My dog is 13yrs.old I inherited her 3mo. ago, she is verry much a velcrow dog with me,?

Question

If I leave she runs around the house crying for me,(which bothers my neighbor) not only this but she gets on top of the back of the sofa,(so she can see me out the window, coming home). This is also the cats place. I have had her for 9yrs. and I feel like she should be able to sit up there. That is not the only reason the main one is that Sandi (the dog) shedds alot worse than Babygirl.(the cat) Question, how do I keep the dog off the couch and still be able to let the cat on it

Answer 1

This dog is old by old dog standards, so why not make her last few years comfortable, instead of worrying about "rules?" It's very simple -- put a cover on the couch. IF the dog is 13, it may need a soft spot to rest its bones. And you can't control what either critter does while you're gone, so be the human, with the reasoning capabilities, and protect the sofa with an old sheet or sofa cover.

I take it you live in an apartment, if your neighbor can hear her crying? If you're allowed to have dogs, the neighbor will have to get over it. Has she or any of her family ever made noise? Okay. You may not have to fight fair on that one. IF she files a complaint, you file a complaint.

If Sandi lost her other owners 3 months ago, she is probably still grieving and is desperate not to be left again. We specialize in older animals at our shelter, and few have the lifespan to adjust completely to losing or being abandoned by longtime owners. Some are dumped when their medical problems become a nuisance, others are referred to us by pounds since they are too old to be adopted in most cases, others we get when their owners are put in nursing homes.

It's very difficult and very confusing for these old ones. Most grieve, and most are indeed Velcro dogs. They are terrified at being abandoned again. But those are better than the ones who go into a depression and don't respond to our volunteer's efforts, even after months.

If your dog wants to be around you, please be patient. She is scared. It will require adjusting on your part, especially since you already had the cat for so long. When dealing with Sandi, Please remind youself of how you would want people to treat Babygirl if something happened to you and she went to another home.

However, if you feel like the dog is a nuisance--and I'm certainly reading between the lines on your various excuses/complaints--then perhaps you should consider giving her to a shelter, instead of resenting her intrusion on your current lifestyle. That might be a better solution for all of you.

Good luck to you, and please do what's best for the dog.

Answer 2

It's normal for almost any dog to have a bit of separation anxiety, especially one that is as old as she is. Was she in one home that whole time? She could be really afraid you are going to leave her,too, like her previous owner. She could just be trying to stay close to you because the cat is the "alpha" animal at present - and she wants someone to love her.
The getting on the back of the couch. That may be a territory problem that she and the cat need to work out. You can only reprimand her when you're home, what she does when you're gone, who knows.
Shedding, brush her frequently, and buy stock in sticky rollers. Fur on the furniture comes with pet ownership.
By breed, some dogs are much more high strung than others.

Putting her in a crate - if she was crate trained, and used one in her other home, maybe. If she wasn't using one there, putting her in one now may seem like punishment to her.
And, as I almost always suggest when I answer a pet problem - talk to your vet. There are pet therapists, dog trainers, and medications that may help.
Good luck, and thank you for adopting an older dog. Most people want cute little puppies. Older dogs are great companions, too.

Answer 3

Your dog is probably having a hard time dealing with the loss of her former owner. Was she with them her entire life? I bet she's feeling incredibly abandoned and confused. She's being a "velcro dog" because she's afraid you'll abandon her too. That said... it's still not easy to deal with. :) My dog was like that when I brought her home (shelter dog) and it took a year or so before she was totally okay with me being gone during the day.

If you dont' want her on the couch, first of all I'd say to confine her to a room (close a door or use a doggie/baby gate) when you aren't home. When you ARE home, you need to teach her the "off" command. If you let her on the couch when you're home, she'll assume she can go up there whenever. Of course once she's mastered the "off" command, if you WANT her to sit with you sometimes, you could use another command (allowing her up there only on command).

To make kitty feel more comfortable... perhaps a tall scratch tree would be a good "safe spot" for kitty. Cats like being up high, especially if they can see out a window. I have a 6' cat tree and my cats LOVE it. They're easy to make if you don't want to shell out the $150 the petshops want for the nicer ones.

ALso... when you leave... leave your dog with lots to do. Being older, she's probably not as into toys, etc... but maybe leave her with a raw bone to gnaw on. That really helped with my dog. Good luck.

Answer 4

That means your dog has depreshion. Belive it or not it is a real medical proplem and that means you sould take it to a vet tofind out if that is true. The vet may give a pill to give to a dog and sugest things to do to help stop the crying. DONT crateyour dog this will make the little sweatie even more sad and feel you do not want her. Over time everthing will be all right as long as you follow the vet's suggestion. Dont rush the dog or neglet the dog anyway you can.

Answer 5

You might want to consider getting a crate for the dog. I know it sounds bad to most people,but dogs are naturally den animals. He will get used to it, if you're consistant. Otherwise gating the dog in one room of the house could work, if he is not a jumper. Your dog is suffering from seperation anxiety. If all else fails, call the dog whisperer. ( =

Answer 6

Velcrow dog you say?

Answer 7

whatever man makes no diffrence too us pet haters[ ie] cats ] dogs rule cats druel ,