Our Bodhi had to travel 6 hours via vari kennel when we got him. Of course, he was scared of ever entering that thing again.
3 days later, I put a large dog-bed cushion in the bottom half without the lid.
I covered the sides with soft rugs & tossed a couple of toys on top.
Took Bodhi a while, but he got brave enough to get those toys, to great praise.
Hubby and I had been letting him sleep with us. We have a white sheet on top of our bed so that we can see him well at night. Makes it easier to spot Bodhi before shifting position.
Well, that night after he had fallen asleep, I put him on a leash on top of this new bed next to my side of the bed. A knot was tied at the other end of the leash and closed inside the nightstand drawer.
Several hours later, I heard a whimper and let Bodhi into our bed. I was so surprised at how much better I had slept when I didn't have to worry about where he was before shifting!
Yesterday, I put the lid on so Bodhi could explore it if he wanted. Had to Bitter Apple on the snapping parts, heh.
Later, I introduced an ice cube for the first time. He was thrilled with it! I tossed it into the vari kennel and praised him every time he would get close to it, eventually going inside to kick the ice around. Victory!!
After a while, I put a smaller dog-bed cushion. This was our initial cushion because it said "Yorkie Size". BAH! My foot! Bodhi's poor little head would hang off the edge when he slept on it!!
Bodhi tried to pull the cushion out. Got it diagonally in the doorway. I tossed toys inside and he would actually crawl under the cushion to retrieve them. More praise. AND I know that I don't have a claustrophobic dog!
Long-winded, I know. But the BIG feat today was when Bodhi, of his own free will, went inside to lie down!
Patience and attitude is so important! I hope that you discover what works for you and Buddy! |