# Dog Confined to Cage Rest: Any Tips on Keeping Her Happy? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 8, 2006, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-confined-to-cage-rest-any-tips-on-keeping-her-happy/347542 "2006-03-08T15:01:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-confined-to-cage-rest-any-tips-on-keeping-her-happy/347542/1 "2006-03-08T15:01:49Z")
[Polaris](http://www.snapfish.com/slideshow/AlbumID=37041842/PictureID=1073123332/a=43736900_43736900/t_=43736900) is a year old, and she somehow injured her leg. Along with anit-inflamatories, the vet prescribed cage rest for one week. She is normally a very energetic dog and _not_ a Happy Camper. She moans. She whines. She paws at the cage. Her little brother, [Sirius,](http://www.snapfish.com/slideshow/AlbumID=37041842/PictureID=1073123337/a=43736900_43736900/t_=43736900) keeps trying to help bust her out-- they’re not used to being seperated like this. I put in some toys that she usually enjoys, but she’s ignoring them. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-confined-to-cage-rest-any-tips-on-keeping-her-happy/347542/2 "2006-03-08T15:37:09Z")
Have you tried something new and really tempting, like ye olde Kong stuffed with peanut butter? ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-confined-to-cage-rest-any-tips-on-keeping-her-happy/347542/3 "2006-03-08T16:01:32Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > Have you tried something new and really tempting, like ye olde Kong stuffed with peanut butter? I’m going to the store this afternoon to buy her some yummy edible treats. I just feel so sorry for her. I feel like giving her a tin cup so she can run it back and forth across the bars. She looks utterly\* miserable.\* ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-confined-to-cage-rest-any-tips-on-keeping-her-happy/347542/4 "2006-03-08T16:11:26Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > I feel like giving her a tin cup so she can run it back and forth across the bars. Ha ha, that’s what we say about our dogs when they’re pacing in their crates. (Where does that come from, anyway?) Poor Polaris. I still picture her as that tiny puppy she was when you first got her. She is HUGE! ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-confined-to-cage-rest-any-tips-on-keeping-her-happy/347542/5 "2006-03-08T16:20:43Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > Ha ha, that’s what we say about our dogs when they’re pacing in their crates. (Where does that come from, anyway?) Old prison movies. They used to show the inmates slowly dragging their tin cups back and forth across the bars. > [@](#): > > Poor Polaris. I still picture her as that tiny puppy she was when you first got her. She is HUGE! The vet weighed her in at forty pounds. Just as an aside, I had to use my digital camera at work, and so I brought in my old memory stick in case I ran out of space. I found the _CUTEST_ pictures of her as a baby in her playpen on there. I didn’t know I had them. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-confined-to-cage-rest-any-tips-on-keeping-her-happy/347542/6 "2006-03-08T16:33:05Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > Old prison movies. They used to show the inmates slowly dragging their tin cups back and forth across the bars. Yeah, I kinda got that, but somebody had to have done it first. Wonder if there’s a definitive answer. \ > [@](#): > > Just as an aside, I had to use my digital camera at work, and so I brought in my old memory stick in case I ran out of space. I found the _CUTEST_ pictures of her as a baby in her playpen on there. I didn’t know I had them. A few months ago I found an old, OLD camera with film still in it (110!) Had it developed and found some (very pink – thank you, Paint Shop Pro!) pictures of the late great Miss Emily Kimberly, who’s been gone six years now. Memories . . . Keep us posted on your jailbird! ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-confined-to-cage-rest-any-tips-on-keeping-her-happy/347542/7 "2006-03-08T16:56:28Z")
How’s her leg? Poor girl. I’d suggest a big raw beef knuckle bone, but you probably don’t want to go there… 🙂 Treats will last a few seconds. I second the Kong. Fill it with yoghurt mixed with her dog food, whatever…stick it in the freezer until it’s solid. That can take a long, long time to get through & should occupy her pretty well! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-confined-to-cage-rest-any-tips-on-keeping-her-happy/347542/8 "2006-03-08T18:22:31Z")
Your dogs are gorgeous **Lissa**! I second the advice of Kongs filled with peanut butter (preferrably frozen) and the yogurt idea. Also, getting different size Kongs, putting small treats in them so that she has to really work on getting them out will keep her busy and entertained. It probably causes her anxiety being cooped up so you may want to wear a t-shirt or something, (ideally everyone in the household should do this) for a few hours or a day then put them in the crate with her. Your smell will be a comfort to her. Put a radio or a ticking clock near her crate. Leave the radio on at low volume at all times. (I turn public radio on for my babies when I leave the house.) The constant noise (not too loud, remember!) can be soothing. Maybe keep your curtains or blinds closed during the day, keep lights dim in the evening. If you have kids or housemates ask them to try to be quieter than usual so that Polaris can relax. She’ll be calmer if the activity outside her crate is kept to a dull hum. Sit by her as often as you can, talk to her, let her lick your fingers through the crate. It’s going to be a rough week for all of you but little things can make her convalescence less stressful. Good luck with your Pup! ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-confined-to-cage-rest-any-tips-on-keeping-her-happy/347542/9 "2006-03-08T19:56:46Z")
