtime. The last 4 nights he has refused to go into his crate and he droops and looks pathetic as if going to the gallows. We checked his crate, washed everything in case there was anything that was offending him, but still he does not want to go in. This has never happened in all the years we have had him .
The crate is used when we must leave the house to go shopping etc--which is not often at all, and never longer than 4 hours out of the house and usually less. Never used as a punishment. We do not know what is causing this sudden change. He tries to hide and his head hangs down and his ears droop and he walks so slow and low to the ground all the while with the most pleading pathetic look on his face. I am very distressed at this because there is no apparent reason for it yet I can tell he is very distressed. Can you help me?
Thank you
Mena

Answer
Dear Mena,
Thanks for the question. When I first read your title , Sudden Change in Behavior, and before I read your post, my initial thoughts revolve around medical issues. Anytime there is a sudden change in behavior that cannot be attributed to some other change or event, my first inclination is to have the dog checked out be the vet. That being said, I cannot imagine any medical condition that would cause the behavior you described so well. So, off I go with some questions!

What exactly do you do/say when he is hesitant / reluctant to enter the crate?

Is the behavior increasing in magnitude? Does he seem to be more reluctant every night?... for example, does he start his droop farther away from the crate than he did the first night?  

What exactly does he do after he is inside the crate? Lay very still?.... eat his treat?

Does he ever sleep, rest or play in the bedroom at any other times?

Does he usually sleep throughout the night and has he been sleeping through the night since this behavior change?

Has his daily routine or anything about his environment changed in any way?... less exercise?....new neighbors?...new carpet?...new paint?...Has your or your husband's work schedule changed?... Has anyone else been interacting with Kona and crates... house sitters?.... Has he been kenneled lately?.....

Have you tried using different treats? If so, what and what was the result?

Has there been any change in Kona's feeding and elimination habits? different dog food?... different treats at other times of the day? ... house training relapses?....change in feeding or elimination schedule?

How does Kona respond when you need to crate him during outings throughout the day?  

If we cannot identify the component that is triggering or reinforcing the behavior, you should begin a program that will cause him to form new, peaceful and relaxing, happy and fun associations with the crate.

For example, get a small Puppy Kong, place some duct tape over the small opening to seal it. Place a very few high value treats inside and then add water and a teaspoon of chicken broth. Fill it up about 2/3 full. Place it at an angle in the freezer. Let it freeze.

Take it out of the freezer, remove the tape, fill the remaining space inside the Kong with your choice of a teaspoon or so of wet cat food, baby food or canned dog food. The total amount of food inside will be negligible, but the value of the frozen Kong -siscle will be very high!

He gets this extra special treat only when he is in his crate. You could first introduce him to the Kong delicacy when you leave during the day.

After a few pairings of the crate with this treat, it should change his view of the crate.

IF he has access to the crate during the day, you could place one or two very small, high value treats in the crate when he is not looking, let him find the treats on his own.

Now, it's always possible that he does have some sort of medical issue . . . like a stomach ache- if he experiences gastric pain or heartburn at night in the crate, he might associate the crate with his pain.

If you think he might have a gastric issue, talk to your vet about using some dose of an antacid like 1/2 or 1/3 of a chewable Pepsid.

Please get back to me with answers and I'll offer some more thoughts.

Happy Training!
AT