hello

Hey Adrienne & Jennifer, Thank you so much for the advice and assurance. Before we got her I was reading up so much about crate training, getting her settled in without too much whining on her first night so this was a total curveball. Eri loves going back into her crate and generally confined spaces where she can curl up and not see the world. We’ve began to realise a few triggers like sudden hand movements (we’ve read your article 😊), not to move while she’s eating and unfamiliar sounds. We’ve been trying out best to minimise on the first 2! So far we’ve brought her down last night at 11pm just cos there wasn’t gonna be anyone around. She was extremely skittish at first but slowly relaxed and cuddled up next to us. At a certain point she was just sitting and relaxing a bit away from us. This morning didn’t go as well because the water fountains around our apartment scared her so she wasn’t as calm. Both days we didn’t manage to walk her as she was struggling against it, so we just sat down with her on the floor and took everything in. Both times a security guard (different person) walked past and she got extremely freaked out even though they were a distance away. Makes me think there’s some history there. At home we just let her be. She seems very comfortable in her crate and just notices us going about. She’s not exactly very treats motivated but we’ve managed to get her to step out a couple of times fully during meal time. But she retreats almost immediately and takes lots of coaxing to continue. We play piano pieces for her (lol) through the night and when we leave the house. She’s calm in the crate. That’s all I have to update on our first day together. I know it’ll take time and patience and we’re ok with that. Just don’t want to unknowingly reward behaviour that’s counterproductive in trying to get Eri out of her shell :) Thanks again guys 🙏🏼

Hello everyone, my partner and I brought little Eri who’s 4 months old home today. At the shelter she was extremely skittish and scared of the dogs around barking, so she pooped and peed. Brought her home and while setting up her crate, she initially rushed under the sofa. Managed to get her all settled in, but now she refuses to come out of her crate. We’re also a little worried that she hasn’t peed or pooped since the accident at the shelter. We’re at a lost as to how we can make her feel comfortable enough to do her business, and also what should our priority be regarding training. Thank you!