# 2 Days into the shutdown and seeking opinions...



## novanewbie768 (Feb 14, 2013)

First of all, I am new to this forum. I have been reading posts and this is a great site. My wife and I just rescued a 2 yr old mix, Tessa, from the local shelter and we've begun a shutdown. We have never tried the shutdown before with previous dogs and I have a few observations/questions that I'd love to hear your thoughts on. She is the only dog in the house. I am also aware that there are mixed opinions on the need or a shutdown, but we figured we'd try it.

1. Tessa is definitely out of her element and stressed out. It seems that she was never much in a crate. When we brought her home on Tuesday, we let her spend some time walking the house, smelling things out, and just seeing what's around. Shortly after she was home we convinced her to get in the crate with some some pieces of hot dogs. The first night, maybe a mistake, we put the crate in our bedroom and let's just say we didn't sleep much. When she finally calmed down, every time we would move, she would begin to weep and cry. We moved her crate yesterday morning to the landing on our stairs to the basement where we left to door open to our living room so she can know what is going on. 

2. When we are near, in the living/dining room, all she does is cry. When we go up stairs and be quiet, she settles down pretty quickly and as soon as we come near again, it starts up. Starting last night, and more noticeably this morning, when we take her out to go to the bathroom and a short walk in a calm area, she doesn't want anything to do with going back in the crate. The only thing that works is using some pieces of hot dog, and even with that it's not easy. Is this "normal"? Even with being patient with her, I don't know what else to do to continue to process of making her crate feel safe. I understand we're only 2 days in, but I don't want her to develop an extreme fear of her crate.

3. Her stress...she is definitely very much on alert even when she is on the leash in the house. It's extremely difficult to get her attention...she's very much doing her thing and ignoring us. She's anxious and there have been a few times she's jumped on me with her paws, almost like she is mounting me. It's pretty difficult to get her down...turning my back and saying "Off" isn't really working. I've actually had to push her off, which I want to be careful with as to not aggravate her. 

4. She's only eaten once, last night. She doesn't seem interested in her food or water so we'll see what happens tonight. I think last night, she was hungry so she ate. But this morning, she wanted nothing to do with it so we just go on our way. 

5. Since we don't have a yard to let her run, I've taken her on short walks early in the morning (6am) and late at night (11pm) when there isn't much activity outside. She's done ok with this, but the few times we've had her out in the middle of the day, she is definitely on much higher alert. I don't know how to get her some exercise without the walks. 

6. The positive: She is doing great as far as being house trained. No accidents in the crate, and as soon as we take her out, she is pretty good about going. It's been mostly peeing, probably since she hasn't eaten much.

So with all that, I'd love to hear some feedback. I am a patient guy, but am curious for those who have done this before, have any of you experienced the same? How do I better manage the crate situation? Should I move the crate? 

Thanks so much!


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## Trotter (Jan 16, 2013)

We just adopted a GSD who spent his first year in a kennel and the past 6 months with an individual owner who never crated him, and seldom walked him on a leash. We crated him and the first night was like yours. When he woke us up, we spoke reassuringly and he calmed down. Next night - kitchen. He whined, but we slept. Next night, less whining. Last night, none. My point is that these dogs are very sensitive to change and feel it more than many dogs, and it will take a little time for your dog to trust you and his new surroundings. We've had ours since Saturday afternoon and today is the first day he's starting to look a little more upbeat, playing on the leash, etc. That was after 4 days of fair treatment, multiple long walks, and trust building.

The light appetite is part of the stress. IMO, these dogs need more exercise to burn off energy that could end up as stress-related misbehavior, and your regimen sounds light. Obedience training is stressful to dogs and helps them burn off energy, so if you can't walk, train - once the dog's more settled in.

I should add the above occurred while we are also breaking in the 9 y/o male pitbull we adopted from the shelter 2 weeks ago. He adjusted to us MUCH more quickly than the GSD - it's like he's been with us forever. We'll continue to crate them both to prevent problems, until we're confident they're OK. The pitbull whines when he's in the crate and the GSD isn't, and the pitbull whines when he's left alone, I leave the room, etc. The GSD? Silencio.

So, give him time, make the crate his refuge, not a punishment, make sure to let him out regularly/frequently, feed him in the crate, etc. In short order, ours now go into the crate on their own and lay down, even with beds outside the crate.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

Ignore completely when she makes noise in the crate. ONLY remove her from it when she's been quiet.

Give her a stuffed Kong in the crate, even if she's too stressed out to eat it.

I think you're on the right track - because of her internal stress. Keep things somewhat routine at this point to try to ease her stress. She needs to view you as a leader at this time, so remain calm and collected and carry on 

Mainly don't expose her to a ton of things at this point.


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## novanewbie768 (Feb 14, 2013)

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm not too stressed out about since it's tonight will only mark day 2. I would like to get her more exercise, but she's quite a bit to handle on the leash right now. Late last night we were out, and I worked with her a bit and she did much better. We ran a bit, changed directions a lot so she got the point that she isn't leading our walks. 

As for the jumping...what is a safe way to reprimand her when she just latches on to me so I don't aggravate the situation more.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

When you see her coming at you (or know when she's typically going to do it) move away quickly. 
PRAISE her for not jumping - even if it was only because you moved she didn't make contact.

She sounds horribly insecure and you'll have to work hard to avoid the "needy attachment" that's being seen right now.


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## Trotter (Jan 16, 2013)

novanewbie768 said:


> I would like to get her more exercise, but she's quite a bit to handle on the leash right now.


