I have a 1yr old puppy, with SEVERE seperation anxieyt, we are the 3rd family he has been with.?

Question

Ok, so my wife and I got Sam when he was 6 months old, he was a rescue and we are his 3rd family. He has torn up our carpet ($1,350) shreded the paint on the door ($30) and God only knows how many pairs of my wifes shoes (priceless, lol). He has broken 2, all metal kennels thaty Petsmart promised me he couldnt break out of. And now he just tore up a pair of shoes my wife recieved as a wedding present. She is done, we both love Sam, and I dont want to "pawn" him off on another family to deal with it. Also I dont want to do that to Sam, I mean 3 familys in 6 months, NO WONDER he has seperation anxiety. HELP my wife now hates our dog, I love the guy. We now have a kennel he will stay in, AND were moving into a house with a fenced yard. What do I do? My wife says if it happens again, she will loose it. Any body else deal with a SEVERE seperaion anxiaty. Sam is a black lab / chow 60lbs. but only the wifes stuff gets torn up, or our apt....

Answer 1

Our lab Sorbet came from a similair background and obedience classes were a godsend. We also used "doggy daycare" to get her through the days. It is a slow, and I do mean slow, process to get them to believe that you will come back.

The fenced yard will help, since boredom can agrevate the situation. Plus, he is a pup still and will want to chew- so buy a Kong toy and fill it with peanut butter. Three or four are even better. It will keep him occupied and his mind off of the worry. We started out teaching Sorbet to sit, and gave her a week to learn (she learned it in one night).

Please do not give up on him. It sounds like too many people have given up on him. He is a living creature and while I know that it is frusterating a dog is worth more than shoes. To help with that shoe situation- I suggest storing them in the top of the closet out of his reach. And when you are home, play fetch and anything else that you can think of to wear him out.

Do not reward his bad behavior by reacting to his misdeeds. Ignore him until it is cleaned up. It sounds like he equates scoldings with attention and in a way feels like he is getting rewarded for destruction. Do not let him down, you are probably his last hope.

Just so you know, my dog is now very well behaved. We went through Petsmart obedience classes and they worked great. Good Luck- I know that you can save him.

Answer 2

We have a lab that was a rescue. Seperation anxiety to the max. She destroyed blinds, shredded paint off the front door, splintered the trim and put two seperate holes in the dry wall on two seperate occasions. Same deal, she destroyed a metal crate, and dug up carpeting. Your lucky, the dog is only 6 mo old. Ours is 3-5 yrs, making her more difficult to train without knowing her background. So hopefully you'll have as good luck or better. We went to the vet and got a prescription for Clomicalm. It is basically a doggie Prozac. The medication along with consistant training and some patience, she is a whole different dog. Go to your vet and talk to them about Clomicalm...and do internet searches for seperation anxiety. There is tons of useful info regarding training regiments. Our vet also gave us helpful info in brochures for dealing with the problem. Good luck. It is worth it in the end. It's hard to look back and think we were about to give her up because we were frustrated and didn't know where to turn. Patience is key.

Answer 3

The first action you should take is to go out and buy a Nylabone or a Kong a treat ball/puzzle ball, a jar of peanut butter to fill the Kong with and a box of the proper sized dry dog treats to fill the treat ball/puzzle ball. Next as soon as you get home pick up everything you think he might chew and put it away somewhere, shoes in the closet, pens pencil put up high, EVERYTHING that he can pick up in his mouth put it behind a closed door. Then fill the Kong with peanut butter (actually they also sell kong brand aerosol cans of flavoured filling, but PB is cheaper) fill the treat ball with treats and also hide treats in obvious places around the room if you can. Then make him lay down on his blanket or in his crate (open door) give him the toys and then say good bye or whatever and say "Be good" and leave for 3-5 minutes.
As was mentioned above when you come home and he has destroyed anything at all dont even look at him, make it a routine that when you come home you do a complete inspection while ignoring the dog and if you find all is well praise him abundantly with petting lots and of talking to him, but if you do find something destroyed be absolutely stone cold to him pretend you cant even see him. Repeat this every day leaving for progressively longer periods of time each time praising him for chewing on the toys and ignoring him for any other destructive activity.
The first rule in dealing with separation anxiety is that Negative attention is still attention. Your dog is acting out to get your attention because he misses you and has been emotionally abused before by owners that obviously abandoned him. By doing like I have suggested above you will be showing him what the acceptable behaviour is (chewing his toy) and you will be denying him the attention he seeks from you by destroying things while you are gone, in that way he will learn that bad behaviour gets him no attention(positive or negative) at all but good behaviour gets him all the attention he wants. Also by leaving for short periods of time at first and then gradually increasing to longer periods will reassure him that you unlike his other owners will not abandon him, and that you will always return. Really this is all the dog wants to know and be reassured of to help him overcome his separation anxiety.

