Dog proofing an enclosure?

[indigotoes]

Greetings everyone!

I've been a reptile lover all my life, but I have never had the chance to have one of my own. Luckily it looks like this coming spring I will finally be able to look after a one!

I have read your very helpful and informative care sheet, but does anyone else have any experience with keeping a Skink and their enclosure safe from curious dogs? My family has three, one of which is a big, dopey 90+ pound Rottweiler\ Boxer cross who likes to chase after moving things (like butterflies) and stick her nose to stuff. I have concerns that if the tank is too low she might see the little guy's movement and knock it off the stand... Which is definitely something I want to avoid.

Any suggestions?

[Rani-May]

Is there any chance of keeping the enclosure in a separate room that you can shut the door to so the dogs cannot get into? It'd be terrible if the enclosure was accidentally knocked down. Better safe than sorry.
What skink are you getting? I hope you will be putting up some pictures for us all to see

[Linnea]

im not sure this is what you would like to hear, but it is the only advice i can give. wait for the others to see if they have other solutions, until then, ill write the obvious things youve already thought about.

if your dogs are not trained, now is a great time to put some discipline into the living situation. a curious large dog is a danger to itself, at the very least. if you have any room or cellar or several levels in your house, start by making the upper level (if you have stairs it will also spare their backs) a no dog zone. it is how many i know solve the "large curious dog = disaster for several things" problem. one room is also sufficient.

of course i am not suggesting to hurt your dogs in any way. a correctly trained dog lives a very healthy life as it includes movement, following orders and thinking before acting (both good body and mind condition). rottweilers, labradors and the like are excellent for this type of training. its not like they will ever loose their playfulness, they will just use their energy and creativity at the right place

on top of the basic discipline dogs will also receive training in not hunting unless ordered, which means a skink or any meal eaten will not be touched until its allowed. Do note that you can never train away their hunting skills, you can just make sure to be the wise pack leader and tell them when the time to hunt is right the dogs and owners will be very proud of themselves. im not sure how these skills work with non hunting dog breeds...

a rottweiler is smart enough to find and destroy a tank if there is even a tiny bit opportunity to see the little thing moving inside it, so i cannot personally recommend getting a reptile or other animal until it has been fixed.

the tank can be placed in a single room you have only reptiles or the like in. with a steady lock. but im not sure if its a happy living situation not being able to trust things to be okay every day. but it is a solution, as suggested above.

plexi glass can be used for enclosures as well as a heavy wooden shelf if you have the room for it. THAT would certainly fix the knocking over the tank issue.

[dustypaws]

We have 3 German Shorthair Pointers aka "bird dogs" . The only time I worry about the dogs is when I have the skink out and about on the ground. The dogs themselves are well trained to the command "leave it" upon which they will leave whatever it is has their attention. Since the skink has no smell they are not usually interested after the 1st sniff but if he is moving their prey drive kicks in and that's when a quick "leave it" stops them in their tracks. Even though our dogs are well trained (which includes frequent review sessions), I would never trust their natural instants and not be personally close to the skink when he is out I currently have Ard's enclosure on a piece of furniture that is 38 inches high and wider than the enclosure. I will say in the evening when Ard is really climbing and making noise the dogs do go to the cage to investigate but that is the extent of it. I usually worry more about my cats! Lucky none of them find the top of the enclosure a resting place (too many cat trees, etc that are more comfortable). My best advice is if the dog is that uncontrollable, curious, and you have cause to worry, then as previously suggested, a non dog area is the safest place! Baby gates are wonderful peace makers. I use them daily.

[indigotoes]

Thank you for all the great ideas!

I think I will put the tank in our living room where there are tons of large well insulated windows, a bonus is that the dogs don't tend to hand out in there. I also managed to find a shelving unit at Ikea (http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/10069763/) that is pretty high off the ground, will give me lots of storage underneath, and if I put one unit in front of another I could get a pretty nice sized tank on top!

About the Rottie cross, Cassa... The reason why I can't just train her like our other dogs is because she is a special case. According to the write up we got from the pound we got her from a few years ago, she had been abandoned in the snow around Christmas time during one of the most brutal winters we have had in Winnipeg. She survived by eating garbage, and when she was found she was so mangy and thin they couldn't tell what she was. Despite her rough start, she is a loving, gentle and friendly giant, but we think it was because her brain was starved during a critical period, that she is stuck as a tiny puppy mentally. I appreciate the training tips, but for her, forgiveness, prevention and the general treatment as if she is still a pup is the best we can do for her. Anyway... Sorry for going into Cassa's story.

The type of Skink I am hoping to get would be a Northern, I love their coloring and from what I have heard they have wonderful personalities! I am hoping that I will be ready in the Spring to look at buying from a breeder, I want to make sure have a good setup ready and can give him or her lots of TLC before I bring them home!

