Crating and IG and Dealing With Aggression

With our youngest daughter off to college, we were left dealing with her pet poodle. Normally, Darci, the poodle, and our IG, Berkeley, get along fairly well. Now that child number three has left the nest, we have to deal with the issue of the dogs sleeping in the same room.

Berkeley, who is the alpha of our three dog pack, has spent the past eight years, sleeping next to his Momma. Either with his head resting on her pillow when it is warm or under the blankets curled up in a ball next to my wife when it is cold. Our mix, Angel, sleeps under the bed.

The question now was where would Darci sleep? Within days the war had started. Darci challenged Berkeley for sleeping rights within the first week.

The result?

Several incidents of aggression that frightened my wife. The solution to me was simple. Darci could sleep somewhere else. Unfortunately, my wife is quite taken with the poodle. So much so Berkeley felt neglected, jealous, possibly even disrespected. As his anxiety level increased, so did the tension between the two dogs. So did the incidents.

With our young grandson in mind, my wife decided it was time for Berkeley to be re-homed. I could understand her stance. Under no circumstances was Berkeley in a mood for anyone other than me to receive attention from my wife. The poodle was also part of the problem and it was, in my mind, quite unfair to re-home Berk and not consider re-homing the poodle.

My solution solved the problem and everyone (except the poodle who was the cause of the problem) is fairly happy.

We now have two crates in our bed room. Berkeley was distraught his first night in the crate and let his Momma know how he felt about it. The second night, he went right into his crate (a treat helped), slipped under his blankets and was out like a light in minutes.

It took the poodle several nights to get over not sleeping in the preferred spot with Momma. He still has to be carried and put into the crate for bedtime.

As much as the poodle dislikes sleeping in his crate at night, and as certain as I am Berkeley would prefer to sleep with his Momma, the two crate solution has solved the problem. So much so, the two get along better than ever. Berkeley is much more relaxed and is doing a better job of being the pack leader. Darci no longer challenges Berkeley, creating tension and anxiety for the older, by six years, IG.

Why did this work? Simple. The resource/prize they were competing over was removed from the equation. Neither of them would have access to what they wanted. Thus, no need to compete anymore.

For many IG owners, part of their charm is the fact they love to sleep with their human. Other dog owners think crating their canine family member is cruel.

Let me assure you, it's not. Crates, when used appropriately, make life for your IG, and any dog for that matter, much better. Crates are man made dens. They are safe havens. Darci now takes naps in his crate. When our grandson visits and starts walking (he's a toddler), Berkeley wisely retreats to his crate without any encouragement from us. Darci has learned to be not far behind.

Introducing the crates did create an unforeseen problem. The two for a brief period antagonized each other over the others crate. Berkeley would get in Darci's crate and vice versa to antagonize the other dog. We solved this problem by shutting the crate doors.

It took a few days, but with the use of treats and fifteen minutes a day, the pair learned to scratch their crate door and bark if they wanted to nap in their crate. 

If you have more than one IG and aggression at bed time has become a problem, consider crating the two offenders. It solved the issue for us.