Answer 4

Start from step one with training him. At first leave him in the house and go outside for one minute. Return. When he's able to deal with this, then leave for a longer period of time (five minutes or so). Just hang around outside. Extend the period of time to 30-60 minutes (enough to get a few errands done). Gradually increase to half a day, then finally 7-8 hours.
Another note on this: when you return, ignore him for a few minutes. Go about your daily business of looking at the mail, listening to voice mail, etc. I know this sounds harsh, but it will train him to not eagerly wait by the door for the whole day for your return. After waiting a bit, give him lots of attention and hugs.

I hope that this helps, as it sounds like he does have severe anxiety issues. This might take a time, so I'd advise starting on a weekend and if you have a couple days off, extend it. Good luck!

Answer 5

Get a crate from kennel aire. They sell them at petsmart.com and they have a double lock and strong welded metal wire. I chose this kind of crate for my dog because a man who raised german shepherd dogs reccomended it. Anyway, always either have him in the crate or give him your undivided attention. The first time you put him in the crate he will howl and act like you chopped his head off. Do NOT let him out, if you do it will be sooo hard to crate train. This dog has an unknown background and howling my have worked at the last coupld of owners houses, but you need to teach him it won't work at yours. This may take weeks or months, but be patient. Only let him out when he is quiet. If the metal crates don't work get a hard plastic airline crate. That should hold him, but dogs do not usually take to them as quickly. Buying two crates is cheaper than replacing ______ (insert whatever is being torn up)
Also, Use clicker training. The dog needs to be shown that you love him. Check the links for info on clicker training and crate training. Good luck and I hope you can keep the dog.

Answer 6

Being in 3 different homes in one year is quite a lot. Could be afraid when you leave, you aren't coming back. May take more time to realize you aren't abandoning him. Some dogs do not get over this. Could be that he is a puppy and is still teething. Talk to your vet, maybe there is something you can give him to ease his anxiety. Maybe some of it has to do with boredom. Good thing you are getting a house with a fenced yard. Maybe you should get another dog for a companion. Be sure to provide him with chew toys. Also, be sure he gets plenty of exercise.

Answer 7

Okay you now have a kennel so when you leave put him in it.But when you do also give him a blanket to lay on a couple of stuffed animals to chew and cuddle with while you're gone and some rawhide to keep him busy.
The poor guys not only lonely and bored but he's afraid you'll not come back so give him plenty of things to occupy him while you're gone so he won't have so much time to think about his fears.Try to rotate toys so he does'nt get bored with them.But give him tennis balls or a soccer ball to keep in the kennel.Kong toys stuffed with peanut butter or treat balls filled with kibble or treats.Go to the meat shop and buy him a leg bone.That alone should occupy him all day.
Your wife can loose it all she wants and she'll keep on loosing it if she's not smart enough to keep her toys picked up and out of reach.
I had the same problem and heard alot of screaming daily but my man refused to keep his things picked up.Finally I heard it's either me or the dog and I promptly offered to pack for him.He did'nt go anywhere.
And my solution for the seperation anxiety was to go buy another dog to keep him company.Not one thing was destroyed after that.

Answer 8

Presently, the most accepted method for treating separation anxiety involves planned departures. 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.
In severe cases the owner may also have to take steps to weaken the dog's dependency upon a person. This requires the owner to ignore the dog for a period of time, sometimes up to three weeks This will not break the bond between owner and dog but it will decrease the dog's extreme dependency and allow it to tolerate its owner¹s absence without anxiety Ignoring your favourite pet may be difficult but it is important to keep in mind that a much more healthy and happy relationship will result.
Prevention
When a puppy or new dog is brought into the home, it is important to avoid situations that may encourage an excessive attachment to develop. Your dog should slowly become accustomed to staying alone . This can be accomplished by crate-training when the pup is young. As well, ensuring that the dog does not constantly follow the owner and gradually adjusts to being alone in the house will go a long way toward a healthy owner-pet relationship.
Summary
If you think your pet may be the victim of separation anxiety it is important to take measures to alleviate the problem soon. Unfortunately it is not something that will simply disappear with time. Your vet may be able to help get a treatment program started or could refer you to an animal behaviourist who may be more familiar with treatment alternatives. It is important to remember that your pet is not bad or trying to make life miserable-although it sometimes may feel that way! Your pet is the victim of a disorder that can be treated. Prognosis for recovery is excellent if you are willing to spend time working with your pet If early attempts on your own fail to decrease your pet¹s anxiety, contact a professional who may be able to point out a critical detail that others less experienced with behavioural disorders may overlook.

Answer 9

Your dog might not like your wife very much or might be jealous of you. He needs a school from a professional. It is cheaper, than replacing all the stuff, what he destroys

Answer 10

Hey,,,, I suggest you find a home that has a large outside pen for Sam.... its not the dogs fault,,,, you are the ones leaving things for him to chew on...... it is not fair to him to keep him inside either... they are working class dogs,,,,

I know how it is to have things chewed up,,,, but,,, think about it...
find a good family that can handle him......the right way.....

good luck