Becoming kennel protective?

[EinsMom]

I am worried that my pem may be becoming kennel protective. He doesn't do it with me, but when my brother or his girlfriend walks by his house he will bark and growl at them. My brother also reached to open the door and Ein nipped his hand. What is going on and how do I break this behavior? Thanks!

Vyki

[Michael Romanos]

Do away with the kennel.

[MyPemCharlie]

Are you talking about an outdoor kennel/run, or an indoor kennel/crate? How is the dog with other family members, friends, and attitude to strangers? Is it only a reaction to your brother and his GF?

[EinsMom]

my brother and his girlfriend live with me so it is mostly just them, and it is an inside crate. he has never had a problem before and it has been his house for 2 1/2 yrs. he doesn't do it with me at all, and i am beginning to wonder if my bro and his gf are hitting his crate. He doesn't have issues with the crate itself because if he is bored he likes to lie down in it.

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by EinsMom

my brother and his girlfriend live with me so it is mostly just them, and it is an inside crate. he has never had a problem before and it has been his house for 2 1/2 yrs. he doesn't do it with me at all, and i am beginning to wonder if my bro and his gf are hitting his crate. He doesn't have issues with the crate itself because if he is bored he likes to lie down in it.

I don't think getting rid of the crate is the solution. You need to find out if they are doing something like hitting the crate.

Maybe you could move the crate to an out of the way place? In your bedroom, maybe?

Peggy

[MyPemCharlie]

Originally Posted by EinsMom

my brother and his girlfriend live with me so it is mostly just them, and it is an inside crate. he has never had a problem before and it has been his house for 2 1/2 yrs. he doesn't do it with me at all, and i am beginning to wonder if my bro and his gf are hitting his crate. He doesn't have issues with the crate itself because if he is bored he likes to lie down in it.

It would be my guess that your brother and GF are doing something to tease the dog, if Ein does not react that way to anyone else. If he acts that way to strangers or friends of yours, then I'd suspect a dog behavior problem. Kind of hard to really tell you much with just this little bit of information.

[Michael Romanos]

Get rid of crating your Corgi and the problem should go away.

[glencorgi]

I agree that the crate or crating isn't the real issue, the humans involved are creating something here. How is he with your brother and his GF outside of the crate?

[EinsMom]

outside of the crate, he is perfectly fine. there are no issues what so ever. i haven't seen my bro or his gf hit the crate, but the are on a different shift than i am, so i don't see them often so i don't know what is always going on at home. i haven't seen him this way with anybody else, either.

[MyPemCharlie]

Well it is possible that Ein is being territorial about his crate only, like "This is my private area. Stay away." Especially if he is perfectly happy and comfortable with your brother and GF outside the crate. You know your brother's personality to know if he is the type to tease an animal, or the "love" animal type. If Ein is just trying to protect his area (crate) you might try having your brother/GF approach his crate with cheese or other tasty treat so that Ein associates your brother/GF closeness as a good thing.

[halpey1]

The other thing you might try, it covering the front or side of the crate with a blanket to give him a little more privacy. Have you asked your brother and his girlfriend about how they are approaching the crate?

I've crated both of my corgis (6 and 4 years old) since they were puppies and would never NOT crate them - when I'm not home, I know they're not getting into trouble.

[Jane Austen]

Michael's answer about getting rid of the crate may not be all that bad. If you don't find the root of the trouble and the crate obsession continues it could reinforce the dogs attitude toward the other members of the household. It may be beneficial to break the cycle.
I agree that everything should be done to find out the cause and everyone should work toward eliminating the dogs angst. Until that happens, leaving the situation the same won't help.

[MyPemCharlie]

Well I agree with the other folks who believe that the crate is not the problem. Vyki has stated that the kennel has been the dog's den for 2.5 years and that Ein likes to go in his crate when he's bored.

Obviously, if Ein feels like his crate is not a safe place when Vyki's brother/GF is around, the the root of the problem (either being teased, or the dog being territorial) needs to be diagnosed and solved from there. Taking away the dog's crate could lead to other, different problems.

[EinsMom]

i agree that the crate itself is not hte problem. thanks for all the suggestions. i think i am going to try to put a cover around it for him and see if that may help and talk to my bro and his gf to make sure that they do not hit the crate. in fact i already told her to totally ignore him if he does start barking and growling, so hopefully that will help so that no behavior is reinforced in any way. i am also going to try the siggestion of my bro and his gf walking up to his crate with treats so that he knows they mean him no harm. thanks!!

Vyki

[Peggy]

Originally Posted by MyPemCharlie

Well I agree with the other folks who believe that the crate is not the problem. Vyki has stated that the kennel has been the dog's den for 2.5 years and that Ein likes to go in his crate when he's bored.

Obviously, if Ein feels like his crate is not a safe place when Vyki's brother/GF is around, the the root of the problem (either being teased, or the dog being territorial) needs to be diagnosed and solved from there. Taking away the dog's crate could lead to other, different problems.

I agree with Chris. And IMO, taking away the crate that the dog goes in willingly and likes to sleep in, that's not fair to the dog. You'd be taking his bed away and he'd miss it.

The real problem needs to be found not just take away the crate.

And for what it's worth, crating a dog is NOT a bad thing. There is a time and place for that. IMO, every dog should be comfortable in a crate. It's the safest way for them to travel. And if they ever have to be hospitalized then they will accept the cage at the hospital with no fuss since they're used to a crate.

Peggy