[Rani-May]

Thats so sad about your dog. Glad someone who cares adopted her.
also sounds like you are going to be a good BTS owner too good luck with it and be sure to post pictures once you have one

[Richard.C]

If cage tipping over concerns you put it somewhere else where that possibility is removed,not only should u be concerned about lizards well being and its home breaking,but with heat lights to a fallen enclosure is a fire risk to,putting everyone at risk

My advice is if in doubt,remove the doubt,make it safer

[LarissaLurid]

I'd get a very sturdy table to put the cage on, something that can't be tipped and where the cage itself can't be reached to be knocked over either. Up high will also be better because heat lamps will be out of reach from the dog, which is good to prevent the dog getting burnt or knocking over a heat source.

[dustypaws]

You sound like the perfect forever home for Cassa. She and you are lucky to have found each other. Although it does sound like she is stuck in puppy mode it is possible though repetition to train her. It is a daily process (as is with all puppies) and one that will take the patience you have. It may not be in a week but rather months until she will "get it". I too would make sure the lighting is secure and well out of reach of Cassa. It sounds like you have found a good piece of furniture that will give you the wider base and storage you need!
Again I am always on guard when I am holding my skink or letting him have an exploration moment when around my other pets. Animals are curious in nature and that can never be "trained away". Between now and when you get your new baby is a great time to begin Cassa's training. Remember that it will take time and it will be a daily review but she will get eventually.

[tylociraptor]

I have a sturdy, oak and plexiglass front opening cage with locks. I practice hot-keeping habits, however. Nobody gets to open cages if I am not in there, and no animals get to stay in there unsupervised/uncaged. Everyone safe and sound So definately keep your cage in a room which Cassa cannot get into without your permission!

I also have a boxer, and i know yours is a cross but it sounds like they have the same inqusitive nature. Kali however, is pretty gentle with other animals, and has let my rats sleep on her!

My reccomendation would be to get the cage, or as close a mockup as you can, and have it where you want it, with everything BUT the skink in it, for a few weeks at least, let her get used to it. This will also help you see if it is secure enough or if it needs to be moved or something.

In the training department, for a dog in her situation (and for most dogs, in my opinion) discipline based training isn't a good idea. If you want to try training her, reward and ignoring based treatment is good. I would suggest having her sit, bringing the cage in, and giving her a treat when she settles, or a toy, and make sure to tell her what a good girl she is! Boxers and rotts are both working dogs when it comes down to it, so hopefully she'll have the excitment about pleasing and doing well that these dogs do. This way she can watch and get interested in the skink (like kali does with my geckos) without being in danger, or being a danger. Just a suggestion of course, and you know best for your dog, but this is what I would do. As dusty says, you can not train the curiosity out of an animal, nor would you want to! But you can always ensure for Cassa and the skinks safe, that the curiosity is resolved in a safe way.

Sounds like Cassa's in a wonderful home. I'm sure you'll find a way to have a skink with her, and both safe.

[Susann]

Yes, please try to train your dog, and definitely get a BIG, heavy, secure enclosure, and a sturdy stand for it.
BUT.
Be prepared for having to put the enclosure in a room that the dogs have absolutely no way of getting into while there is no supervision, and dogs might get bored.
I say this because I used to foster Huskies, and there were some that never stopped stalking the skinks in their tanks. Skinks absolutely smell enticing to dogs, and reptiles to some breeds are like rabbits to hunting dogs. We had one Husky who was constantly at full attention in front of the skink-tank, and if the skink moved, so did the dog. I had my son put the skink on the floor while I held the dog's collar, and the dog went absolutely frantic trying to get to the skink; it was all I could do to hold on for a few seconds until the skink was removed. That little experiment taught me that I would NEVER trust that dog alone in my home with my reptiles. (This was also a very abused dog, but aside from that, had INCREDIBLE power in its hunting insticts.)

I'm just relating this INCASE your dog has similar instincts. In our case, it was a foster dog, so we put up with it for a short period of time. If this happened to you, you might be looking at having to get rid of an animal if you can't keep them separated.

But I wish you all the luck in the world. And I envy you your dogs

[Linnea]

i posted earlier, before the message about the particular dogs background history.

id just like to clarify out that by discipline training, it actually IS reward and ignore training. no hurting, annoying, scaring or leaving wthout food or anything like that. i easily forget its normal like that in some places

my naivity in this sheltered place of the world is on occassion plain visible.

i noticed tylo probably thought i meant the other, so for anyone who might misunderstand, im very sorry.

[tylociraptor]

i posted earlier, before the message about the particular dogs background history.

id just like to clarify out that by discipline training, it actually IS reward and ignore training. no hurting, annoying, scaring or leaving wthout food or anything like that. i easily forget its normal like that in some places

my naivity in this sheltered place of the world is on occassion plain visible.

i noticed tylo probably thought i meant the other, so for anyone who might misunderstand, im very sorry.

Linnea... it might have been a lost in translation situation! sometimes certain words have different meanings translated that I'd expect! No worries haha! Glad we agree!!