Crates, Laundry Baskets & More Trauma for Mom....

So, the healing time for the surgery little bean will have is 8 weeks. She will have very limited activity, and will not be allowed to jump on things, primarily furniture. This creates somewhat of a challenge, as she typically has free run of the house and can "go to bed" in all three beds in the same day if she chooses.

Therefore, starting tonight, she will have to be crated to sleep and crated unless immediately supervised. Now, I don't have a problem with the concept of a crate - I firmly believe in the crate, as a matter of fact. The crate is absolutely for her own health and safety. She was crated for the first two years of her life at home, and did just fine. But she has not been crated in the house since. She does fine at agility trials in her travel crate, but is not crated at night when we stay at hotels. She has never been crated in the car, but today, she was.

So my bedroom and kitchen are sporting some new decorations. The crate in the bedroom is the crate she stays in at agility trials. I cleaned up her crate pad and put her colling bed in it. The crate in the kitchen is a big wire crate she can see in and out of - I did not want to confine her to the corner of the bedroom during the day in a crate that is really not see through. Suffice to say, they make a decorating statement. Her travel crate will be hauled out of the bedroom every time we go in the car, and I will have to get a ramp for her to get in and out of the car, for both the short and long term healing process.

Unfortunately, every time she goes near the crate, she tucks her tail between her legs and cowers, like she is in trouble for something. This breaks my heart. The wire crate in the kitchen is big enough for me to climb in, so I got in and called her in, and rewarded her when she followed my command. She ended up getting in twice on her own, both of which she was rewarded for. My goal is to make the crate a positive experience for her so she will willingly go in after her surgery. I will start by feeding her in the crate with the door open, and then gradually close the door over the next few days.

As if that were not enough, tonight, her tags got caught on her toy basket (in a similar fashion to the grate) and she freaked out. She tore across the room - hello, exactly what she should not be doing - and flung toys everywhere. I finally got her to hold still and got her unattached...but man, scared the heck out of me...

I am off to try and put Chelsie to bed...and go to bed for me too. Hope everyone is well!!!