Pooper

Harlow still doesn't like her crate. Well, I don't think it's the crate so much as simply being alone. The other day I blocked her off from the kitchen using part of the puppy pen I bought and as I mopped, she barked. And barked. And barked. It's very annoying, but more that that, it's disconcerting. I don't want to punish her for being upset, so much like when I put her in the crate and she barks and barks and barks, I don't want to put a bark collar on her because that will simply make the anxiety that comes with the crate higher.

I don't have a huge amount of respect for humans who can't entertain themselves when alone, and as a kid, I had a time when I had very severe separation anxiety problems. The irony is not lost on me. 

The biggest concern which has now wained, was the fact that she wouldn't poop outside, but she would poop in her crate ten minutes after I put her in there. It seemed to me that she hadn't caught on to the right place to poop, but also it upset her so much that she just lost her shit, literally, when I crated her for the night (or when I went to work).  So, in an effort to get her to go outside, I would coax her into her crate with yummy treats and get her in there and leave her to bark and wail for ten minutes, at which time I would get her outside before poop happens.

Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.  Sometimes, it wouldn't work and I had to take her outside and tie her up so I could hose her down, then clean off the crate tray as thoroughly as possible, and pop more soiled towels in the laundry. Again. I did a lot of laundry for a bit there. Sometimes I would have to go to work and the dog walker would come home to a slightly poopy crate, but not too bad.

Which is when I realized she's eating her poop.  I did some research and discovered that adding pineapple to their food tastes good to them going down, but not once it's out the other end. Mission accomplished. The next time she pooped outside and approached, she recoiled!

Two weeks of effort - watching her patterns, figuring out her schedule, watching what she ate and drank and when she did so - have paid off. In fact, she has not peed or pooped in the house in four days at least. Though there was that one incident when I was blow drying my hair and that freaked her out and she pooped in her bed in the hallway right outside the bathroom. That was my bad.  Other than that she's doing really well with the house training.  So well actually, that I haven;t seen her poop or pee anywhere but out yard in a specific area.  Correction, she refuses to poop or pee anywhere but her own yard.

That's something to work on next.

My dog walker posted this on FB and I found it so funny. Apparently it was shy day int he dog walking club that day. I'm hoping one of these fellows can teach Harlow that it's OK to pee placed other than at home!