bmonkey Posted February 23, 2011 Report Share Posted February 23, 2011 We have had Molly for 5 years now, and two months ago she herniated a disc at the park. We took her to the vet and they gave her a round of strong steroids and told to keep her as quiet as possible. We haven't walked her, carried her down 3 flights of stairs for potty breaks, and so far she's been really mellow. She seemed like she was getting better until a few days ago when we came home after a long weekend away and she was so excited to see us...lots of jumping around and she's back to the original gimpy self. It's awful to see, her back end is weak...she doesn't seem to be in any pain. Anyhow....not sure how to crate train a 6 year old border collie. She's had free range of the house but we need to try and minimize her movement as much as possible. Also, any suggestions on how to get her to mellow out when we come home....lots of jumping when we get home. (bad parenting I know). Thanks in advance for help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted February 23, 2011 Report Share Posted February 23, 2011 OK, not sure how ingrained her welcoming behavior pattern is, but I just ignore the dogs when I come home (and they ignore me :-(( even though I am the one who feeds them, walks them and plays with them). If one of the dogs gets excited, I just turn around to ignore them and do something else. On the other hand, the 2 dogs are a whining, screaming, jumping, butt-wiggling mess when my husband comes home because he - often - pets them and speaks to them in a happy voice when they are behaving 'badly'. Then he gets PO'd when they do the same thing when he has his business clothes on. Sigh. I have explained his behavior reinforcements to him and he is not so PO'd now when they jump on him since he knows he has been 'asking for it'. Just general suggestions for crate training: make it a 'happy' place by giving her a treat EVERY time she goes in, give her a chew toy (Kong filled with frozen canned dog food?) when she is in the crate and start with shorter sessions if possible and work up to longer crating times. Good Luck. It is so hard to keep these guys quiet. Jovi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jan@reveriefarm Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 We have had Molly for 5 years now, and two months ago she herniated a disc at the park. We took her to the vet and they gave her a round of strong steroids and told to keep her as quiet as possible. We haven't walked her, carried her down 3 flights of stairs for potty breaks, and so far she's been really mellow. She seemed like she was getting better until a few days ago when we came home after a long weekend away and she was so excited to see us...lots of jumping around and she's back to the original gimpy self. It's awful to see, her back end is weak...she doesn't seem to be in any pain. Anyhow....not sure how to crate train a 6 year old border collie. She's had free range of the house but we need to try and minimize her movement as much as possible. Also, any suggestions on how to get her to mellow out when we come home....lots of jumping when we get home. (bad parenting I know). Thanks in advance for help. What a coincidence!.....We were just told the same thing about our 6yr. old BC who has been diagnosed with lumbar-sacral disease. We are on day 4 of 6 to 8 weeks of crate living and walks only with a leash to go pee. The addition of a strong antiarthritic which is to aid in the healing process of the vertebrae (as much as possible) has worked as a sedative, it seems. That's good for us and Zee. We were told this may prolong his life and make it more comfortable if the bed-rest is successful in allowing the body to heal and strengthen around the bone. I would think a sedative would be a consideration if it means the dogs life could be lengthened and less painful after the rest period. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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