Kennel Cough & Crate Issues

Charlie feeling off his feed with kennel cough

Dry hacking and runny nose

Seems the latest bout of winter weather this past week is taking its toll on dogs as well as we two-leggeds. Charlie started hacking with what we suspected to be kennel cough.

Kennel cough actually is tracheobronchitis and also known as Bordetella. The infection is highly contagious and commonly flairs up in dog kennels, shelters, animal control centers and other areas where numbers of dogs share close quarters.

Antibiotics typically are called for as treatment, and Dr. Brookings, our shelter vet, was quick to prescribe a round for Charlie. This should have Charlie in the pink for his health certification check-up next week and a green light for his travels to New York.

Crate avoidance behavior

I'm not budging, and you can't make me.

Somewhat more serious, in terms of making the Dog Runner transport next week, is Charlie's adamant stubbornness against taking to his crate.

Crate training is a top priority for our New York bound hounds as they will be living in crates for five days on the road. The dedicated dog wranglers may handle dozens of dogs each trip, and a traveler who doesn't do well with crates typically is dropped from the program.

That first night here Charlie fell for the old treat-lure trick to get him in his crate. He tolerated the box for about an hour before cutting loose with persistent, loud beagle baying!

Perhaps we gave in too easily, but the neighbors are jealous of their sleep. Anyway, we let Charlie out that night, and he proved to be a perfect bed mate, soundly sleeping through the night without any tossing and turning.

Clearly, this dog had a home where he was loved before falling on hard times and ending up on the streets.

Night Two: The tempting treat was offered, but Charlie was having none of it. Not only did he ignore the canine candy, he even snapped at me when I tried physically moving him from the bed.

Night Three: Canine Candy was replaced with a tempting morsel of Thanksgiving ham. Having had what may well have been his first taste of ham only a couple of hours earlier, Charlie was definitely interested. I held it just beyond his reach at the edge of our bed. Charlie snatched it quick as a frog nailing a dragonfly!

So we are reaching out to our fellow fosters and other dog friends who follow this blog. What tricks have you found effective in successfully dealing with crate avoidance issues? We would be grateful for any suggestions you care to share in the comments space below or on our Facebook page.