| Crate Training Problems...among other things.
On July 13th, 2007, we adopted Sadie. A 7 month old mutt, said to be Blue Heeler Mix, but we think looks more shepard/terrier, emphasis on the terrier part. She was a stray rescued from Southern Indiana and was to be put down the day before the Humane Society picked her up. She's a lover. Loves to be petted, be by your side, take naps, and give kisses. Some days she acts more like a cat then a dog.
From the beginning Sadie has never liked her crate. We tried to make it homey, by putting in comfortable bedding, a plush toy, some treats, and covered it with a warm blanket. She sleeps next to us in our bedroom. We give her praise and lots of petting when she goes in when asked, but sadly that's not too often. The majority of the time we have to physically put her inside.
For the first week or so, she didn't mind sleeping in there and would sleep thru the whole night. However, the past few days have changed. She cries, whines, and whimpers in two hour intervals. She doesn't need to go outside to relieve herself, as we set a schedule, that Sadie has adapted to very well. We don't want to give in and want her to sleep in her own space and not on our bed. We feel helpless in the evenings when she cries, but know that she's okay. She's a very well loved dog, very sociable with other animals, and generally is a good girl.
This crating at night though has also turned to be a problem for the day. Both my wife and I work full time. In the mornings, we walk Sadie, take her outside, play with her and then when it's time for us to leave, she refuses to go in her crate. Our dog walker comes every M-F, and walks her. Sadie is always a pleasure for her and we'd hope that she'll be less stubborn for us. We'd been given the advice to make a kong for her to play with while we are away, which we implemented. The past few days she'd been pushing out the plastic tray on which her bedding is on. We tethered it down, however yesterday, she peed in her crate, which has never happened before. I do believe that this is an act of defiance/separation for her being crated, although it's quite possible we are looking too far into the problem.
Our questions to you are this:
1. What do we do to help her in liking her crate? How do we make her excited to know it's a safe haven for her?
2. Sadie dislikes toys. She has no interest in them, how do we get her to pay attention to toys instead of napping?
3. The only treats she likes is hotdogs. Are there other alternatives you can think of that will help us in giving her treats to get her attention/praise her?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. | 
