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MY PUPY BARKS ALL DAY WHEN WE ARE GONE, WHAT CAN I DO?

Discussion in 'Dogs - Pit bull breeds specific' started by puka, Apr 6, 2004.

  1. puka

    puka New Member

    :? MY PUPPY BARKS ALL DAY LONG AND MY NEIGHBORS ARE STARTING TO COMPLAIN, WHAT METHODS SHOULD I USE?
     
  2. Sara

    Sara New Member

    Separation anxiety

    You probably have a dog with Separation anxiety...

    how long are you gone all day? Is the dog crate trained? How old is the dog? did you have the dog as a Puppy? Do you have access to a professional trainer/handler (not petsmart)?
     
  3. bullylove1

    bullylove1 New Member

    Puka,
    My dog had terrible Seperation Anxiety. I have some great articles from trainers that helped us get over it. It took about 3 months and some hard work, but now Harley is great when we leave.

    Let me know if you want me to email you the articles. Or you can email me at leslie146@hotmail.com and I will forward them to you.
     
  4. Sara

    Sara New Member

    Anxiety

    I fostered a dog with bad Separation Anxiety...

    We didn't have the time to devote to behavioral training. We jumped right to the meds...she was on them for about 3 months and we slowly weened her off of them. She turned out fine and has been re-homed with a great family in Colorado. SA can be dealt with but it takes patience and time... Use all the resources you can!
     
  5. puka

    puka New Member

    THANKS GUYS FOR YOUR HELP...

    :D ITS WEIRD CAUSE I HAVE BEEN DOING AN INTERNSHIP AT A VET AND I HAVE MENTIONED IT TO ALL MY CO-WORKERS WHO HAVE DOGS AND CATS AND OTHER ANIMALS AND THEY DIDNT MENTION SEPERARTION ANIXIETY BEFORE. WHAT KIND OF MEDICATION WAS YOUR DOG ON? (SARA) HE HAS BEEN GOIN GTO PLAY WITH OTHER DOGS AND HAS BEEN DOING GOOD. THANKS GOTTA GO HAVE A GREAT DAY BYE!!
     
  6. puka

    puka New Member

    IF NOTHING WORKS SHOULD I MAKE MY DAD LET ME GET ANTOHER DOG

    :roll: HE REALLY DOESNT WANNA GET ANTOHER DOG BUT IF NOTHING WORKS I MIGHT HAVE TO GET ANOTHER DOG OR PUPPY HIS AGE RIGHT? OR WHAT ELSE SHOULD I TRY? IF YOU GO TO WWW.MARINHUMANESOCIETY.ORG GO TO ADOPTIONS AND THEN PUPPIES/DOGS AND THEN LOOK AT HENNESEY SHE IS THE CUTEST THING EVER!!!! BYE
     
  7. puka

    puka New Member

    ONE LAST THING BEOFRE THE LIBRARIAN KICKS ME OUT OF HERE...

    :) I FORGOT TO ANWSER YOUR QUESTIONS... HE IS ALMOST 17 WEEKS THIS WEEK, I GOT HIM AT 10 WEEKS OR SO (THEY DIDNT REALY KNOW HOW OLD HE AND HIS BROTHERS AND SISTER WERE) HE IS PIT AND SOMETHING ELSE. HIS MOM HAD TWO FATHERS TO THE BABIES SO THERE WERE TO LIKE MY PUPPY , CHASE, AND TWO THAT WERE ROTT MIX. SO WE THINK HE IS A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING BUT I THINK HE LOOK MOSTLY PIT BUT WHO KNOWS. HE WAS ABANDONED ON A RANCH WITH THE LITTER AND THEN WERE FOUND SO IM NOT SURE WHAT HE WENT THROUGH THE FIRST COUPLE WEEKS... WHAT ELSE?? HUMM... HE IS ...... SO FRIKIN CUTE I JUST WANNA RIP HIS HEAD OF!!! HE IS TAN ALL OVER EXCEPT HIS BACK TOES AND FRONT LEGS AND CHEST IS WHITE WITH LITTLE TAN FRECKLES... WHATS YOUR DOG LIKE??
     
