18 1 / 2012
Penny hates crates. Really, really hates crates. Everything I’ve heard or read says that your dog should, eventually, go willingly into their crate, either by lure of food or because they like the enclosed space.
These people clearly have never met my dog.
At the suggestion of vet-student-slash-friend-of-a-friend John I stuffed her Kong toy with peanut butter, rather than just kibble, and she LOVED it. Much like her keeper, Penny will do pretty much anything for a spoonful of peanut butter, including launch herself headlong into the crate, tail wagging. Victory! …or so I thought. This dog is too smart for her own good. She has figured out that if she stretches one or both legs back out the door I can’t close the crate! That evil little dog!
Her new crate (which was out of stock at the local pet store, so I had to order it) arrived today, so when I ran home at lunchtime to check on her we set it up. Unfortunately the noise of assembling the metal sides scared her and she wouldn’t get anywhere near it. Once again I found myself bodily shoving her into a cage - feeling horrible about her, myself, and the whole situation. Someday the uncomfortableness of the crate will get ironed out… but until then, it’s a miserable process.
