wot can i do, my dog barks and crys all day when im at work~ i love her dearly and dont want to give her away,

Question

like i say i love her dearly but a dog sitter costs too much.:'(

Answer 1

Your dog can't cope with being left all day. It's hell for her, and you're going to have complaints from the neighbours.
You've had a load of good suggestions such as leaving the radio on a talk station, giving her stuff to keep her occupied, but bottom line is she is distressed.
You need to find out how long she waits before she kicks off. If it's a couple of minutes after you leave the house, it's likely to be separation anxiety. The problem is you can't treat her for it if at the same time you are leaving her all day. The treatment is a phobia cure; you can't use it to cure the phobia of being left alone if at the same time you are exposing her to being left alone all day.
In any case, treatment for separation anxiety was never intended to 'solve' the 'problem' of being left for 8 hours at a stretch; fact is that all day is too long to leave a dog.
If you get a second dog as a companion you'd have to house train it to be left all day; you'd risk having two dogs with seperation anxiety.
You have several options. OK, so a dog sitter at your house all day is too expensive; how about for 2 hours in the middle of the day? How about a dog walker? Can you get home in your dinner hour?
Is there a local person you can leave her with for a small weekly fee; single parents can earn up to £15 a week without having to declare it.
Bottom line is, your dog is distressed and you need to do something fast, these problems never cure themselves and her behaviour will deteriorate into destructive behaviour; apart from the distress you are putting her through by leaving her alone.

Answer 2

If you love her that much why don't you consider her welfare rather than your own feelings?

Dogs are pack animals and therefore do not like being on their own for hours at a stretch. No wonder she barks and cries all day.

I don't mean this unkindly but if your dog is miserable at being left alone all day it might be better to find her a good home with someone who can give her the attention she needs.

I haven't read through all your answers but one suggests a citronella collar. To me this means that you would be punishing your dog for being unhappy!

Another one suggests that you get a companion for your dog. No! Not a good idea! We shouldn't be getting pets for our dogs - we should only get a dog when WE want one.

As dog owners we should be able to provide a dog with all it requires and this includes companionship. If we can't do this then perhaps we shouldn't have the dog.

I know all this might seem harsh but I feel so sorry for your dog. Imagine how distressed and bored she must be. She has nothing to do all day but either lie around and sleep or whine and bark in the hope that you will come back. What a shame.

P.S. 'Separation anxiety' is a term which is bandied about by amateur dog psychologists to describe what are basically just lonely dogs. True separation anxiety is seen where the dog cannot bear to be separated from its owner for even the shortest time - like the owner going out of the room or closing a door on the dog. A dog suuffering from seperation anxiety will quickly show signs of extreme distress such as rapid breathing, increased heart rate, involuntary urination and/or defecation plus other behaviour problems.

YOUR DOG IS LONELY!

Answer 3

Hi, there are several things you can do. When you are at home, try leaving her for a couple of minutes in a separate room, then go back to her and reward her and tell her she is a good girl. You may need to do this for a while and gradually lengthen the time you leave her.

When you go to the shops, etc, try leaving her with a radio on low so that she can hear voices, as she is currently suffering from separation anxiety.

One more thing you can use, which is VERY effective is to see if your Vet sells a DAP Diffuser. This is like a plug-in air conditioner, but spreads pheromones around the room that the pet is most likely to stay in. These pheromones are released by the mother when your dog was a puppy and helped to calm the pup in stressful situations. We sell these at our Practice and the clients love them. If your pet is also travel sick in a car, you can buy a DAP travel spray to use inside your car. You just spray 8-0 puffs, half an hour before travel and renew every 2 hours.

Good Luck, I'm sure would will be able to retrain her.

Answer 4

I watched a programme on dogs with similar problems the other day. One of the dogs had separation anxiety - used to bark constantly when her owner went out - the neighbours were going mad, but somehow they helped this dog, and by the end of the training she was a much calmer animal!

Get some good advice on the issue, or read a book - but basically the technique they used went roughly like this -

Firstly - the owner has to leave the dog alone for a short while, (perhaps as little as a few minutes - depending on how nervous and upset your dog gets) and then return. It's important that you DONT make a fuss of the dog before you leave - E.g. - don't apologise to the dog or make a fuss about leaving her alone - just go. Making a fuss of them only increases their anxiety.

If you don't do it already, you could always leave the radio or TV on if this is a normal thing the dog is used to when you are in the house. This may well help to calm the dog.

When you do return the dog will get excited and greet you as usual - but pay no attention. Don't look at them, don't pet or touch them and don't talk to them. (I know this sounds really awful and mean, but bear with me!)

Then, when the dog walks away from you, or calms down and takes its attention off you - then call the dog to you, praise it and give it a treat.

So - basically, you are rewarding the dog for ignoring you. Sounds a bit worrying, but it did seem to calm the dog down on the programme a lot!

