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Posted by KDiamondDavis on February 13, 2003 at 14:04:12:

In Reply to: Help! My Dog is afraid of his Kennel! posted by kamtom on February 13, 2003 at 10:22:40:

:I have a 11 month old Black lab/Short hair mix. and for the past 4 months every night i have called him and he has come running and gone in his pet kennel/carrier (dont' worry it's a large one he has plent of room) but 5 days ago he suddenly would NOT go in it. I tried luring him in with food, toys, bones, and (in my frustration) force. Nothing has worked. He's terrified to go in there. I cannot think of what has made him act like this. nothing that i know of happened to him while in there. To make matters worse he wont go in his dog house now outside. It's almost as if he's become claustriphobic.

:Thankfully i do have a shed in my backyard that he can go in and i've set up a bed in there that he seems content to sleep in. He's also not as eating as much.. i set out food for him and where he used to gobble it up imediatly he lets sit and wont even touch it until i point it out to him.. could these two behaiviors be related? I'm very worried about him.

:any thoughts on why this may be happening or what i can do to re-stablish his "safe place" in the kennel?

:Thanks..
:TOM>>>

First thing to do is have him thoroughly checked out by the veterinarian. A lot of physical problems could be causing this behavior. Whatever a dog associates with pain, the dog may try to avoid, even using aggression if forced. The change in eating habits is also a big red flag. I would not delay investigating this thoroughly with your veterinarian.

Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinarypartner.com

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