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2,537 Posts
Hello and welcome to the form! Congrats on your new boy, and bless you for taking him in.
Are his knees just that bad, or are his legs deformed in other ways? Are you planning on getting him surgery for his knees eventually? Is he a canidate with his legs?
As far as the NILIF goes, is there anything else he can do? Does he down well? Can he shake? Can he make focused eye contact? Something? NILIF doesnt have to be sitting. The dog just has to work for it. If you can teach him another command or trick instead that would be my advice (you could even get creative with it).
For the SA with the crate, how bad is it? Will he eventually settle down when you leave? Will he eat, take a treat or play with a toy? Is it Just the crate, or Anytime you leave him?
If he will eat then i would fill a REALLY yummy kong, and Only give it to him when you leave. He will look forward to your outings as he will get his treat (i know some dogs are so bad where they dont care what food you stick with them).
Try and exercise him as much as you can before you leave also. Turn the radio on too. I would also work on him getting used to the crate every day. Get some yummy treats (jerky, cheese, hotdog, etc), and go to the crate. Place a treat right outside of the crate for him to get. He doesnt have to walk into teh crate. After a couple times of that, place the treat right on teh door of the crate. After a couple times of that stop for the day. Next time start where you left off and where he was comfortable (which might be right back at the begining). Work on slowly getting him further and further into teh crate. Once he is going into teh back of the crate willingly for a treat then close the door for a second. Let him out and praise. Throw another treat to the back but dont close the door. Next time close the door for a couple seconds. Work your way up.
If you can feed him in the crate (and he will actually eat) do it. The more positive experiences you can associate with the crate the better. It will be slow going for a long time, but with persistance you can do it. He is still adjusting to everything and settling in. Good luck!
Are his knees just that bad, or are his legs deformed in other ways? Are you planning on getting him surgery for his knees eventually? Is he a canidate with his legs?
As far as the NILIF goes, is there anything else he can do? Does he down well? Can he shake? Can he make focused eye contact? Something? NILIF doesnt have to be sitting. The dog just has to work for it. If you can teach him another command or trick instead that would be my advice (you could even get creative with it).
For the SA with the crate, how bad is it? Will he eventually settle down when you leave? Will he eat, take a treat or play with a toy? Is it Just the crate, or Anytime you leave him?
If he will eat then i would fill a REALLY yummy kong, and Only give it to him when you leave. He will look forward to your outings as he will get his treat (i know some dogs are so bad where they dont care what food you stick with them).
Try and exercise him as much as you can before you leave also. Turn the radio on too. I would also work on him getting used to the crate every day. Get some yummy treats (jerky, cheese, hotdog, etc), and go to the crate. Place a treat right outside of the crate for him to get. He doesnt have to walk into teh crate. After a couple times of that, place the treat right on teh door of the crate. After a couple times of that stop for the day. Next time start where you left off and where he was comfortable (which might be right back at the begining). Work on slowly getting him further and further into teh crate. Once he is going into teh back of the crate willingly for a treat then close the door for a second. Let him out and praise. Throw another treat to the back but dont close the door. Next time close the door for a couple seconds. Work your way up.
If you can feed him in the crate (and he will actually eat) do it. The more positive experiences you can associate with the crate the better. It will be slow going for a long time, but with persistance you can do it. He is still adjusting to everything and settling in. Good luck!