scared iggy, more questions

Question
QUESTION: anne,  

you helped me with some questions about a month ago when i brought home
a rescue italian greyhound that wasn't eating. he's 2 1/2 years old. i gather
from the limited info from the rescue org. that he was with a hoarder.

once i got him eating, he didn't go to the bathroom for almost a week. i took
him to the vet and found out he had parasites. once that cleared up, we
noticed he also had a staph infection in his skin. i've spent the majority of the
first month with him sick and scared and me having to make him go on walks
and take medicine.

on day one, he went directly to his crate and has only voluntarily come out of
the crate once or twice around 2 or 3 am.

my problem now is that getting him out of his crate for his walks in the
morning and when i get home is getting more and more difficult. part of the
staph infection is that his paws are raw. maybe that's part of his fear of the
walks. if i'm obviously going out for a walk (shoes, keys leash) he jumps out
of the crate, under a chair and tries desperately to get under the bookcase. if
i try to calm him and coax him it could take hours to no avail. i simply can't
do that in the mornings.

it raises all kinds of questions. how far should i go to get him out of his
crate? should i pick him up? am i invading his security in the crate? is
keeping a schedule less important if he's scared? i'm sure some of this will
pass when he's finally well, but am i doing the right things now?

once he's out the door, we seem to do okay. he's eating and going to the
bathroom fine. also, there are rare times after the walk and dinner and a nap,
that he will come to me when called if i'm on the couch with treats without
my shoes and the leash no where in sight.

trying to do the right thing,

tricia




ANSWER: When I first adopted my hound, he was scared to death of men indoors (outdoors, he would go up to anyone wagging his tail).  That was not good, since my boyfriend had to let the dog out for a pee break during the day while I was working.  So, what I did was I let the dog trail a drag line around the house.  When my boyfriend needed to get him to take him out, he could step on the line, gently pick it up and guide the dog outside.  (I went broke on liver treats for three weeks!)  Now they are the best of friends.
Having a drag line on means that the dog will also get used to the fact that the lead doesn't always mean he must go out, so it won't be so predictive of having to walk on sore paws.  But, you do have to pay attention to the surroundings and not let him get tangled, especially since his legs are so slight and these dogs are prone to break bones in accidents.
If you don't want to go that route, try to entice him out of the crate with some roast beef or cheese spread in a line on the floor, or from your hand, and attach a cue as he completely exits the crate, such as "come out".  Do it with no shoes on, and no leash around.  Once he knows the cue, and is doing it repeatedly, then try with shoes on.  
Also, play "gotcha" - take his collar as you feed him a great treat and say "gotcha".  This teaches the dog that grabbing onto his collar means that good things happen, not bad things.
Grab a copy of The Cautious Canine for more info on dealing with a scared dog.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: i guess my primary problem is that he's not coming out of his crate at all. not at
any time. he's not curious about his new surroundings. the 2 or 3 times he's
come out on is own have been around 3am and they were short lived trips. by
suggestion of the vet,  i've taken the top half off the crate so he sees the room
and gets used to the sights, sounds and smells. no change. my guess is that
he's been kept in his crate too much by a former owner.

he'll sniff at treats, but not leave his crate for them, especially if i'm holding
them. i've tried just leaving a treat on the floor (tasty slices of his favorite hot
dogs) about 2-3 feet outside the door of his crate and they'll stay there for days.  

the problem is merely amplified in the mornings when it's time for his walk and i
can't get him to come out voluntarily. is it better for me to wait until he comes
out on his own (even if that means no walk) or for me to pick him up and move
him to a different room to get him started moving?

i have that book and a few others ordered. thanks for the suggestion.  

Answer
I like your vet's suggestion, and I would use treats that are just delectable.  Bones don't make it for this kind of dog.  Try things like cheese, green tripe, Italian roast beef (has a bit of garlic in it), or turkey.  
How long have you had this dog and where did you get him?  
If he's coming out at all, I would simply make sure that there is something good waiting for him, even at 2-3 A.M.  This is clearly a very damaged dog, which I'm actually surprised was even put up for adoption, so if you are committed to him, you will probably need to go slowly.  If you have a lead on him, I think it's fine to guide him out of the crate (offer a great reward once he's out.  Sometimes, you can just dab a little peanut butter on his nose to lick off (that presumes that he isn't fear aggressive, of course).  After about 20-30 repetitions (not all at the same time, obviously) he should start to get the idea that you mean him no harm and that good things happen when he leaves the crate.