  8. puka

    puka New Member

    CRAP THIS IS MY LAST ONE!!!

    :p HE IS CRATE TRAINED AND HE STAYS ON THE SIDE OF THE HOUSE WHERE WE BUILT A KENNEL THAT IS ABOUT 30' X 6' AND I AM GONE FROM 7:20 IN THE MORNING TILL ABOUT 3:00PM. DONT HAVE A DOG TRAINER BUT CANT REALLY AFFORD IT ANYWAYS.. BUT YA BYE
     
  9. Sara

    Sara New Member

    My dog was on Amytriptolene (sp?). It's a human anti depressant and it worked really well with her. She not only barked though, she peed in her crate ALL DAY and she would bang around in it so bad she'd move it from one end of the room to the other... She was a mess...her little head would be red from banging around so much... It was really not safe etc...

    You might think about crating him while you are away. My female was crate trained (not the foster dog) and I know that if I left her outside she'd barkd and bark (separation problem) but in her crate she feels safe and secure and is quiet... That might be the case with your dog.

    The meds I gave my foster (Lilly) made her feel safer, or more comfortable with the situation and calmed her down...she's no longer on it in her new home and lives outside the majority of the time...she's also in a home where someone is there most of the time....

    Here's a link to my Pit Bulls. Lilly is the foster dog that had separation anxiety. Hunnyjade is her littermate and Monty is our first APBT, he jumped in my BF's car one day and never left LOL.

    If the problem is not separation anxiety...meds won't help.
     
  10. kyles101

    kyles101 New Member

    kuma is on amitriptyline at the moment. shes been on it for almost 5 months now and she has improved a little. still not great but at least she isnt ripping doors apart anymore :p
     
  11. Sara

    Sara New Member

    Yeah it took about a month before Lilly got to where she wasn't barking and fighting her crate...but it really did help once she'd been on it for awhile... It's one of those kinds that have to build up in the system etc...

    Lilly's personality didn't change either which seems to be a big worry with people.

    How about Kuma is she still the same ol' dog only not as destructive?
     
  12. Shady_Babygurl

    Shady_Babygurl New Member

    Here a solution if you can take a week or two to try it.


    This method involves gradually adjusting the dog to being alone by exposure to many short departures. Because the stress response occurs very shortly after the owner's departure (within 30 minutes), the dog should only be left alone for very short intervals at first (seconds to minutes) to ensure the owner returns before the onset of anxiety. Before the departure period can be increased, the owner must be certain that the dog is not stressed. The owner must closely watch the dog for signs of anxiety and ensure that the dog does not engage in an extended greeting. After the short departures have reached the 30 minute mark, the length of time the dog is left can be increased by larger increments. Once the dog can be left alone for 1.5 hours, it can usually be left all day. Departure and return should be made as quiet and uneventful as possible to avoid overstimulating the dog. The dog should not be given attention prior to departures nor given attention and praise upon returns. Excessive attention prior to departure and upon return seem to increase the anxiety during separation and it does NOT make it easier on the dog as most people suspect. Safety cues may also be used to associate with the short departures. The T.V. or radio can be left on or an acceptable chew toy may be provided for the dog. However, it is very important that the safety cue is not an item that the dog already associates with anxiety. These cues help the dog relate to a previous safe period of isolation.

    Antianxiety medications are sometimes used to suppress anxiety. These are often used on dogs with severe separation anxiety or when owners simply must leave the dog alone for an extended period while treatment is occurring. The use of drugs allows the dog to spend extended periods of time free of anxiety. However, in most cases, drugs do not offer a solution and should be used in combination with a treatment program. A vet should be consulted for further information on the safest and most effective anxiety- suppressing drugs.


    Hope it helps.....