> [@bonobo\_jones](#): > > How’s her leg? Poor girl. The vet said that it’s a muscle strain of some sort. The muscle was very stiff and inflamed when she examined it. She gave Polaris an anti-inflamatory medicine, and said all should be well if she stays off it for a while. > [@](#): > > I’d suggest a big raw beef knuckle bone, but you probably don’t want to go there… 🙂 I went and got her some stuffed bones at my mom’s pet store. (She’s not a hard chewer-- she’ll just gnaw on them, so I don’t need to worry about splinters or chunks.) > [@The Chao Goes Mu](#): > > (I turn public radio on for my babies when I leave the house.) Your dogs will vote Democrat if you keep that up! 😉 > [@](#): > > Maybe keep your curtains or blinds closed during the day, keep lights dim in the evening. If you have kids or housemates ask them to try to be quieter than usual so that Polaris can relax. She’ll be calmer if the activity outside her crate is kept to a dull hum. > > Sit by her as often as you can, talk to her, let her lick your fingers through the crate. It’s going to be a rough week for all of you but little things can make her convalescence less stressful. I’m off of work this week, thankfully, so I’m keeping her crate in the room I’m in most often. She cries when I leave the room, so I’m assuming that she is happier when she can at least see me. At night, after I’ve put the other dogs to bed, I’m letting her out so she can sleep in the bed with Hubby and me. What’s breaking my heart is how Sirius keeps trying to release her from the cage. He grabbed her bedding through the bars and tugged at it, as if trying to pull her through. He’s also noticed that the latch keeps the door closed, so he’s been pawing and biting at it, trying to figure out how to open it. Then, he’ll give up for a moment and come over to me, whining, and put a begging paw on my arm, then dash back over to the cage to try to lure me there. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-confined-to-cage-rest-any-tips-on-keeping-her-happy/347542/10 "2006-03-08T19:59:30Z")
> [@](#): > > Your dogs will vote Democrat if you keep that up! Yikes! I guess I’d better lay my Libertarian propaganda on them a little more thickly now. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-confined-to-cage-rest-any-tips-on-keeping-her-happy/347542/11 "2006-03-08T21:14:16Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > The vet said that it’s a muscle strain of some sort. The muscle was very stiff and inflamed when she examined it. She gave Polaris an anti-inflamatory medicine, and said all should be well if she stays off it for a while. I’m glad that’s all it is! hehe. My online diagnosis & treatmentidea in the other thread was spot on. Heh. Poor doggie. Tincture of time. I’ve been there plenty of times with teenage Rottweilers. They’re great big bouncy klutzes when they’re growing. > [@](#): > > Your dogs will vote Democrat if you keep that up! 😉 Quick! Someone hand that dog an Ann Coulter book! (There isn’t a puking smiley here, is there?) > [@](#): > > What’s breaking my heart is how Sirius keeps trying to release her from the cage. He grabbed her bedding through the bars and tugged at it, as if trying to pull her through. He’s also noticed that the latch keeps the door closed, so he’s been pawing and biting at it, trying to figure out how to open it. Then, he’ll give up for a moment and come over to me, whining, and put a begging paw on my arm, then dash back over to the cage to try to lure me there. Awww. What a sweet dog. Maybe you need a third dog, as a back-up dog? I always have a primary dog, and back-up dogs. 😃 Want to borrow Daphne? She’s my current spare. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2006, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-confined-to-cage-rest-any-tips-on-keeping-her-happy/347542/12 "2006-03-08T23:48:27Z")
> [@bonobo\_jones](#): > > Maybe you need a third dog, as a back-up dog? I always have a primary dog, and back-up dogs. 😃 Want to borrow Daphne? She’s my current spare. I’ve got three of them already, Polaris, Sirius and Bean. Bean is a grumpy old bitch, though, and Does Not Play Well With Others. (It took four months for her to even tolerate Polaris being within five feet of her.) ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-confined-to-cage-rest-any-tips-on-keeping-her-happy/347542/13 "2006-03-09T01:10:03Z")