While the GSD is dreamy on the leash, the pitbull is a puller. Until I can begin training, the pitbull is walked with a Gentle Leader (head collar) and that, with a backup leash to his Martingale (flat nylon training collar), means a nice controlled walk. Try it - it really works, though it's considered a band-aid in place of training to heel. #3 Halti (different brand, same concept) is another choice. There is a knock-off called "Halt" but I haven't tried it.

There is a learning curve (for the dog) on the head collar. The Gentle Leader comes with a great DVD re: fit and use.


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## novanewbie768 (Feb 14, 2013)

Update: So my wife went home to take her out at lunch time and she wet her crate. She is also very interested in other dogs outside...so much so my wife has a hard time getting her to move along. 

The saga continues...I'll keep this updated as we go through this as this is an experience I don't mind sharing.


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## novanewbie768 (Feb 14, 2013)

Day 3 Update: I'm hopeful we're headed in the right direction. Yesterday evening, there continued to be quite a bit of carrying on when we close by. All we wanted was a nice quiet Valentine's dinner! When we went upstairs to watch some TV, she carried on for about 20 minutes but then settled down. But the minute she heard us moving around upstairs, she picked it back up. 

Around 10:30pm, I took her out for a good bit of exercise once she calmed down a bit. We worked on leash skills a bit, and then I gave her a bit of a run. Enough so that I outlasted her which is saying something since running isn't my thing. She told me when she had enough cause she just stopped dead in her tracks. So we walked for a bit and she was definitely pooped. When it was time to get her back in her crate, we tried the frozen peanut butter kong which got her in with no issues. She went to town or about 10 minutes, but then started carrying on for another 20 while we were upstairs but then seemed to settle in. 

This morning was the first time we started to see some change. When we woke up around 6:00am, she cried a little when she heard us. But calmed down by the time I got to her crate. We went out for a nice walk and a little jog which she did ok on. But she's still really not into us yet. More interested with the sights, smells, and other animals. When we got back, we let her drink some water (which she really hasn't been doing much of), and then put her food in her crate. She went in, ate a few pieces, and then started crying. But that didn't last long. After a few minutes we could hear her chomping away. We went back to bed for another hour or so in which she was calm and relaxed. When my wife got up to make breakfast and such, she whined just a little and calmed down...it's really the first time she didn't go crazy the entire time we were near. When I came down later to do my thing and head to work, there was a little crying, but not much at all. No carrying on, barking, jumping etc.

So that's where we are. I'm gonna be honest by saying we've never done a shutdown before with any dogs. But I am hopeful that today she is starting to get it and relaxing a bit. It is clear that she needs attention so I think we are doing the right thing. I just don't think integrating her to our house right off the bat would have been the best thing for her, or us. She is strong willed and we need to just stick with the plan to help her realize that we are here to take care of, and we are in charge.

On another positive note, she ate all of her food last night, and I think she did the same this morning so we're moving in the right direction there as well.

Until next time...


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

I appreciate the updates. It's especially helpful for those who don't believe it's the way to go.
We were doing it before we joined internet forums and learned there was an actual name/procedure!
We did it out of sheer survival with some of the dogs we'd pull right from shelters and that were incredibly stressed and maxed out and unable to cope with "daily life" that involved our other dogs, especially.


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## DunRingill (Dec 28, 2007)

I too appreciate the updates!! Always advise a 2 week shut-down but get a lot of arguments against it. People seem to think they are missing out if they don't cram experiences down a dog's throat right away! 

As someone who teaches classes for an obedience club, I especially hate it when I ask the people in my pet beginner class how long they've had their dogs, and hear "OH we've had him 2 weeks....we take him everywhere!" Poor dog....the last thing he needs at this stage is to be thrown into an obedience class with a bunch of hooligans. One time at orientation I asked the person about their dog, and was told "Oh we don't actually have her yet, we're picking her up this weekend!" Those dogs seldom have the coping skills to handle a group class. 

so please keep posting your updates! and good luck with everything.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

> People seem to think they are missing out if they don't cram experiences down a dog's throat right away!


Yes! And I've seen so many failed adoptions due to this, and some dogs put in mortal danger because potential foster homes just tossed the new dog into their mix and figured it'd all be hunky dory!


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## novanewbie768 (Feb 14, 2013)

Update Days 5/6: So this weekend wasn't too bad. Tessa is not doing too bad in the crate...she has her moments, but overall she has been settling in. I've been feeding her in her crate and she is doing well with that as well. We've noticed the past day that there is a stubborn streak in her when it's time to go back to the crate. This morning, we waited almost 20 minutes til she finally got in. I didn't want to force her...I wanted her to do it on her own and I wanted to let her know that I was going to wait and pay her no attention until she did it. 

So if there is one thing we're having a little trouble with, it is the potty breaks and walks to get her some exercise. We don't have a back yard, and we don't really live in a quiet part of town. As soon as we step outside, she pays us no attention and is so overwhelmed by the sounds, smells, and activity of city life. She is definitely scared when we are outside as she is almost always on alert when we step out. The only thing that helps a little, is a try to walk/run her at 6am and 11pm when it's not so busy, but that sometimes is a bit of a struggle. It's wearing me out a bit but I find it definitely stressful for her. 

Are there any suggestions of how to exercise her without throwing her out into the world? What are some things I can do to help her settle down a bit, or will this come on her own time? I find myself having to correct her frequently, which I was trying to avoid because I don't think she is ready for that.


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