    Kim
     
  13. Sara

    Sara New Member

    The type of drug I mentioned is often used to help the dog work through anxiety for periods of time (was in school at the time) and usually after an extended time of treatment dogs are successfully weaned off of the medication even without behavior modification added in... It worked that way for me... Lilly was weaned off the medication before being re-homed and did well...

    Consult a vet definately before putting a dog on medication for separation anxiety (make sure THAT's the problem). A vet will be able to help you get the right meds for your dog and other usefull information... could even point you to an affordable behaviorist/trainer.

    Definately talke to the vet and look into your options don't limit the options to the "easy" route of drugs if you can help it... It could become a crutch...
     
  14. kyles101

    kyles101 New Member

    kumas still the same on the drugs. weve been lowering the dose hoping to wean her off but i think i might increase it back up because shes still got this habit of chewing on the door frame. i put citronella on it the other day and she still chewed away. she might settle down when i build a cat enclosure so the cats can be with her outside.
     
  15. bullylove1

    bullylove1 New Member

    Puka, Here are some things to try before startign meds. This is what helped em with Harleys SA and it worked great.

    Here is a great article to asses if it IS SA or not:
    Separation Anxiety (SA) in its broadest terms means, "anxiety brought on by separation from a dog's person or people". SA is a catchall phrase used to describe a gambit of anxious behaviors whether mild or serious. Since, for the most part, the behaviors that occur in SA dogs are natural canine behaviors; certain criteria must be met before a diagnosis of SA can be reliably achieved.

    1. The dog must exhibit these behaviors ONLY when left alone.
    2. The dog should be observed while alone by video taping to determine exactly what behaviors are occurring, when they occur, and to establish that there is anxiety present, not just boredom or inappropriate behavior.

    The behaviors typically displayed by SA dogs include barking, whining, howling, chewing, and digging, scratching at confinements, inappropriate elimination, self-mutilation, and other destructive actions. The fact that your dog executes these behaviors in your absence does not, in itself prove SA. There must be the element of panic or anxiety associated with the behaviors. With my own dog, the videotape proved the case. We knew that Sadie was digging at the doors and woodwork around them and jumping up very high on them. There were even a couple of occasions where she defecated all over the house. The videotape allowed us to observe how panicked she was as she nervously paced from one door to the other, unable to even stand still. You could literally see the terror in her eyes!



    For example, if the dog chews on inappropriate items when the owner is home, it is likely that this behavior may occur also when left alone. Puppies chew because chewing feels good on their teeth. Adult dog's chew due to boredom and if they have not been trained to chew on appropriate items, they quickly learn that they can "get away" with it when their owner is gone. This is natural dog behavior, not an indication of SA.

    Because dogs are such social creatures and depend on being 'part of a pack', being left alone can be very traumatic. Whining, howling, barking and scratching at doors is just one way they try to call to their family to be reunited. Often dogs will do this briefly when left but then they are then content to go lie down and await their family's return. These behaviors are probably the most common behaviors noticed with SA dogs. They are so anxious that they apparently feel compelled to continue for hours, trying desperately to reunite with their pack.

    My experience and the consensus of most experts is that the length of time a dog is left alone is not really an issue. It is the fact that the dog was left at all that triggers the anxious behavior. This seems pretty obvious,
    given that the anxious behavior most generally occurs almost immediately after being left, within 15 to 30 minutes. Therefore, this should be taken into consideration also, when viewing the video.

    I need to clarify that often, some of the behaviors will occur when you are home, but physically separated from the dog. If the dog is unable to be right with you, anxiety can be displayed, often in the form of whining.

    First, a thorough examination by your veterinarian to rule our illness or disease is important. A dog that is not healthy may exhibit destructive behaviors simply due to stress on its system from lack of proper nutrition or ailments.

    If you can find no medical reason for the behavior, the dog only 'misbehaves' when left alone, and you have seen from the video tape that fear and panic are present, you are dealing with SA. Even with all the information available on the Internet and in books, there is no substitute for one on one consultation with a professional. Selecting the right behaviorist is very important, as bad advise and adverse programs still exist. Your veterinarian should be able to refer you to someone with proper credentials. The Internet site www.webtrail.com/petbehavior/guide.html is an excellent location to find qualified behaviorists.

