crating

Question
I have a 4 yr old Shitzu (have had her 2 years) she has been crate training almost the entire time I have had her.I also have a 6 yr old Lapso
"Before" when the "girls" would come in from either their last "outside" trip for the night OR if I was going out all I would have to do it give them a treat and say "go to your house" and POOF both took the treat and went right into their crates. Now however the Shitzu just refuses, sometimes doesn't even take the treat - just avoids me all together and will NOT go in the crate - I actually have to go get her and physically shove her in the crate (being nice the whole time ... gentle and talking to her) but she just simply does NOT want to go in there. At night after I am asleep she will start barking and will not stop - unfortunatley thie aggravates my husband and he comes down stairs grabs her out of the crate - gives her a slight smack on the butt, tells her NO BARKING - put her back in the crate and goes back to bed. I don;t want to continue this every night tho - I am confsused as to WHY all of a sudden out of the blue she just refuses to go into the crate - simply because before she never ever ever had a problem with it. And I can not think of anything that has changed. Please help ......
Thanks
NMB - Chicago, Illinois

Answer
Any chance of changing her routine for a while? Baby-gaiting her in a bathroom or possibly bringing the crate into the bedroom so she can sense you and not feel isolated? I'd go back to rewarding her for going in the crate on her own and waiting with the door open. While you're changing the context, though, if she continues to have to see it in a negative way, you won't make much progress. Is she also crated during the day? In a way, your husband is reinforcing the barking by taking her out of the crate when she barks. The attention may be worth the swat. Sandy Case BFA MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com