[Dailydrool] Crates and Hushy

[Kristin Mielke]

Well Hushy did not pee in the crate.  He peed out of the crate. Specifically 
he was in the crate but the puddle was on the floor next to the crate. He 
had good aim.  Poop was immediately kicked out of the crate as well. This 
and the constant whinning, and banging against the crate door and roof led 
to his forever release from the crate after 2 weeks of hell. 5 years later 
and the word "Cage" still stops Hushy dead in his tracks.  We got Hushy at 8 
months. He came from a nice breeder. He was never punished with crating. He 
was never abused. He just hated the crate.  The crate now lives next door 
with our neighbour a lovely dashhound who loves her wire house.  Hushy 
circles about 5 feet arround it when we go over there and gives it dirty 
basset looks.  He has not forgotten.
He was housetrained within 2 weeks of being released from the crate.  He 
never once peed or pooped at night and went directly to his pillow next to 
my bed from day one.  He did however eat a window sill, an oak step, an oak 
chair leg, and an oak bench, and some blinds which were laminated oak.  
Apparently oak is quite tasty. So if you decide to uncrate, baby gate your 
pup in a safe, chew proof area (or at least somewhere where the furniture is 
not to expensive).
Some bassets take to crate trainning, even after initially putting up a 
fight. I would even say that most do.  But some do not. That's just life.  I 
have tried many times since then to get Hushy in all manners of crates.  The 
last adventure was a soft sided delux crate.  He foamed at the mouth and 
began to shake, and then barfed.  This took about 5 minutes. When we travel 
he wears a harness that connects to the seatbelt for safty.  If we go 
somewhere where we need to contain him he gats put in a folding x pen.  He 
is fine with the X pen. If we are in a hotel and he must be left he spends 
his time in the bathroom on his pillow with fresh water. IF it is not hot he 
will wait in his basset mobile with the windows cracked happily snoozing or 
whatching all the people going and coming. He is fine with all of this.  But 
the box is off limits. Even the vet does not put Hushy in a crate.  He 
learned this when Hushy banged so hard in the crate that he kept all the 
other patients up all night and succeeded in loosening the bolts on the 
crate to the wall endangering all the other patients.  Hushy was in an xpen 
when we went and got him.  Happily surveying all the other animals still in 
their crates.  Door open, door closed, toys, treats, food, he does not care. 
This is just our story. I am not saying that crates are bad.  In fact I 
think they are wonderful. Probably the best option for safety and 
convienience. But there are other solutions if it just is not going to work 
for you.
Kris
Hushy "No way Mom..I don't care I am not going in there"