    I believe that often dogs, because of their general nature, have some anxiety when left. With most, though, it is mild enough that they are able to cope without it manifesting itself into high gear. Is the dog that waits by the door for our return not somewhat anxious? Probably, but the anxiety is moderate enough that it isn't stressing the dog into destructive behaviors. Even a brief whining period when left demonstrates some anxiety. But does it escalate or does the dog decide, after a few minutes, that the whining isn't going to make his family return and so he becomes content to lie down patiently awaiting your return? So, for clarification, I am thinking in terms of the dog that just cannot tolerate being left alone. He becomes so anxious that obvious signs are left for us upon our return. These can be evidence of digging at carpets and walls near entry ways; digging at the actual doors; loss of control of bodily functions; barking or whining that continues through all or most of our absence; destruction of our possessions in an attempt to relieve the anxiety he feels. These are indications that the dog is highly stressed and we need to help him find relief. That is done by slowly modifying our actions and his and building his confidence so that being left alone is something tolerable for the dog.


    STEP 2
    Behavior Modification

    Once you have established that there is a SA problem, modifications need to be made in both your behavior and your dog's behavior. Most of the reading material available recommends basically the same modifications. The key to using them is twofold. First you must have patience. You will not see results overnight. Second it is helpful if you can learn to modify the recommendations to 'custom fit' your dog. For example, when given a reasonable time, I saw that physically inhibiting Sadie from following me did not appear to be working, I started letting her follow me. I did not encourage her or reward her in any way, either negatively or positively. Ultimately this turned out to be a turning point in our program as I began to understand that confinement simply made her anxiety worse.

    The expectation behind behavior modification is to build the dogs confidence and independence. As the dog begins to gain these, the anxiety caused by your leaving decreases and is replaced with positive images. Once the dog starts exhibiting brief periods of relaxation when left, the effect begins to 'snowball'. Because the negative images are being replaced with positive images it is self-reinforcing. In an ideal situation, the dog would never be left alone until the modification was complete. Thus, replacing the negative images would take less time and effort.

    Downplay Departures (anxiety reducer)

    Ignore the dog for 15-20 minutes before leaving and after returning home. Giving the dog attention right before leaving makes our leaving all that much more emotional for the dog. If we make a fuss upon returning then the dog is just all that more excitedly anticipating our return. The goal here is to even out the peaks and valleys the dog experiences while being left alone, so that the dog is better able to cope. We want the dog to begin to view our coming and going as just a normal part of everyday life, allowing it to cope with these absences in a normal manner. Initially, Sadie started getting nervous as soon as she realized we might be leaving and was totally out of control with joy when we returned home. As we started practicing this downplay routine, she grew much less anxious when we were preparing to leave and was able to relax with a minute or two of use returning.

    Some people find it helpful to give the dog a 'security cue' upon leaving. A simple "we'll be back" or something brief to that effect. This is a training technique called 'cueing', whereby the dog learns to associate that the cue means he isn't going with you, but with familiarity, learns that it also means that you will return. We found it better to totally ignore Sadie as just even speaking to her peaked her excitement. But now that she has learned that things will be fine even when she is left, I have begun to use the "we'll be back" early on in our departure routine. I think this helps her to distinguish that this is not going to be one of those times she is going to go with us. Therefore, there is no reason for her to get all excited.

    Providing the dog with a toy that he only gets when you leave is also useful for several reasons. It will become his 'special 'toy and since he doesn't have access to it any other time, he will start looking forward to it. It is also an example of 'training an incompatible behavior' since the dog can't be chewing on the toy and scratching at the door, chewing on the couch or barking at the same time.

