I got it!!!!

[Midget]

Hi guys!!

I got the crate!!!

Now is the hard part

So i made the crate a base from the cardboard it came with and a blanket so it wont slide on the tiles and it wont make sounds. When Ziggy saw it of course she was curious but she didnt go in. So i started throwing treats inside, but still nothing. I placed her water bowl in there and played fetch till she got thirsty. Still nothing. I went back to the treats and sat down by the crate holding the treat deep inside the crate, she stepped in and it made a noise as she pressed her leg on the tray so that scared her. Thats when i started noise proofing it. After that she got in and splashed the water allover her bed and everything that was in there

I took everything out and started cleaning, she jumped in to play with the wiping cloth (frustrating , but as long as she had fun in the crate it was fine by me). Every single toy i wanted to give her i placed it first in the crate saying "home", then when she brought it out we played. I started on treats again saying "home" and awarding etc etc. I threw a bottle inside, she layed down to chew it, so i found the time to close the door for a bit. She didnt mind. Once i walked out of her sight for a few seconds she got alarmed, so i opened the door before she started crying.

She doesnt love the crate but she is getting the idea of a rest place i hope. I feed her in there so she will know its a good place. At the end of the first day she considered it a place to hide her bones and toys, which is not what im looking for but dunno, is that a good sign?

I tried putting her for sleep at night but that wasnt a good idea so i just tied her up near me as usual, but had the crate with the door wide open so she could hop in if she wanted too. Of course when you have learned a dog that its ok to hop on the bed with you, i bet its hard to un-learn :/

She stills seems more comfortable tied up rather than in the crate, which sounds normal to me considering dogs are animals of routine.
My tactic while im away at work, is having her tied as usual but having the crate wide open with all her toys and bed inside. Im hoping she will prefer the "freedom" of the crate at some point.
Things get tougher cause she still has the stitches and the cone, cause she ripped of some of the stitches and doctor told me it will take till friday at least.
So i guess this isnt a time to pressure her on anything, she is without a walk for 2 weeks now due to the stitches and my illness :/ So much energy getting built up... Doctor forbid me to even let her loose in the house and i will have to follow it this time striclty if i want her leg to get better.

Anyway this is more of a mumbling post cause im so happy about the crate! Plus i talked to the landlord and "made him" accept that we are in this together cause he agreed on me taking Ziggy in..

But of course id love some crate advises for a super high energy puppy!!

Thank you for reading and thank you for all the support!!

[Horace's Mum]

Well done, sounds like a good start, but I really wouldn't even think about closing the door for a while yet. She needs to know she is safe in there, and that won't come if she feels trapped. Once she is happy with it and feels it is her safe place, THEN she will feel happy, possibly even safer, with the door shut.

Keep leaving toys in there, treats in there, feed her her meals inside, leave her water inside, but try not to put pressure on her going in - leave it up to her to wander in and get all these nice things. If you happen to catch her in it of her own accord, then toss in a few treats with lots of verbal praise - don't waorry if she then comes out to see you!

You can also play crate games - have a look online for videos, youtube often has them, these are games that usually use a clicker but you could adapt to do them without if you want, that help build confidence in the crate. Good for bored puppies!!