It’ll break your heart to do this but ignore the dog despite its pleadings. I do not mean ignore her completely…far from that. By all means sit with her and giver her attention, lots and lots of attention. Just watch running to the crate anytime she whines or encourages you to come. I had to do this with my pup [Freyja](http://www.snapfish.com/slideshow/AlbumID=38526717/PictureID=1120056422/a=46578781_46578781/t_=46578781) and had the vet advise this. Our responding to her pleas for attention just reinforced her wanting to whine even more. Eventually she laid off the overt acts of whining and pawing and would just sit and intently watch you pleading with her eyes for the attention she wanted. Flat out kills you to restrain yourself from running over and petting her (those eyes communicate volumes) but at least she wasn’t stressing herself whining and trying to get out (she had issues with her stitches from getting fixed so she needed to remain calm so as not to pull them and cause further issues). You also might look into doggie downers (drugs). No, I am not into medicating animals without good need but if it affects her recovery by being too active you might ask the vet about it. They don’t knock the dog out…just chills them a bit which might help. Point is to just use them for a few days if need be till she recovers fully. Other ideas like putting a shirt (one you do not care much about but have worn so it has your smell) in the crate is useful. I also second the knucklebone idea. They are sort of gross to us humans but provide endless hours of chewing pleasure for the dog. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-confined-to-cage-rest-any-tips-on-keeping-her-happy/347542/14 "2006-03-09T01:18:43Z")
Seems I do not know how to share photos on Snapfish. Ahh well… ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-confined-to-cage-rest-any-tips-on-keeping-her-happy/347542/15 "2006-03-09T01:34:42Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > Old prison movies. They used to show the inmates slowly dragging their tin cups back and forth across the bars. > > The vet weighed her in at forty pounds. > > Just as an aside, I had to use my digital camera at work, and so I brought in my old memory stick in case I ran out of space. I found the _CUTEST_ pictures of her as a baby in her playpen on there. I didn’t know I had them. i know i don’t need to remind you of the picture rule, woman… consider this a threat 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-confined-to-cage-rest-any-tips-on-keeping-her-happy/347542/16 "2006-03-09T03:26:20Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > You also might look into doggie downers (drugs). No, I am not into medicating animals without good need but if it affects her recovery by being too active you might ask the vet about it. They don’t knock the dog out…just chills them a bit which might help. Point is to just use them for a few days if need be till she recovers fully. My mom gave me an over-the-counter herbal dietary supplement that she swears keeps her dog calm, so I’ll give her those and see if it works before I pull out the Big Guns. She’s not bashing into the cage, or acting in a frantic fashion-- if she does, I’ll get her some Doggy Dope. (I already have some Valuim tablets for Bean. I’ll call the vet to assure the dose is okay.) > [@](#): > > I also second the knucklebone idea. They are sort of gross to us humans but provide endless hours of chewing pleasure for the dog. Her unhappiness at being caged seems to be trumping her normal desires to chew on Yummy Things. I got her some of the cornstarch bones that she loves, along with some pig’s ears, goo-stuffed bones and a couple other chewies. They’re currently stuffed under the bed pad in her cage. As soon as I give them to her, she “buries” them for later, and goes back to crying. She licked the easily accessible peanut butter from her Kong, and then stuffed the rest under her bed. She did the same thing with the bowl of food I gave her. There are numerous small lumpss of Yummy Things poorly concealed under the pad. She doesn’t want food treats, she insists. She wants _ **OUT!** _ **Least Original User Name Ever,** I’ll try to get them uploaded tonight or tomorrow morning. Please don’t hit me. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-confined-to-cage-rest-any-tips-on-keeping-her-happy/347542/17 "2006-03-09T16:28:37Z")
> [@Least Original User Name Ever](#): > > i know i don’t need to remind you of the picture rule, woman… > > consider this a threat 😃 As promised: Adorable Puppy Photos! [On the sofa.](http://www.snapfish.com/slideshow/AlbumID=38573249/PictureID=1120174535/a=43736900_43736900/t_=43736900) [Ten seconds later, falling asleep on the sofa](http://www.snapfish.com/slideshow/AlbumID=38573249/PictureID=1120174539/a=43736900_43736900/t_=43736900) [ACHOO!](http://www.snapfish.com/slideshow/AlbumID=38573249/PictureID=1120174537/a=43736900_43736900/t_=43736900) (This one’s my favorite.) [PLEASE, give me the biscuit!](http://www.snapfish.com/slideshow/AlbumID=38573249/PictureID=1120174540/a=43736900_43736900/t_=43736900) ---
**Author:** ![samm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@samm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samm)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2006, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-confined-to-cage-rest-any-tips-on-keeping-her-happy/347542/18 "2006-03-09T18:50:44Z")
Have you seen the toys that are hard plastic and when they get rolled around enough a treat will fall out? I had one that my dog would pester for an hour just to get 5 pieces of cat food from. Something like this: [http://www.dog.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=101366+SM&Cat=](http://www.dog.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=101366+SM&Cat=) Hope she’s feeling better soon! ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-confined-to-cage-rest-any-tips-on-keeping-her-happy/347542/19 "2006-03-10T04:21:20Z")
good. i got pictures. i am now sated. let that be an example to the rest of you! ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-confined-to-cage-rest-any-tips-on-keeping-her-happy/347542/20 "2006-03-10T11:08:50Z")
Love ACHOO! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-confined-to-cage-rest-any-tips-on-keeping-her-happy/347542.md?page=2)