    An excellent toy to use for this purpose is a Kong stuffed with irresistible goodies. Properly stuffed, it may take a dog 30 minutes to clean out the Kong. Another useful toy is a Buster Cube. This is a dice shaped toy with a hole that you fill with small treats that as the dog rolls it around the treats periodically dispense. Don't be discouraged if the dog initially has no interest in these toys. With Sadie, her anxiety level was just too high to even think about the toy initially. She also had no clue how to play with toys, so we had to 'teach' her using the Buster Cube. I have also, over time, had to modify what I stuffed the Kong with to keep her interested in it. Eventually she became more absorbed in waiting to get her Kong that she was in the fact that we were leaving.

    Obedience Training (confidence builder)
    Practice obedience in two or three short daily sessions. The sessions need not be longer than five to ten minutes each. In fact, it is better to train more frequently for shorter lengths of time so that neither you nor the dog become frustrated. Formal obedience training classes that use a positive approach to training are wonderful, not only for the training, but for the socialization skills that the dog learns. We used clicker training and we found it to be a lot of fun, as opposed to the idea of work usually associated with training. An excellent book about this training is "Clicker Training for Dogs" by Karen Pryor. If you choose another training method, make sure that it is a positive approach based on praise and reward as opposed to the training that still exists in the form of negative reinforcement or force and submission training.

    SA issues aside, all dogs should be able to perform the basic commands such as sit, down, stay and come. They are useful just in the course of daily life, but with a SA dog, it becomes even more important because these can be terrific confidence builders for the dog. Work towards developing a 30-minute stay. All training needs to be developed over time. For the stay, initially, work in a controlled environment, like your living room. Start with one minute, then two minutes, five, ten, etc, until the dog is able to go 30 minutes. If the dog stays reliably at five minutes, but not at seven, you have progressed too fast, go back. When the stay is reliable at 30 minutes, go back to one minute and try walking out of the room. Continue to build on that. When adding distractions or changing locations, start slowly again and build. While this sounds like a lot of work, in just six weeks, Sadie was reliably doing a 30-minute stay in our front yard with me out of her sight. What I found most beneficial about the long stay was that it can help the dog to overcome the anxiousness it feels when wanting to break the stay, learn that it is 'OK' when left by itself, both of which are enormous confidence builders for the dog.

    Exercise (anxiety reducer & confidence builder)

    How much exercise the dog needs depends on the breed, age and health of the dog. I don't feel that this should even be considered as something extra you have to do for SA treatment. Healthy dogs should be getting sufficient exercise as part of the normal routine, but it becomes even more important with SA dogs. Include two 30-minute walks per day and vary the places you walk. This stimulates the dog's mind with new scents, sights and exposure to different dogs and people. You can also incorporate your obedience training into your walks. We practice sit/stays and come.

    If possible, find other exercise options. Fetch is great because it requires a lot of spent energy on the dogs part, not yours. If you know other people with dogs, schedule play sessions for the dogs. We participate in organized agility and have some makeshift agility equipment at home to work with. Not only does exercise help keep the dog's energy level lower, but it helps build confidence. A tired dog goes a long way towards correcting behavior problems and reducing anxiety.

    Ignore Advances from your Dog (confidence builder)

    Ignore advances your dog makes for your attention for a minimum of three weeks. This does NOT mean that you should ignore the dog on any other level. In fact, because you are no longer going to respond to the advances made by your dog, it is important that you initiate attention regularly. I took this ignore issue way too literally and had one physically sick dog on my hands. When you have a dog that can't stand for you to be out of its sight, you cannot just all of a sudden pretend that the dog doesn't exist.

    What I learned is that you can have a lot of interaction with your dog without it being at the dogs initiative. A couple of short obedience sessions throughout the day; a few trick training sessions; fetch; play ball; go for a walk. When the dog is lying quietly, call him over, have him sit, and take a minute to pet him. What you want to avoid is allowing the dog to dictate when he gets attention.

