On 4 May 2005 08:19:13 -0700 whittled these words:

Years ago I tried placing food in a dog house to entice another
retriever inside. He refused to enter the dog house for years until
the day he finally passed away. Wish me better luck with this dog!

I had great success in encouraging entry by crawling into it myself. Even
if that doesn't work right away put something of yours (e.g. a used
t.shirt) in there to mark it as "home" and try again later.

Any suggestions regarding a mild sedative for the trip and how to
administer it?

No but I have a strong caution. What you need is not a sedative but an
anti-anxiety drug. Sedating the dog will often just scare the bejabbers
out of it because it will still feel the fear, but be unable to respond.
THis means that when the sedation wears off the dog may be in a bad state.
A much better alternative is to use a drug that will reduce the feeling of
fear and anxiety. Usually that means beginning a course of administration
in advance. See your vet for the appropriate information.

--
Diane Blackman
http://dog-play.com/
http://dogplay.com/Shop/