Keep a Harness on at All Times
Leaving the harness on will help you keep them from darting out of the cage past you and jumping on the couch. Also, keeping the harness on all of the time is easier than putting it on and taking it off.
Gretel wore this VelPro Choke Free Harness for 8 weeks straight during her crate rest. Whichever one you choose, pick a harness that is loose fitting and comfortable and keep an eye out for chafing and hair breakage.
If you’re worried about leaving a harness on all of the time, you might want to consider switching between 2 or 3 harnesses to keep your dog from getting hot spots.
Your pet is unlikely to mind having it on all of the time, really.
remember to clip a leash to your dog’s harness when you take them out to go potty (you should carry them outside) to help keep them from making sudden moves that they shouldn’t.
Try to keep your dog’s routine as normal as possible.
Gretel’s normal daily routine was sleeping our bed, eating breakfast, going potty, licking Chester’s bowl clean, laying in her bed in my office until late afternoon, eating dinner, etc.
I put a second crate in my office and put her bed in it. After I carried her in from going potty in the morning, I held her leash and let her lick Chester’s bowl as normal. Then I put her in the crate in my office.
The location of her bed may have changed, but her routine was very similar.
Make sure your dog is crate trained early on
This is pretty much the #1 tool for surviving a period of crate rest.
If your dog is not at least used to being in a crate some of the time, keeping your dog confined to a crate will be miserable for both of you, if not impossible.
For bespoke supervision of your own dog’s recovery, you are welcome to contact me to arrange a video consultation appointment. To book an appointment, use the contact form here or email me at [email protected]. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Please note that these contact details are for appointments only. I offer home visit appointments, when appropriate, for dogs and cats living near me in North Herts, UK. Video consultations are available for both local and distant patients.
For a complete and practical guide to home care, we recommend The IVDD Handbook. This is a comprehensive home care guide for dogs with IVDD (disc extrusion or ‘slipped disc’). It’s also suitable for those with certain other back or neck problems including FCE and traumatic disc. Use this book in conjunction with talking to your own vet. It contains:
Your vet may have advised a few weeks of ‘crate rest’ if your dog is recovering from injury or surgery. Confinement to a crate or indoor dog pen helps prevent your dog from damaging themselves by running about, jumping on and off furniture and using the stairs.
Above: This is a good-sized crate for a small terrier like Mac. He did well with this set-up, but some dogs would need a bed without raised edges.