    Since we could only interact with Sadie when we were doing some kind of training or exercise, without actually knowing what we were doing, we had begun to practice 'Nothing in Life is Free' (NILIF). Dr. Victoria Voith devised NILIF. It is a behavior modification that is often used with aggressive dogs, to teach them that you are in charge helping to curb the need for aggression. While we weren't dealing with an aggressive dog, we did feel that Sadie needed to know that we were in charge so that all pressure would be off of her. By her feeling safe that there was nothing she needed to worry about, we would take care of everything, we felt that it would help lessen the anxiety she felt when we left her. NILIF gives the dog a 'job' since he now starts earning everything he gets -- he must sit, shake, or perform whatever command you ask before getting fed, getting let outside, playing a game of fetch, going for a ride in the car, simply everything he does. Therefore, you can use NILIF constantly. NILIF is simply a way of having the dog say 'please' before it gets what it is wanting or needing. With SA, NILIF teaches the dog restraint and self-control, because just being cute doesn't get what he wants anymore.

    An added benefit of NILIF is that you will end up with a well-mannered dog that doesn't bolt out the door when it is open, doesn't attack guests when they arrive, and can be taken in public under control. Of course, this also doesn't just happen and it is a completely different philosophy about dogs than I had previously been used to. While my other dogs were always sweet natured and friendly, I hate to admit that they were terribly spoiled and lacking in manners!

    Unsticking the Velcroä Dog (confidence builder)

    It is obvious that if your dog can't possibly bear to be anyplace except under your feet, next to your side, or in your lap, then he will not be able to tolerate being left at home when you leave. The previous section on 'Ignoring Advances' is a starting point. In addition, you can try to discourage following by putting gates up in your house to physically prohibit the following. Some people have great success with this. After a few weeks the following behavior is extinguished and the dog just gives up even trying. As with crating, though, what we found was that if the dog has a confinement issue, gating will not help and may even increase the anxiety that the dog feels. You will need to determine if this determent is working for you by observing the dog. We tried gating off the house so that Sadie couldn't follow. After six weeks, I saw no inclination for her not to follow unless the gates were closed, so I removed them. She seemed to relax a little after I had done that, and then it wasn't long before the first time she chose to not follow. I was ecstatic! Sadie will always be my little Velcroä dog, but at least now it is down to a level that is comfortable for both of us. She loves to be with one of us, but now instead of being so insecure that she has to always be with us, she often chooses to not follow and to do her own thing.

    A variation on this is to not use gates, but to close the door to a room when you enter it. It doesn't stop the following, but does keep the dog from being able to be in the same room with you. Start initially with short periods of time and then increase the time as you find the dog becoming more comfortable.

    Prohibiting following is a modification designed to help the dog learn that he can 'stand on his own four feet'! Outside of this, it is obvious that allowing the dog to cling to you is just going to reinforce their dependence. Therefore, it is advisable that you not let your SA dog sleep in the bed with you. This is eight hours of total dependence reinforcement. Some behaviorists recommend not even letting the dog sleep in the same room with you. If you decide to try that, you may find that you have to move the dog out of the room in steps. Moving the dog's bed farther from your own bed until the dog is comfortable sleeping in another room.

    Along the same lines, don't let your dog spend all evening relaxing in your lap when you are watching television. We didn't allow Sadie to be on the furniture with us until well into our program, when we were seeing that she was not following us all of the time. Even now, she still she has to be invited (we still practice NILIF), and I don't allow her to spend all evening in my lap. A little cuddling, then she has to move to the other end of the couch. Since it is just her nature to be such a Velcroä dog, I feel we have to be careful that we always reinforce a certain amount of independence.

    Desensitization and Planned Departure (anxiety reducer)

    Start watching your dog to find the 'triggers' that start the anxiety when you get ready to leave. If locking another house door is the first trigger that starts your dog displaying anxiety when you get ready to leave, then lock the door relentlessly until the dog no longer cares. Continue through each trigger, one at a time, until your dog is desensitized to that trigger. Keep working on the triggers, one by one, until your leaving routine no longer solicits anxiety from your dog.

