# i am at my wit's end please help



## biancasmom (Jun 24, 2008)

I just spent the last 45 minutes trying to catch Bianca so I can put her in her playpen for the night for bed. its now about 3am here and I am tired!!

Its been getting worse and worse.. when im trying to train her and work on "sit" she comes right to me and gets a treat.. but she has a 6th sense when she knows its time for bed and goes and hides behind the kitchen table where she knows i cannot reach her well. 

I tried not to make things any different tonight. I didn't turn off the tv or any lights or anything like that.. I just stood up off the couch. got a treat and said "Want a treat" and she jumped up and down.. then i said Sit.. and she looked at me.. smelled in the air at me.. then ran off under the table...i know better than to chase her because i dont want to make it a game.. so i just sat on the couch and watched tv.. then i opened a bag of pretzels which usually has her come running right up on the couch with me.. she stayed in her hiding place.. finally i got down on the floor.. thinking maybe she would think we were going to play and she came over to me (but not close enough) and ran around my back.. then under the coffee table then back to her hiding place. She kept doing this until she slowed down enough that when she ran by me, i was able to grab her.. I did NOT give her the treat. I just put her in the bed and told her goodnight. 

Does anyone have any suggestions? When its time to go bye bye, she comes right to me and almost jumps in my arms.. and when i am just laying watching tv she comes up and lays with me on the couch.. I dont understand hwo she knows im ready for bed

janie


----------



## Gail (Oct 14, 2007)

Scarlett does the same thing when I need to put her in her crate. She know how to stay out of arm's reach and is so fast.


----------



## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

Until she learns to come to you, maybe you could put a leash on her an hour or so before bedtime, it might be easier to get her that way. Tink is like that at bath time (if I dare even give the slightest hint at what's coming :new_shocked: ). 

Why do you think she's so upset at going to bed? Does she sleep in your room close enough to you? There must be something scary or lonely about it to her...

My fluffs are all happy and egar to go to bed, but then again my malts sleep in bed with me.....but Tink runs right into his crate by himself - I just have to close the door...and sometimes I even leave it open.


----------



## k9Cracker (Feb 22, 2006)

Attach a string to her. Rugby has a length of parachute chord that he had to drag around with him in situations that I am unsure he will be easy to catch in. This way, when she hides under the table or behind things, you can just grab the string and pull her out. she will figure out that she can't hide and it is a waste of time. Praise her for coming to you, even if you did have to drag her.


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Yep...attach a light leash. 

Also, practice catching her, putting her up for a minute and letting her right back out during the evening hours. 

Another fun game is to have her chase you. Take off in the opposite direction and have a cookie for when she catches you. My pup looooves this game.


----------



## rosietoby (Mar 27, 2008)

What a naughty little girl!


----------



## Matilda's mommy (Jun 1, 2005)

omg Matilda has to play the chase game everytime we want to go somewhere :smpullhair: I go out to the car and then come back in and she is more then ready to mind. She's always been like this. I have no answers for you, I know how you feel :smstarz:


----------



## mom2bijou (Oct 19, 2006)

Hmm....Where is Bianca sleeping? If she's not already in you room then I would suggest moving her crate into your bedroom and what worked awesome for us was putting the crate on a chair eye level w/my bed. The pups felt like they were in bed with us. If they cried I could easily roll over and put my hand by the crate. Maybe she's lonely at night?


----------



## biancasmom (Jun 24, 2008)

A lot of you have asked where Bianca sleeps at night. I live in a small 2 bedroom apartment and and she sleeps in a playpen out in the living room. it is about 10 paces from my bedroom. 

The problem is if she sees me, she whines because she wants out. as long as she doesn't see me she sleeps very well. 

Even when i leave in the morning, i have to put her in the pen and walk out the door quickly or she will start to whine and bark because im out in the room and she is not. i dont think its a matter of her not liking her bed.. because if i unzip the side of it she wants to go in and out of it.. i just think its a matter of her wanting to be where i am if she can see me. Last night she just was NOT ready to stop playing and go to bed

I can understand it.. after all she is in the playpen the entire time Im at work... and while im sleeping at night. she does so well on her pee pads im seriously considering just putting her in my room with me and letting her sleep on the bed with me.. i have stairs for her to go up and down on my bed.. im just worried that seeing me will make her want to play or lick my face and wake me up.

janie


----------



## biancasmom (Jun 24, 2008)

For everyone who suggested the leash.. i do agree thats a good idea andf in fact i did that the other weekend when i knew i had to leave soon.. 

the problem with that is, she hates a collar so i have to put harnesses on her.. and then the leash just kind of hangs down her back and when i did it before she kept stopping in her tracks and looking at the leash like what is thing attached to me?

i guess if i start doing that though at leas she will get used to coming to me when i need her to, then eventually i can take off the leash and she'll come anyway, right?

janie


----------



## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

You mentioned she doesn't like the leash attached to her -- maybe you can get one of the show leads (the really thin, light ones). I would say another option is to play REALLY hard with her a little bit before bedtime to get her exhausted, and she'll likely be easier to round up into her x-pen.

I would also try putting her in her pen WELL before bedtime, while you're still out in the living room watching tv, etc, so she learns that you aren't going to leave the room everytime she goes in her pen. She's probably associating being in her pen with "now I can't see mommy" because you're either going to your bedroom or leaving for work. You might also be able to lure her in her pen with a stuffed Kong, bully stick, etc. (whatever kind of stinky smelly things she loves). You could also play fetch with her (if she likes that), and with the pen open, throw toys periodically in there to have her fetch...that way, she's going in and out on her own, but doesn't know when you'll actually close her in there.

I hope things get better for you soon.


----------

