separation anxiety in dogs. How do we correct the problem and keep our dog safe?

Question

We just adopted a dog 2 weeks ago from the pound. We very rarely leave him but when we do we come home to a disaster. We bought a metal crate and tried that but he destroyed everything in it including the plastic tray that comes with it for the bottom. The next time we put him in it we put some chew toys and when we got home there was blood and he broke 1 tooth and chipped another. Now when we leave we have a wire rope covered in plastic, hooked to a stake in the ground. In general he is only left for about 10 minutes during the week. Long enough for me to take my daughter to school. The tether is something that we just started but we can not use it for long periods of time because it is very cold and snowy outside. Any ideas for the future? We love our dog very much and have become very attached and hate to see him hurt. But also hate to see out things destroyed. Can any one help?

Answer 1

My 8 month old dog does the same thing. When we leave him, he'll sit and howl for the entire time we're gone, and tear everything in the house/yard up into shreds. What we've started doing is, when we are home, putting up a baby gate in a room where he can still see us and leaving him there for about an hour a day. Even though he can see us, he gets a bit used to not having constant interaction and he's been improving on being alone. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

I'm sorry to hear about this! But, you should be able to fix it. The #1 thing that helped my dog was when I ignored her for at least 20 minutes before I left, and the same amount of time (-ish) when I came back. Coming and going became much less emotional for her. I often would get my keys, put on my coat, "leave" for a few seconds, and then come back in. She was crated, and I would cover the crate to cut down on the fussing. After some reps of this, I would get an "Oh, you again." response from her which is exactly what I wanted! I always feed her in her crate, and she can only have chewies/bones in there, not loose in the house.
I play crate games with her whenever I think of it:
http://www.finchester.org/dogs/dog_diary/2005/08/crate-training.html
which has helped a lot.
There are quite a few herbal supplements to give, and Melatonin has been shown to reduce stress in dogs. There's a pheromone spray that is like a plug-in air freshener kind of gadget that is about $40 - I've seen it at many pet stores.
A Google search for "separation anxiety" will help. Good luck!

Answer 3

Don't worry! This is a common case for puppies that love his owners. You should start crate training your puppy. I wouldn't suggest just tying him outside since it is very cold. It is not safe for dogs to stay outside for long periods of time. I would strongly suggest going through the videos on the first link and reading the other link that I have attached for you. Basically, give your puppy one or two toys to play with: usually a hard bone - nothing made of plastic that can be chewed off or seems unsafe. Place the puppy in the crate. This will become the puppies new "safe zone". Place the puppy in there when you are home for a while each day. Gradually give the puppy more play time however remember that it isn't punishment for the puppy to be in the crate also, it is a place of safety. Sometimes giving a puppy too much space in the house can be overwhelming. So, in time, by teaching your puppy that the crate is his saftey spot, being crated will not create such an annoyance. Just remember puppies are babies and they have to be taught how to act, just as babies. Never get rid of them just because they haven't been trained yet.

Answer 4

I have to ask, are you sure that it's separation anxiety? If her issue is JUST urination and she doesn't display any other signs of separation anxiety — non-stop barking, destruction, self-harm, etc. — then it could be an issue of house-training or even a UTI or other bladder problem. It's also somewhat telling that she urinates in her crate; most dogs try very hard not to, and if she does it could be because of a lack of control. Your best bet would be to speak with a vet (in the event that it's a medical issue), a trainer or behaviorist. I don't think that adopting another dog at this stage would be terribly helpful.

Answer 5

The best thing to do is give the dog plenty of attention and excercise while you are there. Something to stimulate the dog is good too. My pup is 6 months old and she went through a faze where she was getting into trouble when I was at work. So I started leaving the tv on and playing with her for about 20 minutes before I headed out to work and it seems to have helped. My neighbor even commented on the fact that she has been doing better so I know she is when Im not there and have no clue if she is whinning or not. A worn out dog is a happy dog if you ask me.

Answer 6

We have recently adopted a rescue dog also, and have run into bad problems with her seperation anxiety as well. I basically take her wherever I go, unless I'm going to be away long; then I cross my fingers and hope that she hasn't totally lost her mind while I was gone.
Our vet and I discussed this, and I've done a lot of research on the problem. Some dogs, if young enough, wil outgrow the problem, and with patience and consistency, an owner can maake it a bit easier on the dog and him/herself (the above training suggestions are awesome). There are plenty of dogs, however, that cannot outgrow the problem, and in such cases, there are appropriate medications (along the lines of antidepressants/anti-anxiety drugs) that a vet can prescribe.
I 've chosen not to medicate Holly; she came with baggage, and we knew that when we adopted her.....

Answer 7

My dog has separation anxiety also, and I've heard a lot of different things to try. Right now we are trying to introduce her to a crate. It would be a long post if I tried to list everything I've read, just go to google or a search engine and search for dog separation anxiety. We are also trying to work with a trainer. A trainer may be helpful because they can give you advice and help you with your dog's specific problems. If you're home a lot during the week that's good because you'll be able to work with your dog a lot. Something that I'm going to try soon is giving my dog some calming medicine. I wouldn't give them human medicine like one person said. Go to a pet store and ask for calming medicine. Hope this helps! Good luck!

Answer 8

i dont recommend using crates or kennels. my parents have a pup that we tried keeping in a crate at night so he wouldnt wreck the house but he cried all night and it was just a terrible experience... once they have a bad experience with something like that they remember it. now when they have to leave they keep him in the bedroom with our other dog and they just sleep the whole time. we give them a treat and make sure that there are safe toys in there (nothing they can break off and choke on) and that there isnt anything at their level to get into. he is housebroken so we dont have to worry about him going to the bathroom in there but when we had him in the crate hed get himself so worked up that he would go to the bathroom. just choose a place that he is comfortable already and leave him in there for short periods of time while u are home so u can monitor him... if he takes it well then u've found the right place. and when u put him in it dont get urself worked up about how he might not be ok in this spot bcuz u will pass this nervousness on to him

Answer 9

Please get him a kennel.

One with plastic sides and a metal door.

Put a blanket and some soft toys, chew toys and a bone.

Make the kennel a place he loves.

Bring him there when you are at home and pet him and call him a good boy.

Feed him treats in his kennel.

Eventually this will become his home and he will go to it when he is tired or wants to be alone.

When you are gone put him in the kennel with a treat and lock the door and he will be unable to hurt himself.

All dogs need a den so that they can feel safe and secure.

Answer 10

well, i was worried about the same thing. My puppy loves his crate....I was worried when i brought him home that he would not like it and i would really have problems. But that was not the case (thank god) I put 4 pieces of his food in the crate. Never start off putting him directly in the crate let him get in on his own i threw the treats in and lots of toys he started going in and out so then after that we started cloding the door for about 3 mins each time. Now he loves his cubby you have to make it exciting for him. If he sleeping say on the kitchen floor, pick him up and throw a few treats in there so when he wakes up he find them and say what a good boy/girl your in your cubby. make him feel safe. my dog did cry after he woke up for 2 min and i ignored it and kept telling him he was a good boy. I have no problem leavinh him alone. keep making him feel safe in his territory and not a punishment. crates are comforting to animals. its their own personal place. good luck.