Now - this is all the programme really showed about training this dog, there may be some other important factors missing - but you could always give it a try, and if it seems to be working, then slowly increase your time away from the dog, being careful not to make a fuss of it in greeting or a farewell, and then rewarding it for ignoring you.
Also - if your dog is strongly attached to you, get other people to give your dog treats when you are in the room to take its attention away from you. It may be upsetting to see your dog becoming a bit less dependant on you, but this is the only way to stop them getting so upset when you leave them.

Hopefully, after some of your patience in training, your dog will learn not to worry about you going away - and that you WILL return. By not greeting the dog or saying farewell to it, you will (hopefully) be sending the message to your dog that your absence is not a thing it should get worked up about.

Though saying all this it's very sad to hear your dog's alone all day while you're at work. My Mum's friend used to leave her two Alsatians shut in alone all day and they wrecked the place and ripped up the kitchen tiles from sheer boredom. :o(

The link below is to a page about Separation anxiety and a bit about how to treat it.

Answer 5

Sounds like she is susceptible to separation anxiety which is common in some breeds. both large and small.

Does she have a "buddy" to carry around...a stuffed toy of some sort. Is her bed easily accessible or is there an item you wear or handle that could be left for her to lie on or be near such as pj's or house coat, sweater etc...something old that you don't really worry about being used by her but that has your scent on it.

The suggestion above to leave a TV on is very good and this gives the illusion that people are still present in the house. For the first while she may still bark and whine when you leave but don't stand at the door once you've left the house or stand where she can still view you. This will only encourage her to continue her reaction.

Give her tons of affection when you get home...tell her she is a good girl and give her treats...play with her or let her do her trick routines with you. She will soon realize that you are going to always come back and she'll be fine.

Good luck

Answer 6

First off, if you have the finances, space, and time, you could try finding her a companion. If you aren't looking for another dog, try a toy or something that will keep her busy and comfort her. An old shirt or sheet with your scent might help. Another thing to try is keep her in a larger area, not too contained, or else she'll feel nervous. If you show up at the same time each day, she may start getting anxious at that time. Try slightly varying your routine, but get home about the same time. Also, when you get home, don't make a big fuss, then she'll think it's good to get excited and anxious. Good luck! You could also, as a last resort, try giving her a calming agent like rescue remedy and come home at lunch and walk her.

Answer 7

I hate to say it but dhe suffers from separation anxiety.The only way to cure it is by taking a couple of weeks off work to train her into it. Can you visit the dog at lunchtime, give her things to do while you are at work, such as activity balls, available at all good pet stores. If this doesn't cure the prob, you will either have to work around her, find a new job with better hours or where you can take her with you, or sadly rehome her. She obviously needs company,. But don't get another dog. Unless you think this may solve the prob, but you could end up with two dogs with the same prob.

Answer 8

It sounds like she has separation anxiety. Leaving the tv on is a good idea, but you may want to try recording your voice and playing it on a loop so the dog feels more comforted. Make sure she has plenty of toys, an old sweatshirt with your scent in it. Trying a mild sedative, like Valerian Root, may help too. Talk to a vet 1st for dosage and instructions before administering any medications.

Answer 9

You don't say if the dog is inside all day or in a yard/garden. It is best to keep a dog outside if you are out all day as they instinctively like to live that way, obviously in a kennel if it is cold. Dogs like to be inside for company alone. Alternatively try some shift work-ask a friend/neighbour if they could walk the dog through th day and you could return the favour for their pets at night when you return. Lastly don't give up hope, sometimes dogs are like kids, once they realise there is no response to their moaning they tend to pack it in.

Answer 10

You should either get another dog to keep her company while you're gone, leave the tv or radio on softly for her, or find some interesting chew toys.. We bought a huge meat bone from the local grocery store (one meant specifically for dogs) that kept her busy for a few weeks.. once she got to just the bone, it was too large and too hard for her to eat, we put peanut butter on the inside of the 2 open ends and froze it, which kept her busy during the day. We bought her loads of squeaker-less squeaky toys for her to play with, and chew bones.. Also whats fun for them would be to soak one of those rope toys (the braided ones that have a large knot at the end) in broth of some sort.. either chicken or beef.. and then bake it at a low temperature for a few minutes.. When you leave the next day, give it to your pup, he or she will love the taste and it will keep her occupied. Plenty of things to do is the way to keep her mind off you while you're gone. It may also be helpfull to purchase a small kennel or wire cage to keep her in while you're gone.. Something big enough for her to move around in, but still feel secure.. Dogs are decendants of wolves and the pack will always have a den to reside in that makes them feel safe and secure.. Dogs are no different... They love to have a little place that they can hide in or sleep in to make them feel safe. Even placing a blanket over 3 of the sides would make her feel even more secure.. And keep her from starting bad habits like chewing furnature, ect. Plus dogs are safer in a kennel while you're away, being loose in the entire house gives them opportnunity to get into something poisonous like pills or cleaners. Just make the kennel a happy place for your pup with toys and praise and she'll love it!