Separation Anxiety

[bfiney]

I had a similar situation with a rescue. I would recommend a crate as well but also put an old T-shirt with your sent on it. That always was a comfort to my boy.

[craftylady]

Thats a good idea......I am still looking for a crate not sure what to shop for....any suggestions?

[Platzz]

Originally Posted by craftylady

Thats a good idea......I am still looking for a crate not sure what to shop for....any suggestions?

I've got wire and plastic airline crates. The nice thing about wire crates is the ventilation. They also colapse nicely for travel. For privatecy you can put an old asheet or table cloth over the crate.

[myzeus]

i got my wire crate from petland store and paid around $139.00 for it. it is collapsible and has carrying handles for it to carry around. it's called "Life Stages". the manufacturers website is http://www.midwesthomes4pets.com . hope that helps.

[craftylady]

I checked it out! Thank you!

[Judi W]

A better buy and a very good crate is the Midwest brand. I have several and they have served me well. You can order one and they will deliver it to your home. Should be around $80. or so. Whatever crate you purchase make sure it is a fold-down suitcase style.

http://www.mightypets.com/subcat.asp?0=347

[Platzz]

Another benifiit to wire crates......They last! Mine are 12years old. Look for coated wire. If it says "power coated" that's better & worth the $$$.

[craftylady]

Ok....it is time for a "titty baby" update. I actually have good news. I quit worrying so much about leaving her....told her to get over it ....and suggested to my husband that maybe if he left the door open to the bedroom she would not freak out so, that is what he has done and it has worked out very well. I have left and done errands and when I come home she is at the door to greet me....I ignore her until "I" am ready to greet her...and she is fine, NO more prancing and peeing all over herself..she waits till I am ready to greet her. Well I went to Annapolis for a few days to visit my father this past week and she was at my nieces for two days...it was not a pretty site but......... it is not ALL Sativas fault..after all as Judi would say...she is a dog.....Kris (my niece) left Sativa and her 5 month old German Shepard puppy (Willie) in her house while she went on a shopping trip. I had told Kris if she was leaving just take Sativa to the house and put her in the house or the back yard....well I guess she did not heed my advice and left Sativa and Willie in the house. Well........they had a good time.....Sativa and Willie ate her palm tree....It was her dead Aunts....cannot be replaced... ....twenty years old! They decided to fling mud all over the house. Willie was covered in mud and had rolled on the carpet...Sativa had mud on her feet...she dug the mud out of the pot evidently. Willie is a plant eater, he ate my Hawiaan Schefelera and my Cellum when I watched him, and I am sure they were just haveing a good ole time! Well needless to say I am speechless I did not know what to say to Kris.....I did apologize and we hugged and she is not upset with me....but Sativa is still in the dog house with her and she is going to be for along time.....oh well....we live and learn...but I still would not have left my Puppy and a bigger goober puppie like Sativa in my house all day. As far as the damage ....we are even....Willie ate my new back door when I babysat him.....Anyway...............Kris has her daughter bring Sativa back early one morning when Jr got home and she told him they did not want her at thier house anymore because she tore it up......oh well ....like I said .....they are dogs! So this leaves Jr. (hubby) with Sativa and he basically told her to knock it off and go to bed and she did fine. I may be imagining this but it seems to me that my husband is beginning to like Sativa more too. He said he wanted to see the play back on the Willie and Sativa thing....she has never torn up a plant! lol.....Sounded like a father defending his kid!
I still have not gotten a crate...he keeps saying No....so we are just working on it this way...he leaves the bedroom door open.....and she can come in if she wants. She has not destroyed anything and is sitting at the door when I come in. He told me today that she sneaks up on the bed and keeps his feet warm now. Why do you suppose the fact that bedroom door is open makes the difference? Is it still a seperation issue and she is just better able to handle it because she can get to my husband? She is still by my side when we are hanging at the house...I can tell her to get out of a room and she will but I am always in eye site of her and I really do not mind that. All in all she does seem calmer and my husband doesn't say she carrys on anymore. So it seems to be working ok. We still call her "titty baby"! lol

[myzeus]

i have been keeping zeus busy with taking him to the store with me. today, we went to the marathon gas station and i had him sitting near the door, on my left side. he was such a perfect gentleman. a woman walked up and petted him and thought he was gorgeous. i told everyone he was only 7 months old and they could hardly believe it because he is so huge. all of the people were really nice and liked seeing zeus.
Apollo is in his crate while we are at the store and even apollo was a good boy when i got home. later, i needed to go to walmart. so i loaded zeus in the van and off we went. zeus was excited to go for another ride. well, in the back of the van, i loaded six 40 pound bags of quikcrete there to take back to lowes.
i go inside of walmart and about a half hour later come back out to the van. i could not see inside the van so i figured he was a good boy while i was gone. i could see that my van windows were all steamed up, like zeus was panting heavy or something with 50 degree weather. well, we get home and i look in the back of the van and zeus had ripped open 3 of those 40 pound bags of quikcrete and his whole muzzle is covered in white powder from the quikcrete. i don't know if he ate any of it.
the problem is, at 7 months of age, it looks like he is developing a bad case of separation anxiety and i need to somehow help him get rid of it because he is being very destructive when i leave him for short periods of time. i started putting a muzzle on zeus when i would leave. i did this two times. then i tried it without the muzzle, when i came home he did not chew anything so i would reward him. the muzzle idea worked for awhile until today. just to stress a few points below:

1. the boys are not bored.
2. i keep them busy. running and playing in a large fenced yard for hours on end. i do interact with them separately.
3. they have lots of bones and toys all over the house.
4. i train them with treats for every good deed they do.
5. apollo loves his crate and sleeps alot there.

[marsol]

Yes...a crate gives a dog their own little den..Sydney will go in hers to take a nap or during the night on her own. She has one of the wire cage ones so the air can circulate...she also used to go there for an occasional time out when she was younger.

[MaddoxsMom]

Originally Posted by craftylady

I think she just loves me as much as I love her and is afraid she will be left but she needs to get over it and I need to know how to help her.

However difficult to abstain from applying human emotions to your dog, I would suggest refraining from this at all cost. It will only inhibit your ability to subjectively analyze the problem and find a solution.

I would suggest crating her when she is alone in the house, do not give her the unwanted responsibility of roaming the house/yard etc. for extended periods of time by herself.

[marsol]

You REALLY need to show your husband some of the stuff written (in any dog training book) about it being cruel to NOT crate train a dog...Right now it sounds like the doggie has the run of the house and that is not good..