    Picking up your keys is generally a trigger to dogs that you are going to leave. You can leave your keys lay on the kitchen counter and pick them up and lay them down repeatedly as you pass through or are working in the kitchen. Another easy one is getting your coat out of the closet. Every time you pass the closet, open the door. The dog will perk up, then close it. Repeatedly doing this eventually gets little response from the dog. Then advance to actually taking your coat out of the closet. Continuing to do those things the dog associates with your departing will help reduce his anxiety because, by your not leaving, the dog loses interest in them happening.

    Planned departure is when you go through all the steps that you would normally do before leaving, but you don't actually leave. Initially you will simply open the door and close it. When your dog is comfortable with that, stand by the open door a little longer. Build on this slowly, as you see your dog not being excited by each step, until you are able to actually leave. Then you will be able to step out the door and right back in. Build on this in seconds and eventually minutes, always randomly varying the length of time and going no longer than the dog is able to cope without anxiety. The whole point of planned departure is to be back before your dog can exhibit anxiety signs. It is important that you use some sort of signal that this is just 'practice', such as leaving the television on, so that the dog disassociates actual departures from these sessions.

    Crating and Confinement (damage control)

    This is probably the biggest issue of controversy among behaviorists. Most behaviorists recommend you try crating and/or confinement and most in that group agree that it isn't appropriate for every dog. A few behaviorists, however, never even address the issue of confinement creating additional problems.

    The idea behind crating is that dogs like a 'den like' area and it can become a place where they feel totally safe. Also, crating will stop any digging and chewing damage to the house. What I tend to believe from my reading of both experts and owners of SA dogs is that most dogs with SA cannot tolerate the confinement, unless they were crate trained as a puppy and already consider this their safe area. As to the fact that it eliminates damage to your house, that is true and beneficial in many instances. I have read of anxious dogs jumping through plate glass windows and digging and chewing at doors until they gained access to the outside. In these cases, if the dog must be left alone, it is less likely to harm itself any worse by being crated. But I have also read accounts of crated dogs breaking teeth and tearing out their claws in an attempt to escape the crate. The owner comes home to a bloody mess or worse, either way. It is my opinion that dogs with SA to this extent should not be left alone until the problem is under control. These dogs need a sitter or doggie daycare.

    I believe that the reason some dogs simply cannot tolerate confinement can be compared to what we now know about humans with anxiety disorders. Dogs act based on 'fight or flight' instinct the same as we do. The nerve endings in the area of the brain that controls these responses can become 'over sensitive', causing over reaction to certain stimuli, which causes the panic feeling. Panic in humans may start with a specific situation, but often escalates to include other situations. This is what I believe happens to these dogs with the confinement issue. They are already panicked that they are being left alone. The confinement simply intensifies anxiety. This is especially true, I think, with dogs that dig at the house doors. These dogs want out badly enough that they try to dig their way out, so why would we put another door between them and the outside?

    Attempting to crate train a dog must be done positively and slowly. It involves making good things happen to the dog while he is in the crate. He gets treats and fed in it. When he is comfortable entering the crate for these rewards, start having him do a stay for short periods of time in the crate. If that goes fine, increase the time until eventually you close the door. Build on the time again if all is going well. The last step is for you to leave the room and build on that amount of time. If there is no indication of problems, you are ready to leave the house for short periods of time. Never use a crate for all day confinement and never for punishment.

    While we worked on the crate training for six weeks, we could never get Sadie comfortable enough with it to leave her. She never eagerly entered it and always starting exhibiting obvious anxiety when we got to the part where we tried to close the door.

    As for confinement other than a crate, this also is well worth a try. If a dog can be comfortably left confined to one room, at least the damage to the house is limited. This didn't work for us either. Any shut door was a scratching post and Sadie was able to jump the baby gates.


    These methods saved my sanity!! I always suggest trying these "tools" before turning to meds. If, however, after trying this out for a while and there are NO results, then consult your vet about medical options. It took about 3-4 months of this everyday, and not letting up before Harley finally got used to being alone. You do need to give it some time. At first your dog will not like this and it will take a good couple of days before your dog may even start to respond to commands.

    Good Luck, sorry the post is so long
     

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